Hakone's trip, english translation

Because of the size of the post, I could not translate everything in one shot. So here's the post in english.

In Quebec right now I'm quite certain fall's colors are something of the past. It probably similar in the north of Japan. However, down here in the middle of the island there is still much green. I have been told that this is somewhat unusual for the season, but how should I know ? This is, after all, my first japanese autumn. But this late coloring is the reason why I waited until last week to go to Hakone. It's a small paradise ingrained in the bosom of the mountainous region surrounding Mount Fuji. The lake, in the center of the region, is famous for it's beautiful reflection of Mount Fuji. Of course, this assumes that you go when there is not a cloud in the sky, because otherwise you can kiss your pwetty Fuji goodbye. Sadly, when we went last weekend it was mostly cloudy so try as I may, I was not even able to steal a quick look at the famous volcanic monster.

Still, the colors where pretty nice and Hakone has much to offer for a quick relaxation trip. Me and Aya left early Saturday morning (7 to be precise) towards the train station. First from Sugamo to Shinjuku then all the way to Hakone-Yumoto. There we transfered on a tiny local train which rides on a single lane (meaning the train going in the opposite direction has to wait at the station to take the same road). This train is fun by itself as it goes left and right on a near vertical path through the mountains. This train led us to Gora, another really small village in the Hakone region. All in all, this took us the better part of 3 hours, that's a lot of train.

So let me make a brief commentary about something I've realized that, even tough it could not be a Japanese only trait, it does seems to be a bit extreme in their case. In japan, if they say : "The best time to see Hakone is in Fall dude" then Japanese people don't ask question and hop ! They go to Hakone "at the best time". If they say : "This shop is the best in Tokyo" then they don't ask question and even if it means waiting 3 days in line they shop AT THIS SHOP ! My point being : for such a small little region of Japan, there was a freaking lot of people ! When we got to Gora (in a packed train already) we actually had to wait a good 30 minutes in line to take the ropeway to our first real tourist stop that I was looking forward to : Owakudani.

Owakudani's best attraction is the heated, bolling, sulfuric water escaping from the recesses of a fairly active volcanic area. These gas, according to my lonely planet, are definitely toxic and one should not spend to much time admiring them (or breathing them). Lovely no ? But still, it's really impressive and we were able to consume the product of local food : Eggs boiled in the sulfurous water of the volcano. Not bad but the legend also says that one egg will add seven years to my life, so I ate three to make sure !

The we took another funicular all the way to the heart of the region, lake Ashi. There we took a boat disguised as a pirate ship that brings the travelers across the width of the lake to the town of Moto-Hakone. The next stop here was to visit what was once the door between Kyoto and Tokyo : The Hakone Checkpoint. From here we then followed the old forest road that was used by the Japanese from the Edo era. The original idea was to walk from Moto-Hakone to Yumoto and then take the train back home. But we where half-way there when the sun set around 17h. Since walking in the forest in the dark is not a particularly enjoyable enterprise, we decided to hitch a bus ride for the rest of the way.

Truth be told, a visit to Hakone is not complete without a dip in the renowned hot waters of the region. So before going back in the evening, we stopped at an Onsen to unite our body and soul in a circle of pure hot water and relaxation. It's only been my third or fourth time in an Onsen so it doesn't mean much, but I must say the one we went to was really nice. There were at least four different hot baths plus showers and a sauna. The decor was not the best (this prize is awarded to the little town of Akiu Onsen in the north, at least in my modest experience), but for the prize it was still extremely good. 1 100Y for two hours and a towel (that you can bring back). Yes, it is a 11$ bath but trust me, it's really cheap and it's not an ordinary bath !

Look at the previous post for some pictures of the event.