Sights of Hakone
Trip Start
May 20, 2010
1
6
48
Trip End
Sep 09, 2010
Mishima, Chubu, Japan
Sunday, May 23, 2010
normal spring weather.
After a breakfast of some fruit ( apple & orange bought locally ), soup & fried rice, we packed our bags and left for their Chiba home but with a day of sightseeing on the way.
We travelled north in what was very mountainous country and I could imagine we would have seen magnificent views on a clear day. With umbrellas in hand we visited the Hakone Checkpoint Museum by one of the lakes below Mt Fuji. This was a Historical site from the Edo
period about 300 years ago used to check on people who were travelling between east and west . The history of it all was very interesting and some aspects of our questioning challenged their knowledge of Japanese history from this period.
For a snack along the way we called in at Owakudani, volcanic hot springs where they boil eggs in the hot sulphur rich water - and wait for it - the egg shells turn pitch black!
We also visited a famous traditional tea house which has stood for about 150 years serving travellers and in Hatajaku, a centre where they make the traditional wood mosaic. The craftsman gave us a really good presenation of how it is all done. Amazing!
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Comments
Heipa Arjakatrina
OK, I'm really enjoying my trip with you through Japanese culture but you better explain the shoes.........! The photos and blog is great.I feel we should get introduced to your friends first though before there bathroom. It looks like an interesting set up.
Blessings to you all Anitta.
Hmmm Black Eggs.... super-sized egg gas surprise!?
I would like to know more about those shoes as well.... what's the meaning of this, tell us more.
It's obvious you a really struggling with this whole thing !
It all sounds fantastic.
Stay safe
Brice & Fran
Hi Arja and Katrina, Hope you are well. It all sounds great and I feel I am travelling with you. I will check in on you next week. Love Tricia
The shoes, " Toilet shoes" I presume: In Japan when you go inside you take off your shoes and they give you slippers to put on your feet. At this Tea House we had to take off our shoes because the area in which the toilets were was on a raised timber floor and I guess it was classed the same as being inside a home. You have to take off your shoes and these slippers belonged to this area so I think it was maybe a novelty that they had "Toilet" written on them.
We met Noriko when she came to Cairns to live in Australia with her children for several years for their schooling to learn English more fluently. We befriended her through church and met Naoto on several of his visits over the years. They are not your average Japanese couple as they are very traditional in some ways as far as culture but having traveled they have seen a more free lifestyle which they long for in their country meaning they would like a little more free time to enjoy life instead of working such long hours.