Another very early morning today. Having pretty much done all I'd wanted to do in Tokyo the day before, I headed out early knowing I had a long and convoluted journey out to Hakone, where I'd be staying in a ryokan (traditional-style hotel) for the night.
Grabbing an umeboshi onigiri (plum-filled rice cake, which for some reason I was never able to find last time I was in Japan) and a can of coffee, I traveled by subway to train, then by train to shinkansen (bullet train), then from shinkansen to bus. The whole trip took over two hours, but the ride (especially on the bus) was very scenic and relaxing.
At last, I arrived in Sengokuhara, a small town in the Hakone region, which is near Mt. Fuji but not near enough to actually see the blasted mountain (one of these days I'll get to see it up close...). While I'm glad that I gave myself plenty of time to figure out traveling from Tokyo to Sengokuhara, I ended up being three hours early for check-in at my hotel. So, I dropped off my luggage and decided to wander around for the next three hours and see what there was to see. For example, this sign:
As I was walking, I was completely surprised to see a large "theme village" museum dedicated entirely to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's
The Little Prince.
I don't remember the story all that well (but will definitely re-read it now), but I just had to check out the museum as it was so totally unusual to see in this little town in Japan. Part inspired by the story, and part history of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's life, it featured outdoor walking paths and an indoor exhibition.
The interior was especially cool, featuring replicas of city streets, rooms where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry did his writing, and even airplane interiors. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed in that part...just at the end where there were sculptures of characters from the story.
From there, I decided to check out a small restaurant on a side street for lunch. It was a cozy little place with the traditional short tables and no shoes allowed. I ordered panko chicken with rice, and it came with sides of pickles of some unidentifiable vegetable, meatballs, and perhaps the best miso soup I've ever had. During the meal, the woman who owned the restaurant conversed with me now and then, and it was the first time I managed a full conversation almost entirely in Japanese (she asked questions in English when I didn't understand the Japanese right away). I guess my hours spent on Rosetta Stone paid off.
After that, I hit the streets again, wandering fairly aimlessly, just trying to kill time. While checking the local map to see if there was anything of particular interest, I noticed that there was a small Shinto shrine nearby, so I made that my destination. About 25 minutes later, I arrived at the little shrine, tucked away at the base of Mount Kintoki. It was an interesting place, though I don't know the entire story behind it, aside from it's apparently actually a fairly important shrine and a festival is held there every May 5th. There must be something to do with wood or wood-cutting, as when I got there, there were some tourists chopping firewood, and there was a giant pile of firewood and the remnants of a fire near the steps in front of the shrine. And a giant stone sculpture of an axe. I guess some things will remain mysteries.
By then, it was finally getting to be near 3:00pm, so I made my way back to the ryokan. I checked in and was shown to my room. It was even better than I'd imagined, and unlike during my last trip, I had the whole room to myself. As is Japanese tradition, no shoes were allowed in the room. There were sliding paper doors, the floors were covered with traditional straw tatami mats, and there was a short table complete with a tea set and bean cake.
After settling in, I soaked in the outdoor hot spring for a bit, getting in some good relaxation after a day and a half of almost nonstop walking and rushing around. Then, I headed back to my room to hang out and wait for dinner.
Dinner was at 6:30, and it was a traditional kaiseki ryouri meal--a multi-course meal consisting of Japanese high cuisine. I didn't take any pictures, because I thought it'd be a communal experience like last time I stayed at a ryokan so I didn't bring my phone. It was incredible, though, in presentation and variety. From standard fare like miso soup and nigiri to weird stuff raw octopus on a slice of tomato, it was a fantastic meal.
Absolutely stuffed and tired, I headed back to my room to call it a night.
Tomorrow is, again, an early day with a 3.5 hour trip ahead of me. But, I'm looking forward to Kyoto's more rustic, quiet character in contrast to the ultra-urban sprawl of Tokyo. Stay tuned!
At last, I arrived in Sengokuhara, a small town in the Hakone region, which is near Mt. Fuji but not near enough to actually see the blasted mountain (one of these days I'll get to see it up close...). While I'm glad that I gave myself plenty of time to figure out traveling from Tokyo to Sengokuhara, I ended up being three hours early for check-in at my hotel. So, I dropped off my luggage and decided to wander around for the next three hours and see what there was to see. For example, this sign:
As I was walking, I was completely surprised to see a large "theme village" museum dedicated entirely to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.
I don't remember the story all that well (but will definitely re-read it now), but I just had to check out the museum as it was so totally unusual to see in this little town in Japan. Part inspired by the story, and part history of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's life, it featured outdoor walking paths and an indoor exhibition.
The interior was especially cool, featuring replicas of city streets, rooms where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry did his writing, and even airplane interiors. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed in that part...just at the end where there were sculptures of characters from the story.
From there, I decided to check out a small restaurant on a side street for lunch. It was a cozy little place with the traditional short tables and no shoes allowed. I ordered panko chicken with rice, and it came with sides of pickles of some unidentifiable vegetable, meatballs, and perhaps the best miso soup I've ever had. During the meal, the woman who owned the restaurant conversed with me now and then, and it was the first time I managed a full conversation almost entirely in Japanese (she asked questions in English when I didn't understand the Japanese right away). I guess my hours spent on Rosetta Stone paid off.
After that, I hit the streets again, wandering fairly aimlessly, just trying to kill time. While checking the local map to see if there was anything of particular interest, I noticed that there was a small Shinto shrine nearby, so I made that my destination. About 25 minutes later, I arrived at the little shrine, tucked away at the base of Mount Kintoki. It was an interesting place, though I don't know the entire story behind it, aside from it's apparently actually a fairly important shrine and a festival is held there every May 5th. There must be something to do with wood or wood-cutting, as when I got there, there were some tourists chopping firewood, and there was a giant pile of firewood and the remnants of a fire near the steps in front of the shrine. And a giant stone sculpture of an axe. I guess some things will remain mysteries.
By then, it was finally getting to be near 3:00pm, so I made my way back to the ryokan. I checked in and was shown to my room. It was even better than I'd imagined, and unlike during my last trip, I had the whole room to myself. As is Japanese tradition, no shoes were allowed in the room. There were sliding paper doors, the floors were covered with traditional straw tatami mats, and there was a short table complete with a tea set and bean cake.
After settling in, I soaked in the outdoor hot spring for a bit, getting in some good relaxation after a day and a half of almost nonstop walking and rushing around. Then, I headed back to my room to hang out and wait for dinner.
Dinner was at 6:30, and it was a traditional kaiseki ryouri meal--a multi-course meal consisting of Japanese high cuisine. I didn't take any pictures, because I thought it'd be a communal experience like last time I stayed at a ryokan so I didn't bring my phone. It was incredible, though, in presentation and variety. From standard fare like miso soup and nigiri to weird stuff raw octopus on a slice of tomato, it was a fantastic meal.
Absolutely stuffed and tired, I headed back to my room to call it a night.
Tomorrow is, again, an early day with a 3.5 hour trip ahead of me. But, I'm looking forward to Kyoto's more rustic, quiet character in contrast to the ultra-urban sprawl of Tokyo. Stay tuned!
