Japan Day 12 P3

From where we left off in the previous post ... the next destination: Lake Ashi.

Clear view of the beautiful lake from the ropeway. Lake Ashi is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mt Hakone. The lake is known for its views of Mt Fuji (no, I didn't see it) and its numerous hot springs.

We alighted at Togendai (740m above sea level) to board the Hakone sightseeing cruise.

Several pleasure boats and ferries traverse the lake. Our mode of transport: pirtate ships! Yippee! Well, we actually boarded the Green ship on the left of the picture. No idea why the photographer took the other one.

Leecher trying to navigate? Don't bother ... he cant even navigate on land, much less on water.

Captain Jack Sparrows? Maybe in 50 yrs time.

Enjoy Hakone's magnificent scenery and the trademark vermillion shrine gate of Hakone-jinja shrine at the lake's edge.

Leecher trying to portray himself as "The Thinker" (again)

Love the tranquility feel of the lake. The gentle sea breeze caressing your hair while your eyes take in the stunning view in front. At this point, I wished I had more time to explore Hakone & admire its beauty. I will be back, definitely!

Towards the end of the ride, Leecher was beginning to feel cold. In fact, I was cold as well but stubborn me refused to go into the cabin. Captivated by the charming sight that was in view.

Yes, the right ship this time. This is called the Vasa, modeled on a ship commissioned by 17th century Swedish King Gustav Adolph. It is painted emerald green and decorated with ornately sculpted woodwork. As the sun sets, we also concluded our Hakone visit. Rushed, yet I enjoyed every minute of it.

P4 will conclude the day with the mega (food) highlight that I absolutely adore :) Ok, I may have exaggerated a little, but still .... love love love!

Japan Day 12 P2

Gosh, cant believe it's now June and we are fast approaching 2nd half of 2010....Project L is on the way, but wont be revealing details on here for the moment ~ wait till I have finished all the back logs :)Back to blogging about Japan trip!

Upon reaching Sounzan, we need to transfer to the Hakone Ropeway to reach our next destination (thanks to our Hakone pass!)

I love being on cable cars or the ropeway as they called it here. You get a bird's eye view of the scenery without compromising on comfort.

The Hakone Ropeway service operates at approximately 1-min interval. The route covers the following stations:

• Sounzan
• Owakudani
• Ubako
  
• Togendai

From above, you can clearly see the rising volcanic fumes of Owakudani.

Owakudani is the area around a crater created during the last eruption of Mount Hakone approx 3000 years ago. Today, much of the area is an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes & hot springs can be experienced.

Owakudani (大涌谷, ie: Great Boiling Valley) is famous for its scenic views, volcanic activity and especially Kuro-tamago (黒玉子) - a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in hot springs.

At 1044m above sea level, we were freezing cold. Don't be fooled by the bright sun ~

Wash your hands with god-blessed hot spring water before proceeding further. I welcomed the comfort of hot (boiling) water on my freezing hands.

Hiking the 1km trail to the actual site where the eggs are boiled. Fresh out from the "boiling pot".

Ropeway for the eggs to be delivered up to the site. If you're unable to hike up, you can always get the eggs from the shops outside the ropeway station.

Walking in the (sulphuric) mist ~ It's quite romantic actually, if you minus off the strong sulphuric smell that actually reminds you of rotten eggs.

These people, like us, came for the eggs!

The "sacred" pool in which the eggs are cooked.

Kuro-tamago (黒玉子)! These boiled eggs turned black and smell slightly sulphuric. Consuming the eggs is said to increase longevity. Eating 1 egg is said to add 7 yrs to your life. You may eat up to two and a half for up to 17.5 yrs, but eating a whole third is said to be highly inadvisable.

I was actually pretty happy to be here, cuz this place is so warm! Love love love :)

Must cam-whore a bit! While researching on this trip, I came across that Owakudani has good views of Mt Fuji on clear days. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Mt Fuji on the day itself. Seemed like we are quite unlucky with mountains: We didn't get to see the sunrise @ Mt Batur in Bali & now, we didn't get to see Mt Fuji! Maybe it's a conspiracy that I must re-visit both places to complete the puzzle.

Kitty being dressed up as Kuro-tamago, kawaii!

Time for us to proceed to the next destination via the Ropeway. A little clue as to what's in P3 ...

Stay tuned for the answer to be revealed!