Hot spring bath first thing? I could certainly get used to that! Had the place to myself too, that's what happens when you get up before 6am. Last night, after finishing my day 9 blog, I ate my dinner in front of the telly - a very entertaining show where three people were driving around Japan, sampling different foods and trying Onsen (hot springs). I, of course, fell asleep, woke up just before 9pm and went to bed. Was absolutely pooped.
So, after my bath, I got ready and headed up ('up' will be the theme for the last couple of days) to the cable car station, hoping to beat the rush. Got there about 7.30am, and not another person in sight. Score! Oh, wait... The cable car doesn't start running until 8.45am? Well isn't that lovely...? Lucky for me, there's always something to see nearby, and I found this little beauty hiding away up the mountain.
Breakfast this morning consisted of chocolate biscuits, with a view to getting something decent with a coffee later on.
Something decent, ended up being this.
Fine, it isn't exactly the finest dining experience, but check out the view! And I was starving! The picture was taken at the stop half way down (which is actually also the highest point of) the Hakone Ropeway, a cable car that runs down to Lake Ashino-ko. I saw a guy there with a Specialized S-Works bike (same make as mine), so I asked him if he'd cycled up here, to which he nodded his head. I applauded him and tried to explain that I couldn't make it on my bike, it was too much. He nodded and smiled; I suspect he had not a clue what I was rambling on about. He didn't have any luggage though - slacker. My favourite bit was when he went to the view point for Mt Fuji, placed his bike against the fence and took a picture of it with Mt Fuji in the background. There's a man who loves his bike.
At the same view point earlier on, I had kindly offered to take a picture of a group of German tourists as they gathered in front of the mountain as a group. "Oh yes, that would be great, thank you", the man responds. He gives me his camera, and suddenly there's a queue of about 8 people handing me their cameras. Needless to say I was there for quite a while.
Mt Fuji is simply spectacular to see in the flesh. It is so imposing and as near to perfection as you would want in a volcano. No wonder the Japanese hold it so dear. If this trip had gone to plan, I would've been cycling around the Fuji Five Lakes today and it would've been amazing, I've no doubt. I'm also in no doubt that I made the right decision, as my legs were so fatigued today that I couldn't even manage a flight of stairs without stopping half way.
From Togendai, the cable car's terminal station, I got on the Lake Ashino-ko Sightseeing Cruise and listened to a pair of Swedish girls who were sitting behind me. One was pissed off with the other for some reason so they didn't speak for the rest of the time on the boat. I'm quite lucky, I think, because I haven't fallen out with myself once so far. There have been times where I've been close (when I insist on making yet another stop on a ride), but then I remember where I am.
In Hakone-machi, I went to a museum about... well, I have no idea as it was all in Japanese. There were photos taken that you can see if you wish. I then walked to Moto-Hakone via a trail called Cedar Ave, for obvious reasons, where I visited the rather splendid Naruyama Art Gallery (check me out, being all cultured), where I made a quick coffee stop.
The views were simply terrible...
From Moto-Hakone I took the Sightseeing Cruise back to the cable car and went back up to the top, during which time I spoke to a rather posh-sounding English couple who were friendly but not overly inspiring. They were on their way to the Open Air Museum, which is were I was on my to as well, but it had gotten a bit chilly with the wind, so I decided to go back to the hotel to get another jacket and fleece. Way to go, idiot. It just seemed to get warmer and warmer after that, and it ended up walking around with all these clothes!
The Open Air Museum was great, or it least it would have been if I hadn't been in a hunger rage for most of the visit. I managed to calm it for a while with a muffin so could enjoy at least some of what I saw. I subsequently decided to go for a wander to see if I could find a restaurant, but it was a bit early yet, only 5.30pm, so I kind of meandered. Got speaking to a couple of Australian ladies (named Suzie and Terri) and tagged along with them for a while, at the same time searching for some place to eat. Everywhere was closed as I walked up the hill, most of the restaurants I'd seen had been down the hill, and I didn't want to go back there as I'd just have to walk back up, and it was bloody steep! In the end I walked - slowly as I was close to passing out by this point - up the hill, over the brow, and back down to my hotel. At 6.45pm, when I arrived, I asked the guy at reception if there was a hotel restaurant.
"Only by reservation", he replies.
"Can I make a reservation now?"
"No", he says, smiling, thinking I'm joking. "The only place nearby is down the hill 10 minutes, but you're best to take the shuttle bus, which leaves in 15 mins."
Err, no, not today, not now. "I will walk", I tell him.
"Not a good idea, the road is dark and quite busy."
Quite busy?!?! I think I'd seen 3 cars as I'd walked down the same road. He obviously had no idea what he was dealing with here.
10 mins later I had unashamedly ordered my spaghetti bolognese with salad, garlic bread, and beer.
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