Tag: hakone

Japan 2018 Day 7: Hakone to Osaka

May 9, 2018
Japan2018

We headed from Hakone to Osaka today. Here are Susan and Gillian waiting for the Shinkansen at Odawara Station.


The Shinkansen.


We stayed at the Shin Osaka Station Hotel right across from the Osaka Train Station.


After dropping our luggage off at our hotel, we headed to the Osaka Aquarium. The seats on the train platform were a little odd.


The aquarium is near Osaka Bay.


They will take your picture with your camera, after they take a picture of you with their camera and trying to get you to buy a group photo.


They had a cool penguin exhibit.


Lots of cool jelly fish.


Gillian with another Japanese dude.


More penguins.


It is a pretty cool aquarium, well worth the visit.

Japan 2018 Day 6: Hakone

May 8, 2018
Japan2018

Today we set out for Owakudani, it is the area around a crater created during the last eruption of Mount Hakone some 3000 years ago. Today, much of the area is an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be experienced. Gillian with a broom in the waiting shack for the cable car.


To get there you have to take a ropeway (which is like a gondola).


May 8th, it was our anniversary!


Gillian trying to find a Japanese guy.


Shanna purchased some black eggs, they are cooked in the naturally hot water, the shells are blackened by the sulfur. It is said that they prolong one’s life by seven years.


As you can see the views of Mt Fuji weren’t happening on this day.


We took the Komagatake Ropeway down to Lake Ashinoko.


We took the big pirate ship across Lake Ashinoko.


We headed to Hakone-Yumoto for some lunch and shopping.


Gillian in front of shelves of umeboshi.


Machine making sweet cakes.


This was the eating area of our hotel, the room to the right was for sleeping on futons.


One of the black eggs.

Japan 2018 Day 5: Tokyo/Hakone

May 7, 2018
Japan2018

One of the things recommended was the live tuna auction at the Tsukiji Fish Market. Only 120 visitors are able to view the auction on any given day. In order to be one of the few, it also means getting there early to lineup and wait. We still had the time difference on our side, so getting up at 2:00am wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Gillian, Shanna and I headed out from the hotel, Susan was the smart one choosing to sleep. It’s quite the process, first you line up outside and then they bring you into a waiting area, where you sit on the floor to wait. They hand you a flyer with the do’s and don’ts for observing. When it comes time to go, they lead you through the active fish market and into the auction area. The auction starts at 6:00am.


The tuna buyers check out all of the frozen tuna up for auction.


The final tuna auction at the Tsukiji market was on October 6, 2018. The fish market was originally schedule to close in 2016, but was delayed many times. The area will be levelled and used for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2020. The new market is called the Toyosu market and is about 2km east of the current market.


The auction starts with the ringing of a bell.


The bidding starts.


We were only in there for about 15-20 minutes before our time is up and they herd us out.


Today was our first travel day, we were heading to Hakone by Shinkansen (bullet train), train, and then cable car. We purchased a 14 day rail pass. it was pretty cool riding the bullet train.


Hakone is located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, unfortunately our weather for our two days in the area looked like this, and therefore no views of Fuji.


We purchased the Hakone Free Pass. After the shinkansen, we transferred at Odawara to a train which climbed the mountainous area via a bunch of switchbacks.


To get to our hotel we took the cable car. We stayed at Yutorelo Annex Hakone, this was a traditional Japanese style accommodation with an onsen.


We headed to the Hakone Glass Museum.


The Glass no Mori’s Venetian Glass Museum houses a collection of over 100 pieces of Venetian glassware. It displays both modern and classical works in all forms including vases, goblets, lamps and sculptures.