2 days in Hakone

Hakone is a volcanic area near Mount Fuji (2 hours by train from Tokyo). It is also famous for its natural hot spring baths (onsen). Luckily, we decided to spend some more money on a nice hotel with 2 baths and a spa section. When we arrived in our hotel, we found our very own kimonos, flip flops and house shoes waiting for us.

 

We spend 2 days exploring the hakone region by train, boat, cable car and rope way. Unfortunalty it was to misty to clearly see Mount Fuji. However, the other mountains and just the landscape were amazing and totally beautiful.

                           Mount Fuji behind the clouds

 

  

 

 

 

 

Hakone is a very touristy area, so we decided to live from 7/11 food (noodles, soya beans, rice with seaweed and noodles again). 1 apple costs about 5 euros... Crazy!!! Ps. Instant noodles suck!!

We spend every evening in our hotel spa (men and woman apart!) and we both had the whole bath for ourself! So relaxing! 

 

Japan is still very impressing! I am amazed how clean everything is. The streets, all the stores, trains stations, public bathrooms.. Everything! While there are no trash cans? Wish it was as clean back home. The trains and busses are always on time, the people are so friendly and helpful and also very quiet, the restaurants are all offering amazing food. Smoking is not allowed on the street so there are no cigarette bums anywhere. No one is stressing or seems to be in a rush, everyone is so calm and relaxed, I like it a lot! 

 

From tomorrow on we will travel with a Japanese railpass for 7 days which gives us unlimited rides on the Shinkansen ('very' high speed train) and a lot of other train routes. So we will explore Japan by train and have our base in Kyoto for a week.