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As Kimi Ryokan doesn’t serve breakfast, we gotta go hunt for our 1st meal of the day around the neighbourhood. Walked around the neighbourhood at abt 8 plus in the morning but the eateries which were opened were limited. For our first morning in Japan, we tried their Japanese breakfast set at one of the 24hr chain restaurant. Based on the plastics food models, we purchased 1 of the breakfast set via the coupon machine. Being funky and adventurous us, we tried the salmon, natto set. We were kinda lost when they included raw egg in the breakfast set served. Dear gamely decided to seek advice from a local who was enjoying his western style breakfast at the table next to us. He guided us to beat up the egg before mixing it into the natto and stirring it simultaneously. This results in a thick gluey mixture! Addition of soy sauce according to personal preference! What an interesting way to eat natto!! But both of us weren’t too wowed by it. Not our favourite, I guess…. The grilled salmon was a bit dry too. But this is the place for hungry travelers on budget as there was free flow of
rice and wheat tea. Thank goodness, we only ordered one set to try out. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise! After a not-so-satisfying and filling breakfast, we went in search of better food. Chanced upon this French Bakery near Ikebukuro Train Station! ViedeFrance seemed to be pretty popular among the locals! Chose the soft-looking apple and cheese bun which lived up to our expectations! First bite into it was so heavenly. Extremely soft and the fragrant cheese oozed into all corners of your mouth! YUMMY!! How could I miss out on the iced green tea latte which was a new addition to their beverage menu?! It’s latte aroma was kinda mild but for a green tea lover like me, I gave it thumbs-up!
After breakfast, it was time for us to embark on another journey to Hakone, which is a national park with lots of trees but the more important reason for us to be there is to be able to experience onsen in the outdoor! Off we hopped onto the Hakone express train which was to bring us to our destination in 3 hours! Along the way at Shinjuku, we bought our first bento set
which was packaged so nicely like presents! Mine was a pretty looking set (see photo!) which had delicious pieces of beef, vegetables and egg! Simply heavenly, or was I too hungry! Shan got her assortment of sushi and I must say that they are even better than those we have in some Japanese restaurants in Singapore! Awesome!
We also tried their “Tong Luo Shao”, which is Doreamon’s favourite snack! This also happens to be Odawara speciality, yummy!
We finally reached Fuji-Hakone guesthouse which was to be our accommodation for the next 2 days. We met our host for the guesthouse who was an extremely helpful young lady who showed us the facilities and recommended places to eat! Our room was more spacious than that we had in Tokyo, with a TV set, 2 futons (so that we didn’t have to fight!), and comfortable yukata!
We then decided to explore the area by boarding a local bus with no particular place in mind! What a way to explore the area, definitely not for the faint hearted! The bus winds around the mountains, and we saw Mount Fuji closer and closer! It was our first sight of Mount Fuji
and we were excitedly taking photos, apparently the group of people on the same bus was as excited as us!
Alas, we had to return to our guesthouse area because the nearby eateries close early. After a good long walk, we finally decided on a restaurant nearby which serves Japanese cuisine. However, the place is actually pretty touristy, it had this English sign outside which states that all foreigners are welcome! We were even presented with a Singapore flag along with the food, surprise surprise! I had a chicken Donburi, which is a very typical Japanese dish found in Singapore. It tasted reasonably good, though not wow. Shan decided to be adventurous, and tried the Hakone Donburi: rice topped with yam grated soup, slices of goose meat and an medium boiled egg! It turned out to be a slimy concoction of yam on rice! It was an interesting dish, except that the rice could be hotter. Before we left the restaurant, the owners presented us with handmade bookmarks and origami. Nice souvenirs! Though much of a tourist trap, I must admit they were very kind and welcoming.
After dinner, we headed back to our guesthouse and tried our
after dinner snack of Meiji green tea pocky stick, which was cheap and delicious! Why don’t they bring it to Singapore! We then decided to have our go at the outdoor onsen, but decided against it after we realised that it was pretty dark at the onsen, and we were afraid of crippy crawlers joining us for a wash! We decided to have the indoor onsen instead, which opens out to a small garden, with cold wind blowing in constantly! It was an absolutely shiok experience! The hot spring water was actually quite scorching hot, but the onsen effect left us totally relaxed and ready for bed! What an excellent treat to the exhausted body!
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