Fujiyama/Hakone

We’ve had some time to settle in so now I can do a proper update of our most recent adventure.  We had an early start in Tokyo, heading out on our full-day tour of Fujiyama (Mount Fuji) and Hakone.  All the other Sunrise tours out of Tokyo were cancelled indefinitely, except for our specific tour.  Even still, 7 out of 22 people registered for the tour didn’t show up.  Our tour guide was a funny little lady, Amy Nakamura, she provided us with endless hours of entertainment during the long bus rides between Tokyo-Fujiyama, and Fujiyama-Hakone.

Nakamura-san came prepared with diagrams, photos, activities, etc

Anyone recognize the tower from Lost in Translation?

 The drive to our first stop in Fujiyama took about an hour and a half, during which time I don’t think Nakamura-san stopped talking.  She even taught us the famous Japanese children’s song, ‘Fuji no yama’ (Mount Fuji Song) that all Japanese children learn in school.  I liken it to the ‘Provinces of Canada’ song that I learned at age 5.  

One of the spectacular views of Mt. Fuji from the bus

Our first stop was at the Mount Fuji visitor’s centre at the base of the mountain.  As with most of the other tourist attractions, only the snack bar was open and nothing else. We were a little disappointed that the amusement park nearby was closed, they have the world’s longest roller coaster there, right at the base of the mountain.  They even have a Thomas the Tank Engine land for the kids, haha!  Some of the names of the rides made us laugh – ‘The Great Fluffy Sky Adventure’, ‘Rolling Wave Ham Ship’, and ‘Death Penalty Manor’, to name a few.

Mt. Fuji with the amusement park in the foreground

Might look like a backdrop, but that's Mt. Fuji in all her glory

From there we headed up the mountain to the 5^th station, which was 2020m above sea level.  It was quite cold up there, maybe -2’C (which was nothing to us Torontonians).  Nakamura-san told us that the weather dictates how far up the mountain you can go, because snow and ice could block the roads, and poor visibility limits vehicle traffic.  We were really fortunate to have a beautifully sunny and clear day; we could see the peak of Mount Fuji even from far away, and from the 5^th Station the Japanese Alps lay before us, extending as far as the eye could see.  It was truly spectacular.  It made me feel entirely insignificant as I stood there taking in the breathtaking view - peaceful, still, quiet  - merely 300miles away from the devastation in Sendai.  

Taken from halfway up Mt. Fuji with the Japanese Alps behind us

 Headed to the Ropeway next.  The Komagatake Ropeway at Lake Ashi was closed, so we went up the Hakone Ropeway instead.  We could see both Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi from the cable cars, and the highest station we could reach was situated at around 1227m above seal level.  They had hard-boiled Kuro-Tamago (Black Eggs) there, a local specialty.  The eggs turn black because of the high sulphur and iron levels, and they are naturally boiled in the hot springs.  They also give off a pretty potent odour.

On the Hakone Ropeway, with Lake Ashi down below and Mt. Fuji to the right of us (not pictured)

The cruise on Lake Ashi was a little chilly and windy, but the view was second to none.  We found out later that Hakone is a sister city to Jasper National Park, which makes total sense although Lake Ashi reminded me a lot of Lake Louise. 

The view from the upper deck of our ship with the Wishing Bell in the foreground

Hard to believe this is the same country that was just ravaged by a record-breaking natural disaster

The bus dropped us off in Hakone before heading back to Tokyo because we requested to stay overnight in a Ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn.  The walk from the bus terminal to our hotel, ‘Hakone-ji Kaiun’ was easy because the narrow streets ran alongside the river which was lined with beautiful greenery and even some blooming sakura (cherry blossom) trees.  They didn’t speak much English there, but we were able to check in with only a little bit of difficulty.  Our first indication that we weren’t in a big city anymore was the room key… it was a physical key on a large wooden keychain.  Dad laughed and commented that he doesn’t think he’s seen anything other than an electronic keycard used at a hotel in more than a decade.  The funniest part of it was that we didn’t realize until this morning when we got back from breakfast that not only do you have to use the key to unlock the door, you have to lock the door behind you when you leave!  We felt really silly because it never even occurred to us to lock it behind us!

The highlight of our trip so far was enjoying the traditional kaiseki dinner that they served us at the Ryokan.  Meals at Ryokan resorts are usually served in the guest-rooms on tatami mats, but at this particular Ryokan they had a communal dining room, with a reserved table for each room.  Our server was so nice, she even took our menu to the back with her and tried her best to translate the names of the dishes into English for us.  

Only the first course of many at the Hakone-ji Kaiun Ryokan

We were a little embarrassed at first because we wore our yukata to dinner (a casual cotton kimono), and there were only 3 other people wearing them but it didn’t feel right to wear street clothes when even our servers were wearing kimono.

Breakfast was served in the same dining room, I could definitely get used to these Japanese breakfasts.  Some of the dishes offered included gohan (rice), miso soup cooked in a hot pot right on the table, a local fish grilled over an open flame at the table, lots of other little side dishes, and my favourite – umeboshi (pickled plums). 

 

Again, this was only part of our delectable breakfast feast

The Ryokan had traditional Japanese communal baths on the top floor and I had every intention of taking a long soak to rest my sore muscles but we were so exhausted that we slept for 11 hours and simply ran out of time.  We did go check out the rest of the hotel though.  There was a rooftop mini-putt course, karaoke bar, and mini-spa for guests, and the windows looked out on spring-fed waterfalls trickling out of the tree lined slopes.  We could have stayed there forever and just let our worries wash away down the many little streams that led to the river.  If only life worked that way.

Hard to tell how beautiful the scenery was, but it was the very definition of 'serene' in every sense of the word

We caught the last train out of Hakone Yumoto station – barely – and got on the Shinkansen (bullet train) at Odawara Station.  We missed the Express train because there was a huge lineup out the door to buy tickets, and all of the escalators and elevators were out of service so we had to carry our luggage up and down the stairs.  It’s a good thing I haven’t bought many souvenirs yet, otherwise I’d still be sitting in the train station on top of my heavy suitcase.  ^_^

Made it to Kyoto with no problems, checked into the hotel, checked my email (of course!), went for dinner at a local pub and then did a bit of shopping.  Actually we heard from our friend Tomo-san who went back to Nagano after we left Tokyo.  He said that he received an SOS call from some of his coworkers in Sendai and 3/15 said their homes have been completely washed away.  He and another associate decided to pack up their car with supplies and they drove 7 hours out to Sendai with food, water, batteries, and gasoline for his friends.  He said he hasn’t slept very much in the last 48hours but that he will do whatever he can to help. 

There really isn’t much for us to do to help at this point, but for anyone who wishes to make a donation to the Red Cross, we would appreciate any and all assistance you could give.  Even the smallest donations still make a difference.

Signing off for now, waiting to hear from our travel agent to see what our options are to fly home early… it’s hard to judge what the current situation is because the locals don’t seem to be making much of a fuss over anything, but news from home is a little more concerning.  We’ll update you as we know more.  Thank you again to everyone for your concern and for all the information, we’re very much foreigners here in Japan so we still rely on international (English) news to get our updates, which isn’t always easy while we’re on the road.  All the emails and texts have been very helpful, and we’re comforted by the outpouring of love and support from our friends and family.

With love,

   Kristin and Marty xoxo