Tokyo Day 4 - 20 Nov 12

When we checked in last night, it was already dark so we could not see beyond the balcony. This morning, when we ventured  out to the balcony for our morning onsen, we discovered the view outside. Can really get used to this onsen thing, especially when facing mother nature.

View of the onsen in the morning.

After onsen, we went for our breakfast which is your typical Japanese breakfast consisting of appetizers, fish, tofu, egg, natto and soup. I gamely tried the natto and found tasting not too bad although is does have a foul smell and the strands of sticky threads can really put you off.

Also tried mixing the raw egg in my rice with a little soya sauce, typical of a Japanese breakfast. Not really my cup of tea, although I did finish the entire bowl!

On the other hand, my wife was not too keen on this and left the fish, egg and natto largely untouched.

While doing the round course yesterday, we were disappointed at not being able to see Mount Fuji as it was cloudy the entire day. It is with this in mind that I decided to take the cable car across to Togendai to see if we can view Mount Fuji.

And we hit the jackpot. When the cable car ascended to the top of hill and Mount Fuji came into sight, the entire occupants of the cable car exclaim at the sight and cameras were out in force including yours truly. The view was simply magnificent.

If you look carefully you can even see smoke from the ground as we were nearing Owakudani.

At Togendai, we took a bus to Gotemba Premium Outlet. The bus journey there was rather scenic with scenes of autumn foliage and Mount Fuji punctuating the twist and turns.

By the time we reached Gotemba Premium Outlet, Mount Fuji, although visible was partially covered with clouds. By that time, we had other pressing issues, namely our stomachs to consider.

Can't remember crepe we took here, it could possibly be cheesecake with banana and chocolate. The crepe was alright but not as good as the ones in Harajuku.

Steak Set 1050Yen   Rating: 4/5

Salad   Rating: 3/5

Still feeling famished, we stopped by the Food Bazzar and ordered a steak from Steak Mountain. Costing 1050Yen. Surprisingly it was really very good, it's really value for money. The Japanese like their rice and it's no surprise that you get rice with the steak. We rounded off the meal with a salad from another stall.

Gotemba Premium Outlet although rather far from civilization was rather crowded. Guess the Japanese people really like to shop for branded goods. If you are into branded goods, then this place is definitely worth a visit. From here, we proceeded to take a bus to Shinjuku.

At Shinjuku, we decided to cover one of the places we missed going on the 1st day due to rain, the Tokyo Government Metropolitian Building. After getting our bearings, we started walking and on the way, we passed by Cocoon Tower. Loved this building with it's symmetrical lines and all.

Tokyo Government Metropolitan Tower consists of 2 towers and the access to the view deck at the top is free. Who does not like free?

We had to queue for the elevator to the 45 floor. Apparently one of the lifts is under maintenance and this has resulted in a longer than usual queue. However the queue moved pretty quick and in no time at all, we were at the top.

Some of the pictures taken at the observatory deck. Overall, the view was just ok, not spectacular.

We passed by a Pachinko and Slot saloon. Japan is famous for their Pachinko and it's a giddily affair of lights and balls reminiscent of days gone by.

Night view of Ameyoko Market. This place is crowded with people and there were plenty of restaurants around.

Tonight for dinner, we visited Tenya

Soba and Tendon Set 780Yen   Rating: 4/5

Seafood Soba Set 750Yen   Rating: 4/5

Tenya is well known in Japan for serving low cost delicious food. It was so good that we returned for another meal.

A fruit store in Ameyoko Market.

Got our desserts from this stall

Red Bean Taiyaki 150Yen   Rating: 4/5

Fried Crispy Red Bean Bun 100Yen   Rating: 4.5/5

Taiyaki and fried red bean crispy bun. Both were fantastic and the red bean bun was just out of this world, especially when it's been just out of the oil. Really recommended. Wish I have tried some of their other desserts. Unfortunately, we ran out of space in our stomachs!

Tokyo Day 3 - 19 Nov 12

Odawara Station

Today we will be doing an excursion to Hakone. For this purpose, we bought the Hakone Free Pass tickets at Shinjuku the night before.

For the 2 day pass, we paid 5000Yen per person. This pass inlcudes a round trip from Tokyo to Hakone and buses, trams, cable cars and boat trips for the Round Course.

Before sunrise, we took a very early train from our hotel hotel to Shinjuku, then change to the Odakyu train bound for Odawara. At Odawara, we change to another bound for Hakone Yumoto.

Train to Hakone Yumoto

Just behind Hakone Yumoto Station was a lovely stream. Since we were early and the Baggage Delivery Counter at the Station only opens at 8.30pm, we decided to get breakfast first.

What the Baggage Delivery Service does is that it will deliver your baggage to your hotel/ryokan for a fee while you do the round course unencumbered. Do show your Hakone Free Pass for a discount.

Oden 325Yen for 3 pieces   Rating 4/5

Meat Pau 105Yen   Rating: 4/5

Pudding 126Yen   Rating: 4/5

Hakone Yumoto Street with 7-11 at the end

Got our breakfast from 7-11 further down the road from the station and I must say that I'm impressed. Nothing beats tucking into the hot steaming Oden and Pau on a cold autumn morning. Notice that the streets are quite devoid of activities as it was still early.

Beautiful autumn leaves abound

After breakfast and completing the Baggage Delivery Service, we took a bus from Hakone Yumoto to Moto Hakone. Beautiful autumn scenery such as the above greeted us on the bus ride.

Large tori gate next to Lake Ashi

Another tori gate at entrance to Hakone Shrine

The first place we visited was the Hakone Shrine. It was quite a distance away from the bus stop but was a pleasant walk nevertheless. Since it was early in the morning, it was rather chilly and I got a can of hot coffee from one of the ubiquitous vending machine. More for the heat than the drink!

Hakone Shrine tori in Lake Ashi

Above is the famous Hakone Shrine's Tori Gate within Lake Ashi, visible when you are taking the boat across.

Lake Ashi cruise boat

From MotoHakone we took a cruise boat to Togendai. The ship is design to look like pirate boats with chests of treasures within. The ride it self was about 30 mins in duration and there were plenty of scenic views of autumn displayed.

Beautiful autumn leaves

More autumn foliage seen on the cruise. We then took the ropeway from Togendai to Owakudani.

At Owakudani, we had lunch at this restaurant.

Hot Udon with Tempura - 1350Yen   Rating: 3.5/5

Black Curry - 1200Yen    Rating:- 3.5/5

Pretty decent lunch, especially at a tourist area. However, prices were on the high side as expected. The black curry was not spicy but was quite tasty.

After lunch, we proceeded to visit the Owakudani, well known for it's black eggs. Alas, we did not try as they were selling in lots of 5 and were feeling full after lunch. Each egg when eaten is purported to extend your life by 7 years!

We then proceeded to Gora via cablecar. From across the street, we took a bus to our next destination.

Which is the Hakone Open Air Museum. We paid 1600Yen per adult for the entrance fee.

They have many exhibits, mainly sculptures on display and we spent a few hours leisurely strolling through the compound.

They even have a section of the museum dedicated to Picasso. It's really been a pleasure visiting this museum, viewing the exhibits, accented by the fall colors.

We also spent sometime soaking our feet in the hot bath for 100Yen per person. Really soothes your aching foot! Absolutely love this! They even have some lemons and oranges thrown in for that citrus flavor.

After the museum, we checked into our Ryokon Gora Ichinoyu.

I decided to splurge and went for the room with outdoor private onsen. So the first thing we did was to enjoy the onsen.

Feeling refresh after our onsen, we proceeded to have our dinner dressed in yutaka. Feeling ravished after the long walks, we attacked our dinner with gusto. Everything was great, save for the squid, which was too tough for our palate, which was a pity.

Retired to our room for more onsen. Yeah, it really feels great to be freezing your butt then dipping it into hot water. Truly sublime!