Asia,  Travel,  Japan

Hakone (1)

When I went for a run by the river on the last morning in Kyoto, I saw the self-entertaining bird I saw last night. I went back to the youth hostel and had an exquisite breakfast. Later, I saw a lot of children going to school. The school uniform and schoolbag of the little girl in the last picture are too cute.

I passed Mt. Fuji on the Shinkansen train to Hakone, and the snow on the top of the mountain has almost melted. It's a pity that I didn't have time to climb Mount Fuji during this trip to Japan. It is said that I will be exhausted to climb up. Hakone is a famous hot spring resort in Japan, this time it is mainly for leisure travel. When we arrived at Hakone Railway Station, it was already past lunch time. As soon as I stepped out of the platform, I saw many small shops along the road, and at a glance I saw a stall for buying bento. There are many different choices of bento, and the taste is not bad. The bento box is made of bamboo, which is more environmentally friendly.

After eating the bento, I took the bus to the traditional Japanese inn/hot spring hotel (ryokan) where I was staying to put my luggage, and immediately came out to catch another bus to go shopping near Lake Ashi. It is said that when the weather is clear, you can overlook Mount Fuji, but unfortunately it was cloudy. Japan's transportation arrangements are relatively friendly to tourists, the instructions are very clear, and they will not go wrong. We took a Hakone pirate sightseeing boat tour of the lake for a week, and saw the Hakone Shrine, which seemed familiar, and felt like we had seen it in many Japanese movies or dramas.

Back to the hot spring hotel for a rest, ready to have dinner. When we checked in, the front desk asked us to choose what time to eat, because the accommodation fee included dinner and breakfast. Although this hot spring hotel is a bit more expensive, it is really worth it. The house is super tidy and clean, there is an indoor bathing pool, and there are green mountains outside the small balcony.

At seven o'clock, the waiter of the hotel knocked on the door on time to start the meal service. This little brother's service is too meticulous and in place. There is a large table of exquisite Japanese food. The ingredients are very fresh and the quantity is not large, but there are various types, and you will not feel full after eating.

After the meal, we soaked in the indoor hot spring (onsen) at the hotel. There are many unique etiquettes, rules and taboos in hot springs in Japan. Most of Japan's hot spring facilities prohibit people with tattoos from entering. As soon as you enter, there is a small basket in the dressing room to put the clothes you took off. You need to take off all your clothes before entering the hot spring pool. After entering a public bath, rinse your body and hair with the jets in the washing area. You should also rinse the seat and surrounding floor with hot water before leaving the washing area. The temperature in the hot spring pool is generally very high, and it is time to come out and take a rest after soaking for about ten to fifteen minutes. After soaking in the hot spring, I returned to the hotel and finally had a good sleep with the sound of rain.

The next morning it was still raining outside, and there were several small snails on the floor when the balcony door was opened. The waiter brother came to deliver breakfast again, and he arranged the dishes meticulously. All the dishes are diagonally symmetrical, which is very particular. After breakfast, we went to the outdoor natural hot spring in our hotel bathrobes. It was drizzling outside, surrounded by mountains, and I could hear the gurgling sound of the stream next to it, and I felt very close to nature.

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