HAKONE

One weekend in autumn, hubby together with our two dear friends (bong and toni) decided to take a day trip out of Tokyo, Hakone seemed like the perfect choice. Located about 80 kilometers from Tokyo, this quaint town in the mountains is famous for its abundance of onsen, traditional Japanese hot springs. This, and the possibility of seeing Mt. Fuji rise above Lake Ashi on a clear day, had us immediately sold.

 We arrived at Lake ashi just before noon time and purchased our Hakone Day pass which was inclusive of round trip ropeway and sightseeing cruise.

 

Owakudani , the volcanic valley about halfway to Lake Ashi was our first stop. I could smell the sulfur almost immediately after stepping out of the car, and could see steam rising from the vents.

We walked the short distance to the sulfur vents and bought some of the famous kuro tumago, or black eggs. The eggs are hard boiled in the hot springs and eating one is said to add seven years to your life. A pack of five costs 500 yen. We gobbled down two before heading back to the cable car to continue our journey.

We hopped on one of the sightseeing ships again for a cruise back at Lake ashi where we parked our car. The boat docked at Hakone machi and continue on our journey to the famous onsen (japanese hot spring). 

The woman at the front desk was skeptical seeing us foreigners willing to undress in public... yes naked in a public bath  so they explain their rules in english. We nodded and went on to our respective locker rooms.

After undressing and washing, Toni and I walked outside for rotenburo (outdoor hotspring). The afternoon sun was golden and low in the sky, steam rose off the pools, and birds chirped in the background. The onsen were nearly empty and we relaxed in the hot water for nearly an hour. There is something marvelous about being naked outside skinny dipping in a healing water.