Day 5: Landscape, History, & Culture Beyond

Day 5 we were up early for another breakfast.  The weather had turned again cloudy with sprinkles.  We had breakfast on the top floor and then it is not customary to haul you luggage around hotels.  You call baggage and schedule pick-up 15-30 minutes before check-out.  Checking out was easy and again we were met by our guide in the lobby, Yuko-san. Our guide before, Sachi-san had sent her a photo so she could recognize us.  We discussed our plans and made our way our to our private car, which was really a very nice black limo van with bottled water, reclining seats, and footrests.  We were introduced to our young driver for the day and were off on what about have been a 90-minute drive, but due to an accident was more like 2 hours to the area of Hakone National Park. The time flew by as our wonderful guide is also a sumo fan, we discussed yesterday's matches, the wrestlers, their lifestyles, and much more.  Incredibly fun and informative.

West of Tokyo this was a mountainous area due to a volcano that last erupted about 300 years ago which is considered quite recent.  We would later enjoy the one of the benefits of Japan being where 4 tectonic plates meet, which are the volcanos and active hot springs.  Hakone was beautiful.  Thick lush forests of conifer and deciduous trees.  Maples that towered above us.  Much larger than the ornamental ones I have in my yard at home.

Our first stop was Hakone Checkpoint.  A recreation of the checkpoint and how it looked during the Feudal Edo Period.  The Edo period from the early 1600's to 1868 was characterized by peace and prosperity, but at a cost as the lands were ruled by shogun and feudal lords. There was strict social order as well as isotionalist foreign policies.  So much so there were these checkpoints keeping people very restricted in movement.  We would read about a young child about age six who was moved to her uncle's in this area, but tried to escape to her parents whom she missed, but was imprisoned and killed for her attempt. From here we walked about the lake, Lake Ashi, it sat on until we got to the Cedar Avenue.  Unfortunately due to the rain we could not travel very far up it, but it was beautiful.  Nearly 500m of cedars planted along a path to protect travelers during the Edo period.  There are still some 400 tress that are over 400 years old.  To be honest it all kind of reminded us of a mini Tahoe.  Apparently it gets overrun with tourists during high season and yes, it even gets snow.

We tried to go to the local cable car "ropeway" next which apparently has a beautiful view from the top, but the weather had closed it for the afternoon.  We assured our guide we have been on plenty of cable cars and chair lifts, so we were ok.  She asked us if we would like to replace this with a pirate ship ride across the lake.  This is a hug tourist attraction.  Apparently a very wealthy investor fell in love with Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean and thought this would be a wonderful addition.  We will admit there was quite a line to make the voyage, but we instead told our guide we would prefer a longer, local lunch with her and time at an open air museum that was planned for the afternoon.

We returned to the area where we started and went to one of our guide's favorite restaurants.  Her husband is a buckwheat soba fan, so this was their specialty.  The noodles were made next door.  Buckweat soba is most often served cold because they do break down more easily than udon, but fresh cooked and eaten were amazing. It was very busy so we checked in via a machine out front and received a number which woud be called when it was our turn.  "Ichi" or Number 1. So we opted for a dish of buckwheat soba in dashi and instead of having our tempura in the soup where it got soft our guide requested it on the side and we would dip it.  Again slurping is definitely encouraged, and we enjoyed it very much.  A definite stop if in the area it was called Denbei.

After lunch we returned to a shop I failed to mention we went into before entering the Checkpoint.  This shop has an art that has been practiced since the Edo period that involved creating patterns by gluing together various pieces of wood of different varieties into patterns and then it is shaved.  That shaving is then glued onto various vessels.  One of the more famous is puzzle boxes which serves as safes. These small boxes are called marquetry.  When we initially entered there was a large tour group, but after they headed for the check-out our guide spoke with one of the artisans and he gave us a private demonstration.  Amazing work.  If in the area definitely visit Hakone Maruyama. Andy who loves woodworking thanks to his maternal grandfather might have picked up a couple of pieces.

Next was our culture part of the day.  We will admit we weren't expecting much from the Hakone Open Air Museum, but we sure did underestimate this stop on our tour.  Our guide would purchase our tickets and we would go down an escalator and upon exiting our eyes were met with meticulously manicured lawns filled with incredible sculptures and works of art from all over the world.  Initially opened in 1969 the space was created for mothers to bring their children while the husbands were at work.  Fresh air and culture all in one place.  The space like its surroundings involves hills, koi-filled ponds, and a lot of works about the environment and seasons.  But their prized possession is a indoor gallery dedicated to a rotation of 319 Picasso pieces that were sold to the museum by his daughter Maya. We would spend over two hours here with a coffee and matcha ice cream stop half-way through.

Now a little after 4PM we headed to our hotel for the night, Hotel Hatsuhana.  Set against a hillside this is a hot spring retreat.  WOW! - our jaws hit the ground upon entering.  We sat in a lobby area and were introduced to the bar where tea, coffee, beer, wine, and liquors were available and included while our guide and the staff helped us get checked in via tablets right in front of the fireplace.  This is where we would say good-bye to Yuko-san.  She is an incredible guide and she as well as all the others we would highly recommend.  She helped Andy a lot with his language skills was again incredibly genuine and friendly.

    

Our bags were sent to our room in front of us and the hotel staff would take us to our room and introduce us to our accommodations including our Yukata, a traditional spa robe, along with socks and "haori" or slippers we would wear throughout the hotel including to meals and pajamas, robes, and more. The room is one of the most beautiful and well-designed we have ever been in. We had our own private onsen, mineral bath, on our deck which we enjoyed before cleaning up and heading to our dinner.  We were incredibly nervous as we knew it was a multi-course meal and just didn't know what to expect.  Upon arrival we were shown to our own private dining room.  Everyone had their own rooms.  We ordered drinks, not included, and worked our way through a 7 course meal over the next 2 hours.  Staff could see us through a couple of discreet slats in the door and would time their entrances perfectly with the next course. It was one of the most incredible meals we have had in our lives.

Upon completion we enjoyed a coffee in the lobby again before heading off to bed as we have another early morning as we move from the slow pace of looking at art and soaking in mineral tubs to the bullet train's high speed transport to Kyoto.