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Published: September 16th 2008
Hakone Tozan Railway, Hakone
I'm really happy, I swear! It was just an early start for me...we left at 8 a.m...unheard of!Our last full day in Japan. On one hand, it's gone by in a blur. On the other, I feel like we've been here forever! Rachel and I were just discussing our ferris wheel ride and how it felt like it happened last year! 😊 I don't really want to come home (seriously, I would probably stay here if I could speak the language!) but I'm ready for this particular trip to be over. I'm already planning what I want to do on my next trip to Japan...
So, today, we decided to go to Hakone for the morning. This is a national park about 70 minutes by train from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, outdoor activities, natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji, Hakone is one of the most popular destinations among Japanese and int'l tourists looking for a break from Tokyo. I wasn't looking for a break from Tokyo (we haven't even seen a fraction of it!) but the promised view of Mt. Fuji convinced me. Plus, I wanted to know more about these "black eggs."
I'll skip over the bad transpo stuff. Suffice it to say that this was Samia's "trip" and she was
Hakone Ropeway, Hakone
Me & Rachel...we're mostly awake by this point. :) in-charge. This basically meant the transitting time took twice as long on multiple modes of transpo and cost tons extra. I kid you not, by the time we got back to Tokyo, we had each spent over $40 on trains, buses, the ropeway (the one ride I insisted on...flying over the valley in a gondola? I couldn't resist it!), and taxis. But, I had promised Rachel that I was too tired to argue and that I would follow dociley along with whatever...and so I did...blowing pink bubbles (to trap Samia) in my mind...a new coping technique I've recently learned. 😊
It was a very gorgeous resort area. It centers around Lake Ashi and offers tons of onsens (hot springs inns) and resorts...everything seemed very pricey, so maybe the equilvalent of a country club area. Unfortunately, it was incredibly overcast when were there, so no views of Mt. Fuji...so, it's still on my to-do list. Still, even without that, it was a great area. Incredibly green with tons of trees, sloping hills, and running streams.
The highlight of our time in Hakone was stopping in Owakudani. "Owakudani is the area around a crater created in the last eruption of
Hakone Ropeway
So eerie. Coming from nowhere and going nowhere... Mount Hakone 3000 years ago. Sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be experienced on a walk around the area. Eggs, boiled in the naturally hot waters, are said to prolong one's life by seven years and are readily available for sale."
It was one of the stinkiest places I've ever intentionally traveled. But it was so worth it. Turns out, the "black eggs" are only black because they are boiled in the sulfurous water...peel the shell and they are quite tasty. Samia and I split a bag and forced Rachel to eat one (she said she'd never had a hard-boiled egg before!?!...great way to start I say!). We took some dorky shots of us doing that & a European guy walking by hollered that "you take the shell off first, dontcha know?" It was a fun spot to be because it's basically the middle of an uninhabited "wasteland" only accessible by the Hakodate Ropeway and one road. And all of this in the middle of a classy, verdant, touristy community. It really is the juxtapositions of Japan that endlessly fascinate me.
At any rate, we wandered around a bit after that. Our "guide" screwed up the
Hakone Ropeway
Some of that body-purifying sulfur. Yum. exit strategy as well so it took us almost two hours to get back to the Odawara sta. where we needed to get our train back to Tokyo. So, what was supposed to be a morning trip lasted until 5pm.
We got back to Tokyo, and I said I wanted to visit Shibuya/Harajuku/Shinjuku. If I didn't see any other parts of Tokyo (beyond Ikebukuro, Akasaka, and Asakusa), those neighborhoods were a must. I'm interested in Akihabara for the otaku (obsessive fans of anime, manga, etc...basically an even ruder way of calling them "geeks") culture and anime stores as well as the massive amounts of electronics for sale. I'm out of money, though, so it gets pushed to the next trip! 😊
They agreed (how tired we must all have been to easily come to a consensus?) and we got off in Shibuya. I wanted a quick look-around and then back on the train. Samia saw the nice int'l shops and wanted to try clothes on. Rachel was tired and just wanted to go back to the hotel. So, I left them shopping in Shibuya and I headed to Harajuku. It was so cool. Tons of overly packed, tiny
Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani Sta.
This looked very cool in real life. shops lined very small streets that were full of people. This is the neighborhood of Tokyo where the "kids" come out in their crazy costumes to see and be seen. I certainly saw quite the ensembles. You'll have to take my word, though, because what few snaps I got didn't really come out. And, I wasn't quite up to making people stop so I could photograph them.
I wanted to photo more shops, but tons of them had "No Touch, No Photo" on their displays. What's up with that? Aren't I more likely to come in if I stop in front of your store for any reason?
Ran into the same deal where everything on the racks was "M." There was super cute stuff and some really great sales, but what can I say? I could have bought two shirts and worn them as sleeves. 😊 I got semi-abducted by a Jamaican guy. He was fronting for his store (lots of stores have barkers to bring customers in...usually yelling loudly in Japanese) and he got me because he was speaking English & grabbed my hand to shake it. I was alone, so not opposed to chatting. He wanted
Owakudani, Hakone, Black eggs
They were really quite tasty. The bag even had a little packet of salt in it. Kawaii. to know what I was shopping for & I said clothes that would fit me...I really did feel pretty ginormous in Japan. My diet & work-out regime starts...etto...soon. 😊
Oh, we have that in our shop, he promises. Come to our shop. So, unable to resist, I follow him. No fears, nothing bad happened, but we headed down a busy street, then a less busy street, finally an almost dead street. At that point, my belated warning system went off and I tried to go back, but we were there. He was legitimate. Apparently, there are shops EVERYWHERE you go in Harajuku...even the alleys. So, the best part of this story is that it was a gansta wear shop. Lots of gold necklaces, American caps, embroidered jeans, etc. I said, "hey, now, these are all guys' clothes. That's not what I want." So, ma friend goes to the back of the store and drags out a "Baby Phat" sweatsuit. I couldn't help it, I totally cracked up. I said, "I don't mean to be rude, but there is no way I'm sporting the Baby Phat brand in any country!"
Anyway, we go back to the main street and
I think he'll take up his post again...but, no. He decided he needed to accompany me shopping. We chatted a bit because I was curious about his immigration journey...white is a minority in Japan, black even more so and I wondered how he liked living there (mainly, because I want to live there now!). He said he never meant to stay so long, it just happened. He has lived there for eight years and intends to stay. The worst part was not speaking the language, but he's picked that up (as his 4th language!!). And, just like the Bulgarian sumo wrestler, he is still learning the written language. So, fun guy, and he made an interesting point about "racism" in Japan...it doesn't really matter what color or nationality you are...if you are not Japanese you are "gaijin." This is not a word you'll hear much in Japan, as it has become politically incorrect, but basically means "foreigner" or "non-Japanese." It's not necessarily derogative, but usually used that way...like those kinds of words usually are. I enjoyed talking to him, but eventually broke away. He took me into a children's clothing store, which didn't help me at all. He tried very
Owakudani sta.
Don't know what I'm saying, but I'm sure it's clever. hard to find out where I was staying in Tokyo & flat-out asked for my number. I (truthfully) answered that I was leaving the next day, but enjoyed our chat.
I headed back to the station and popped out at Shinjuku. Honestly, this seemed like more of the same to me so I headed back to the hotel. It would be fun to bring a little more money and just do fun shopping some time in the future. "When I come back to Japan" I will doing more shopping! I didn't even really buy souvenirs this time around. I sent 30 postcards at $0.70 and bought stuff for my niece & nephew...and a sumo coffee mug at the airport...it's AWESOME! That's about it.
We all cleaned up, dressed up, and headed out for the Lock-Up...the last thing on Rachel's to-do list. It was a bit tricky finding it and it had moved from the location we knew. I tried asking in 7-11 and Circle K (using the American mentality that you can always get direction in convenience stores) and we eventually did find it. A brief description of the restaurant: "It has a hybrid prison/dungeon/horror movie theme: customers
Hakone Ropeway
A touch of fall colors...this area will be amazing in another month or so. are led to tables inside stone cells by waitresses in plastic-miniskirt police uniforms, where they are "locked up" and given menus filled with bizarre drinks (the most well-known of which consists of a rack of test tubes filled with flavored syrups, a flask full of alcohol, and a beaker to mix everything in) and relatively normal food. Twice every night, a "jailbreak" is staged in which the lights go out and costumed hoodlums scare the living daylights out of random patrons." We missed the "jailbreak" but Rachel got handcuffed and led to our table. She also ordered the "chemistry set" drink. It was fun to watch her mix her beverages. The menu was completely in Japanese and none of our waitstaff spoke English. This is fine for me and Rachel but it was amusing to watch Samia try to do her bizarre ordering process with someone who completely didn't understand her. Sometimes it really pays just to chill. I chose items that had pictures and figured I'd be good to go.
We stayed too late, and missed the last train. I felt a little like a manga character then, but, unlike the characters it happens to, we didn't have
Hakone Ropeway
Check out the size of these evergreens... wowzer! anywhere local to stay. 😊 So, we had to take a cab back to Ikebukuro. Our driver was willing, but kept the Tokyo map out the whole time...I was a little nervous, but he did fine. It was about $30.
It was a good day. We saw and did a lot together, but also had opportunity to pursue our own goals. When I go back to Japan, I'm scheduling a few days in Tokyo to fully visit the neighborhoods. It's such a huge and bewildering place! I wasn't nearly bewildered enough! 😊
We're checking out in the morning, catching the Narita Express to the airport, and flying home. So, this is basically the end of my journey. If anything fun happens tomorrow, I'll blog on the plane. 😊
Thanks for reading. Be sure to leave me a comment or send an e-mail if you've enjoyed this...or even if you haven't! It's been fun to write & I promise the next one will be even better!
Cheers,
Rae
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Dad
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I really enjoyed your trip notes and felt almost like I was there part of the time. GREAT JOB!!!!