Hakone and some R&R

My friend (my former Japanese teacher) and I spent 2 days and 1 night in Hakone, a famous resort in Japan about an hour’s drive from where I used to live. The emperor’s former summer home (turned museum) is located there, with great views of the beautiful mountains and lakes.

View from the Emperor’s former summer home balcony

Outside the historic hotel

Hakone is the epitome of Rest and Relaxation in Japan. The main activities here are hiking, sitting in the natural hotsprings, and a little bit of sightseeing. I’ve been to Hakone many times, but mostly as a tourist and not someone who lounges about in the baths all day. That’s what we were here for this time. As one tourist moment, we stopped at a famous hotel and had tea and cake. Dignitaries and celebrities from all over the world have stayed at this place, including many past US presidents and even Helen Keller. We certainly can’t afford a room here, so we settled for some beautiful, if not super expensive, cake. Mine was layered in the fashion of Hakone’s famous inlaid woodwork. I got it for the visual appeal, but actually it was quite tasty.

My cake is the one on the right

We made our way- sans GPS, which is quite a feat on these winding mountain roads- to the hotel. There was a beautiful lobby and complementary champaign. Certainly above the hotels I’m used to staying in now during my student-quality travels in Africa! We got to our room and slipped on yukata and the complementary slippers and headed off to the onsen. A note to those Westerners who have never been before. If you’re wondering, the answer is yes, you’re supposed to go in the buff– no bathing suits allowed here! It’s sex-separated, so it’s really not a big deal. Even the outdoor tubs (which are my favorite) have a fence to keep peeping eyes out. We soaked for a while hoping that Mt. Fuji would make an appearance from behind it’s puffy white cloud– alas, he was feeling shy that day.

View of the gardens from our hotel room

Eating the little squid

After our bath, we washed off (you should wash before and after entering the shared baths) and headed down to dinner. As I should’ve expected, this involved a multicourse meal with deliciousness in every tiny little bowl. I was still hurting from all that I’d been eating, but don’t worry- I managed to eat every last bite. Even the little squid that decorated one of my plates. Sorry, little guy!

We bathed again after dinner and lounging around listening to the piano player. A real onsen trip is like a challenege to see how many times you can take a bath during the hotel stay. As you might expect, we woke up early, took yet another bath and then ate the biggest breakfast you’ve ever seen in your life. It cracks my friend up that I completely avoid Western food while I’m in Japan. Traditional Japanese breakfast for me all the way!

Eventually we left and did a little touristing around Hakone. I’d never been to the famous Checkpoint before, so we went there. Apparently there was heavy screening of travellers who were leaving Edo (old Tokyo) to go south. Women were searched- entirely searched- to make sure they weren’t carrying any secret messages or abandoning their husbands to return to their families elsewhere. How had I never been here before?! For most of the school children there, I was more of an attraction than the old buildings themselves. I was convinced for a little while that I had something on my face, but eventually remembered that it was just my face. Ah, weird face of mine– how much attention you can attract! All in all, it was an exceptionally relaxing trip and left me ready (though sad about it) to come back home and get back to my school work!

I look like a giant!!