Hakone

Sometimes you need to get away (if I knew how to make a blog post play music, this one would start playing Vacation by the Go-Go's.  Just imagine it in the background as you read on.).  Maybe you thought coming to live in Tokyo already counts as getting away?  In the book Eat Pray Love, Liz Gilbert goes to live to Rome for 3 months.  After some time there, she itches for a quick getaway to Naples to eat the best pizza in the world.  I don't remember her exact wording, but she explains it quite simply.  Even though she has left her normal world behind to live in another country, it isn't the same as a vacation.  She is simply living elsewhere.  You still need mini vacations from your day to day life to feel refreshed, and that is how she justifies the pizza in Naples.  So there you have it.  I have only been in Tokyo for a couple of months, but I felt the need to get away.  So a few weeks ago, we headed to Hakone for two days.  It's about 90 minutes from Tokyo, but it feels much farther.

A small shrine in Odawara on the way to Hakone

Our guidebook said that getting to Hakone is part of the fun.  This was definitely a case of planes, trains, and automobiles.  If you swap planes for ropeways and mountain rail cars, that is.  From Shinjuku, we decided to splurge on the Romance Car.  No, we weren't trying to make our trip extra romantic- that's really what it's called!  It's a faster train with better seats and more limited stops than the regular train.  On the way to Hakone, we stopped at Odawara to see a castle that was built in the 1400s.  We walked around the area and it was back to more transportation to get to our hotel.  We stayed at the Fujiya hotel which was built in the late 1800s.  The hotel is comprised of several buildings and boasts many famous guests.  We were lucky to find out about a foreigner rate available on certain nights.

The Fujiya Hotel

The hotel itself was very old indeed, but quite charming.  We used their public onsen (hot spring bath).  I broke several onsen etiquette rules I'm sure, but the experience was really enjoyable.  The water is really hot and it definitely relaxes you.  But, the best part of our stay was our traditional breakfast.  They offered a western breakfast also, but who wants to line up for an omelet station when you can take your shoes off and eat beautifully presented Japanese food?  It was the highlight, for sure.

Stunning breakfast of rice, salad, fish, egg, soups, etc. 

But enough about the hotel.  This trip was about the area.  Hakone claims to have some of the best views of Mt. Fuji in Japan.  Tourists come from all over to get a glimpse, but usually the sky is too cloudy to see it.  We were very lucky to get a crystal clear view of the breathtaking Fujisan.  It was afternoon, just before sunset- but there he was in all his glory!

 

 

Japanese affectionately refer to Mt. Fuji as Fujisan

Sunset over Lake Ashi

It was so nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  The calmness of nature was much needed.  But like most of our trips, it was also about the food.  A trip through Owakudani would not be complete without eating some commemorative black eggs.  This area of Hakone is known for its many sulfurous springs.  The eggs are boiled on site and their shells turn black due to a reaction with the sulfur in the water.  It is said that for each black egg you eat, seven years are added to your life.  I ate 2 and a half eggs!

Yummy hard boiled egg

For dinner the first night, we decided to wander around the small town by our hotel.  The area was mostly dead because it was a national holiday that day (Emperor's birthday), but we decided to eat at a small deserted place on the main road.  We were the only customers and we only saw one employee.  She seemed to be the hostess, waitress, and chef.  I was totally inspired by her doing everything herself.  The food was so simple, but it was one of my favorite meals of Japan so far.  It was slow cooked, shredded Tajima beef with rice and a pefectly runny egg.  Tajima is the area in Japan famous for its Kobe beef.  In fact the English menu at this little restaurant even stated that Kobe Bryant's dad chose his name because of his love for this beef!  You stir everything together and that runny egg gives the whole thing the texture of risotto.  It was really a perfect dinner. 

A simple but comforting dinner

All in all, it was an amazing little trip.  We relaxed, recharged, and got to see some beautiful areas of nature.  Before we knew it, it was back on the Romance Car to Shinjuku.  Shinjuku is probably the craziest station on the subway, so it was a bit of a kick in the face to come back, but all good things must come to an end.  Here's to the next vacation!