Saturday, November 29--Destination: Hakone

Still not being overly confident in our ability to make a successful road trip, but unwilling to waste precious weekend time sitting at home, we headed to Hakone today as part of one of the Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) office’s organized tours. About two hours southwest of us by bus, Hakone is situated in the mountains near Mt. Fuji and is known for its numerous hot springs as well as its handcrafted wooden puzzle boxes. We’d heard nothing but good things about the town, so were eager to check it out for ourselves.

The tour turned out to be a great way to get a taste of a new town. The first benefit was the bus ride itself. Because we didn’t have to worry about driving, or following directions, or reading maps, we could really enjoy the scenery as we made our way along the coast towards the mountains. Even the stop at the rest area was educational, as our tour guide was able to explain some of the foods offered at the snack stand! Another plus was the structure of the tour itself. This was not one of those follow-behind-the-guide-like-ducklings tours. We had an itinerary with scheduled stops, but we had the freedom to do as much or as little exploring at each stop as we chose. The tour guide briefed us on each stop before our arrival, told us when to be back at the bus for departure, then pretty much left us to our own devices. She flitted around each location, answering questions, providing information, and pointing out interesting sights, but was very unobtrusive.

Our first stop was the Hakone Open Air Museum, where sculptures by famous international artists including Rodin and Picasso were displayed in, well, the open air. Each sculpture was situated outside in a way to take advantage of the beauty of the surrounding environment. What artist could ask for a better backdrop than mountains and trees adorned in fall colors? Several of the displays were interactive, making it fun for kids of all ages—we personally tried out the slide, but I really wanted to bounce on the yolk of the fried egg sculpture. The coolest work of art was the tower made of stained glass. It was hard to appreciate from the outside, but once I stepped inside and was surrounded by the colored light streaming through the thousands of pieces of glass, it took my breath away. We could climb to the top of the tower on a spiral staircase, then look out over the countryside. Too bad it was a cloudy day—I bet the view of Mt. Fuji would have been spectacular. After climbing back down to the ground we had just enough time to enjoy the foot onsen (mini hot spring for soaking your tired feet) before heading back to the bus.

Our next stop was a cable car ride up a volcanic mountain and over Owakudani, or the Valley of Greater Boiling. Below, the barren landscape was dotted with plumes of steam escaping from the bowels of the earth and piles of yellow sulfur. Once off the cable car, we were able to hike up the side of the volcano to a stand selling eggs boiled in one of the hot springs. The eggs, or onsen tamago, are black because of the sulfur in the water, but eating one is said to add seven years to your life. Neither Jim nor I are fans of hard-boiled eggs, but both of us ate one and had to admit it was the best-tasting egg we’d ever had. That sulfur must be magic!

After lunch we boarded a ferry designed like a pirate ship to cross Lake Ashi for a little shopping before our final stop. Unfortunately, the shops we went to were designed for tourists, and the wooden puzzle boxes we were hoping to see were all mass-produced. The last stop was Hakone Shrine, and here our guide was very informative, explaining the ritual cleansing of hands and mouth before entering the shrine, as well as the custom of making an offering (usually a 5 yen coin) before sending up a prayer for good fortune. She showed us the shrine stamps we could collect at every shrine or temple we visited, and clarified the meaning of the wooden plaques hanging at every shrine (handwritten wishes for good luck) and the white pieces of paper tied to tree limbs and special racks throughout the grounds. Contrary to information we had gotten before, they are fortunes, purchased at the shrine for a small fee. If the buyer likes his fortune, he takes it home, but if he does not, he leaves it at the shrine so misfortune can be averted.

The tour was a great introduction to a neat town. We are already talking about a return trip to explore more of the area (we have to find those puzzle boxes!), as well as booking future tours to other destinations.