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Day 3, 2nd day in Hakone, and packed day ahead. Anticipation ran high as we took off in search of the heavenly sushi from Kappei-zushi, which was highly recommended by Lonely Planet! Wow! Rice topped with salmon sashimi was so finger-licking good! Thick slices of salmon melt instantly in your mouth with an aroma that screams freshness! Next, we had an assortment of sushi. The sushi rice was firm enough to be held up by the chopsticks but yet melts in your mouth immediately, grain by grain! Compared to the sushi available in Singapore, the sushi we have tasted in Japan are much more fragrant! Maybe it is due to the fresh ingredients used are prepare by the chef with loving tender care! One of our favorite has to be the egg sushi (Tamago), deserving a mention here as it was super soft and fragrant, and the taste was heavenly! Simple yet worth drooling for!
After our hearty breakfast, we set off to explore Hakone, starting with the funicular (Traveling on slopes of more than 45 degree) from Gora to Sounzan (1153m), where we transferred to a cable car up into the mountains to Owakudani. It was here we
finally saw the majestic Mount Fuji in its full glory! The sky was pretty clear and we managed to take some nice photo of Mount Fuji, and one for our album!
It was here that we sample many Japanese specialties, from Japanese cakes, candies, cookies, mochi etc, and began our “shi chi, shi chi” slogan! Yummy! After we had our fill of the local specialties, at FOC no less, we followed the crowd through the Owakudani Nature trail where sulphur fumes and hot spring water was sprouting everywhere around us. We tried the local specialty of black boiled eggs, which are normal white eggs placed in hot boiling dark mud and comes out black! A sign nearby informs us that having 1 black egg will prolong your life by 7 years, while 2 will give you 14 years… Guess how many we had!!! Well everyone was having their black eggs and so did we, like all obedient tourist! It actually tasted like normal hard boiled eggs, except for its blacken shells.
We took a bus down to the Lake Ashi, where we took a river cruise to the other side of the lake. The views at the lake
was ok only, the ride serves more as a mean for us to get to the other side of the lake, where we took a bus to Yumoto.
The next highlight of the day was us trying the authentic hot spring of Tenzen Thoji-kyo! This natural hot spring resort boost beautiful onsens, with excellent restaurants and every care has been taken to make the place natural and “heavenly”! We decided to have some food before we have our dip as it was already late in the afternoon and we haven’t had our lunch. Lunch was shabu shabu at Restaurant Rakuten, where thinly sliced quality beef was dipped into hot spring broth for a short moment. Once cooked, dip it into either a special soy sauce or a creamy sesame mixture and sent it straight into your mouth! Yummy! In fact, the beef was good enough on its own, without any sauce!
Having enjoyed such wonderful shabu shabu at a restaurant with excellent ambience, our spirits were high and it’s time for our 1st public onsen experience! It proves to be a cultural shock for us, as you have to be like the locals, stripped to your birthday suit
for the onsen! And before entering the water, you have to shower, scrub yourself clean, unless you wanna draw stares and disgust from the locals! Customers of opposite genders were separated. For each gender, there were a total of 7 outdoor pools, out of which one was filled with cool water. The temperature of the water in various pools differs. We have expected the indoor pool which was nearest the bathing area to be the least hot, so as to prepare the patrons for the rest of the pools. But we were wrong! It turned out to be the hottest! At times when I can no longer tolerate the hot water, I had to take a break at one of the side benches. It was actually quite relaxing to sit there and enjoy the cool breeze. Apart from these, a sauna room was located by the side too! The male onsen had this huge air dryer where I stepped in to dry myself, complete with blue lights, just like those we have for our hands, just bigger! The female dressing area was well-equipped too! Huge bean bags and massage chairs provided an excellent place for patrons who were waiting for
their companions. Personally we enjoyed the experience, a chance to do what the locals do, and something you will probably not be able to have back home. Miss it!
Train back to Gora was an interesting affair! It took us in a zig zag manner up the mountain! We were kinda rushing for time as we knew that the bus service in Hakone area tends to end quite early. Reached Gora station at 7pm plus but we still aren’t in time for the last bus which left around 7pm. We decided to try seeking help at our dinner place, Gyoza Center. Besides dishing out famous excellent gyoza in a dozen different ways, this homely restaurant also boosts of helpful waiters and owner! The young waiter tried his best to help us get information on the connecting trains and buses which could take us home while the kind restaurant owner even offered to drive us home, which we politely accepted! Our lucky star!! We didn’t communicate much with the owner on the ride home due to language barrier but we sincerely do hope that he could feel how grateful we are towards him! Our parting gift was a Singapore postcard
expressing our most sincere appreciation to our friends at the restaurant, Arigato! And to our friends going to Hakone, please remember to visit this excellent restaurant!
Seems like we are pretty addicted to onsen, and decided to have another dip in the guesthouse indoor hot spring to relax ourselves before bedtime! Nice….
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