November 30 - Off to Hakone

Or, How I endured a Trial by food at a traditonal Onsen

02.12.2009 15 °C

Today was the day that Cindy had been looking forward to since we had booked our trip - we were off for a few days stay at Hakone Ginyu, a traditional Japanese hot spring Inn (Onsen) located in one of the small towns in Hakone National Park, by Mt. Fuji.

First off, though, we had to get through Shinjuku Station....

We hopped onto the subway at one of the local stations and were whisked off to the world's busiest train station. Once there, the way to the connecting train that would take us to Hakone, the Odyaku line, was clearly marked. We managed (with a little help) to figure out where the train was, paid our fare, and got to the platform....

Only to discover we needed a different ticket.

Thanks to a very helpful clerk at the counter (who also refunded us the price of the tickets we had just paid for in error) we were directed into the right train, the Odyaku Romancecar Express to Hakone. We grabbed a quick snack (Coke and rice balls - yum!) to take with us, boarded and settled in. The train ride from Shinjuku takes about 90 minutes.

Ten minutes after leaving Shinjuku station, the beer cart came through. Although 10:30 in the morning (well - it was past 11:00 somewhere) I thought, why not - I'm on holiday. Sapporo tastes so much better than Coke when eating rice balls anyways.

Bike parking, anyone?

Slowly, cityscape gave way to countryside. Rice patties to the south of Tokyo.

The Romancecar only goes as far at Hakone - Yumoto, at which point we transferred to Hakone Tozan Train. When we bought the tickets on the Romancecar, we also purchased the Hakone Free Pass, which gave us 3 days of unlimited riding on any of the transportation in the Hakone area and discounts at many of the attractions in the area. Thus, with a quick show of the pass we were onto the train and began our journey up the mountaion side to Miyanoshita, where Hakone Ginyu is located.

Watch out for Wild Boars!

A friendly fish greets us at the station....

...which is located at the top of a hill. I did mention the Hakone area is mountaineous, right?

Miyanoshita is a resort town, full of hotels which tap into the hot springs which are thoughout the area. Being a resort town, it is also full of tiny shops selling local handicrafts and art, and antiques. And it charges resort town prices. Two clubhouse sandwiches and two drinks - CDN$70. Had we known what was coming later, we would have starved a bit longer.

It was now 2:00 PM, check in time at Ginyu. The Onsen is built on the side of the mountain that Miyanoshita clings to, with a view out to the mountains on the other side, the valley and the river far below...

We shed our shoes at the door, and stepped into perverse luxury...

The preliminary information filled out, we were led to the lounge for a welcoming drink of fruit juice. By the time that you were taken to your room, hot green tea had been prepared and was waiting for you. The attendant took time to explain where everything was, and left us to our own devices.

The dining area in the room...

Our own private,hot spring fed pool...

The view....

In short order, we were enjoying the pool. While the day was cool, the hot water felt soooo good! (but boy, was it HOT!)

We changed in traditional Onsen wear, cotton yukata, and headed down to the main floor (The entrance lobby was on the 5th floor - remember, we're on the side of a mountain) to the garden lounge for a drink. Then, it was back up to the room (2nd floor) for what would become the toughest ordeal of our trip to date - dinner.

One of the features of many Onsen is the fact that they serve dinner and breakfast. Hakone Ginyu provides gourmet, 9 course meals. We're fairly straight forward people - heck, if I can get three dishes on the table at the same time, I'm happy. So, 9 courses was, to say the least, painfully filling....