On Friday, it was time to leave Tokyo and time to activate our JR Rail 7-day passes that we had pre-purchased in Australia. The system they use is absolutely ridiculous. Not only do you have to pre-purchase the pass as it's only available outside of Japan, but you then have to exchange this pass for the real pass once you get here. Again, there are long lines to do this!! They just don't seem to be very good at stream-lining processes. Once you line up in one line to get your ticket, you then have to go and line up in another to book your seat on a train. Why this couldn't be done in one place is beyond me.
Anyway, we exchanged our passes and headed for the train to Odawara which was where we were to catch the bus to Hakone for a night in a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn
. The bus ride was interesting - a little like the peak hour train ride! They just kept letting more and more people on the bus!
Hakone is known as a great base for viewing Mt Fuji and is well known for its variety of transport options, including a cable car and ropeway. All of this would have been fantastic had the weather cooperated. When we arrived, we could not see across the road from our room's window! So we stocked up on some supplies from the local convenience store, including some bottles of sparkling wine, and had a relaxing afternoon in our spacious (for Japanese standards) room.
Dinner was included in our package and we dressed in our Yukata (summer robe) and were led to our private room for a traditional Japanese dinner. The spread was amazing, including sashimi, miso soup, sake, rice, an omelet that you cook yourself, steak and veges that you also cook yourself on a little hot plate, and lots of other things that we had no idea what they were!!!
After dinner, we took advantage of the inn's free wifi and watched the rabbitohs/panthers game live
. We usually go to this game every year with friends so we couldn't completely miss out!
Also included in our package was 45 minutes in a private onsen (hot spring). As Dylan has tattoos, he isn't able to use any of the public baths here in Japan as tattoos are an indication of an affiliation with Japanese gangs! So no public naked baths for us! The private onsen was great - very, very hot and very, very smelly! But apparently good for you!
Our room had beds made up already with futon mats on a raised platform off the floor. These were surprisingly comfy! Or maybe we are just getting used to hard mattresses here in Japan!
Breakfast was also included and I have to admit I was a little scared. But it was also delicious!! It included rice, salmon, noodles, fruit, veges, crab soup, omelet, sausages, yoghurt and again some things we weren't quite sure of!
The rain had persisted all night and visibility was still very poor so we had no chance of seeing Mt Fuji, which was very disappointing but you just can't predict the weather
. So we checked out and headed for the bus stop in the pouring rain with about 10 other people. We were the first in the queue, luckily, as when the bus arrived they only let two people on!! It was so crowded! But we were very grateful we weren't still standing in the rain at the bus stop!
From Odawara station we were to catch our first bullet train, or Shinkansen, to Kyoto. A few flew past us while we waited on the platform - they go fast!! The train was great - lots of leg room and we watched our pre-downloaded movies on Netflix! The countryside was beautiful at this time of year. Lots of cherry blossom trees dotted the towns and farms and it was nice to see a more quiet side of Japan after being in Tokyo.
We arrived safely in Kyoto at our hotel at about 3:30pm, a few minutes walk from the main shopping and entertainment district. It was still raining so we spent the afternoon researching somewhere for dinner and watching the Disney channel and CNN (the only two stations in English)! Our room is again very small but the bed is possibly the smallest double bed I've seen since the bed in Nana's laundry in Goonellabah!
We decided on Katsukura for dinner - they specialise in crumbed pork cutlets and are very popular here so we thought we'd give it a go. The 700m walk in the rain was not so much fun but definitely worth it. Dinner was delicious! I love how meals are a whole experience - there is always something to add or something to do! Tonight, we had to crush sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle, then add our choice of sauce for dipping. The cutlets were amazing, as was the beer and wine - all in a non-smoking restaurant! So many wins!!
Dylan and Lisa x
Hakone-machi
Saturday, April 08, 2017
Hakone-machi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan
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Comments

2025-02-07
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Sue Milligan
2017-04-09
I'm enjoying travelling with you!! Love the robes!! Matching is nice!! Also like Dylan waiting for the bus!!! He doesn't look all that comfortable..
Rachel
2017-04-09
What a funny blog! Love the bed! & not so much the colour of the spa!