Hakone National Park, Japan
We checked back into the Fujia Hotel, left our bags there. Then at about 11:00
we started on an interesting circular ecursion within Hakone National Park. We
started with the Hakone Tozan “toy train” mountain railway to Gora, then a cable
car and the "Hakone Ropeway“ funicular to see a big area of the park, including
many of volcanic fumaroles; then another ropeway to a mountain lake. We had
several magnificent views of Mount Fuji, which is within the Park. Then we sailed
on a Disney-like “pirate ship” for about thirty minutes to Hakone Machi, then a
bus back to the Fujiya Hotel in Myanoshita. A very interesting day!
we started on an interesting circular ecursion within Hakone National Park. We
started with the Hakone Tozan “toy train” mountain railway to Gora, then a cable
car and the "Hakone Ropeway“ funicular to see a big area of the park, including
many of volcanic fumaroles; then another ropeway to a mountain lake. We had
several magnificent views of Mount Fuji, which is within the Park. Then we sailed
on a Disney-like “pirate ship” for about thirty minutes to Hakone Machi, then a
bus back to the Fujiya Hotel in Myanoshita. A very interesting day!
Hakone National Park --- 21 to 24 September: Early in the morning we
checked out of the Sawanoya Ryokan, went by taxi to the nearby Ueno railway
station, got on a train to Tokyo's main station, then another train for an hour or
two to the historic city of Kamakura, where we had planned stay a day to look see
the shrines and temples there. In a very heavy rain we walked to the nearby
“New Kamakura Inn” but found it so unsatisfactory that we walked back to the
railway station.
By this time the idea of staying in rainy Kamakura had lost much of its allure, so we
decided to travel immediately to our next itinerary stop, the village of Myanoshita
in Hakone National Park. About noon we left Kamakura by train to Ohfuna,
changed to another to Odawara, another train on to Moto-Hakone, then finally the
HakoneTozan railway to Miyanoshita; this series of four brief train-rides with
good connections got us to Miyanoshita at about 4:00 in the afternoon. In
Miyanoshita we walked to the nearby Fujiya Hotel , where we checked in using
their US$125 web special. Myanoshita is a nice little resort town and the Fujiya is
a luxurious large country hotel set in a beautiful garden with great scenery all
around.
checked out of the Sawanoya Ryokan, went by taxi to the nearby Ueno railway
station, got on a train to Tokyo's main station, then another train for an hour or
two to the historic city of Kamakura, where we had planned stay a day to look see
the shrines and temples there. In a very heavy rain we walked to the nearby
“New Kamakura Inn” but found it so unsatisfactory that we walked back to the
railway station.
By this time the idea of staying in rainy Kamakura had lost much of its allure, so we
decided to travel immediately to our next itinerary stop, the village of Myanoshita
in Hakone National Park. About noon we left Kamakura by train to Ohfuna,
changed to another to Odawara, another train on to Moto-Hakone, then finally the
HakoneTozan railway to Miyanoshita; this series of four brief train-rides with
good connections got us to Miyanoshita at about 4:00 in the afternoon. In
Miyanoshita we walked to the nearby Fujiya Hotel , where we checked in using
their US$125 web special. Myanoshita is a nice little resort town and the Fujiya is
a luxurious large country hotel set in a beautiful garden with great scenery all
around.
Fujiya Hotel, Myanoshita, Hakone, Japan.
Water mill in the beautifully landscaped garden of the Fujiya Hotel, Myanoshita, Japan.
The following day we relaxed in the
Fujiya Hotel until the 11:00am check-out
time, checked our bags at the hotel,
visited the hotel’s coffee shop, strolled
in the garden, walked around town, etc.
Then around 3:00pm we walked with our
bags to the nearby cable-car terminal
of the Taiseikan Ryokan (for which we
had made a reservation), took the cable
car a few hundred feet down to the
mountain stream below down. The
Taiseikan Ryokan has a beautiful setting
by a mountain stream, is luxurious and
justifiably famous in Japan.
Fujiya Hotel until the 11:00am check-out
time, checked our bags at the hotel,
visited the hotel’s coffee shop, strolled
in the garden, walked around town, etc.
Then around 3:00pm we walked with our
bags to the nearby cable-car terminal
of the Taiseikan Ryokan (for which we
had made a reservation), took the cable
car a few hundred feet down to the
mountain stream below down. The
Taiseikan Ryokan has a beautiful setting
by a mountain stream, is luxurious and
justifiably famous in Japan.
Cable car descending from the village of Myanoshita a
few hundred feet to the Taiseikan Ryokan.
few hundred feet to the Taiseikan Ryokan.
In the Taiseikan Ryokan we had a suite, floors completely covered with tatami
mats, practically no furniture except for a table no higher than a foot off the
floor. The suite had a balcony overlooking the stream. We had tea served in our
room by a hostess in traditional dress,and bathed in our private spa. An excellent
dinner was served very formally in our room by the same costumed hostess, and
at bedtime she took our futons out of the closet and spread them on the floor for
us. Next morning we had breakfast served by our hostess in our room. we
checked out at 10:00am, taking the cable car back to the road above. The
Taiseikan Ryokan was a wonderful experience in a genuine traditional Japanese
ryokan, but very formal, very structured, very expensive, and probably with
many rules and customs which we unknowingly broke.
mats, practically no furniture except for a table no higher than a foot off the
floor. The suite had a balcony overlooking the stream. We had tea served in our
room by a hostess in traditional dress,and bathed in our private spa. An excellent
dinner was served very formally in our room by the same costumed hostess, and
at bedtime she took our futons out of the closet and spread them on the floor for
us. Next morning we had breakfast served by our hostess in our room. we
checked out at 10:00am, taking the cable car back to the road above. The
Taiseikan Ryokan was a wonderful experience in a genuine traditional Japanese
ryokan, but very formal, very structured, very expensive, and probably with
many rules and customs which we unknowingly broke.
Our room at the Taiseikan Ryokan, Miyanoshita.
Dinner at the Taiseikan Ryokan, Myanoshita.
On the left, futons ready for the night.
Hakone Fumaroles.
Our fellow passengers on the Hakone Ropeway.
Mount Fuji viewed from Hakone National Park.