Hakone (箱根町)

Sorry for the long delay, but I am very busy this days, and as my only readers are Yuuki and Yusuke it's not very motivating me for do my blog haha. Today I'll talk about Hakone! Hakone is a small town in Kanagawa Prefecture, the attraction Hakone is that it is on a volcano, surrounded by mountains, and it's convenient because it's not far from Tokyo/Yokohama. During my first trip to Hakone (it's been 3 years!) I went to Owakudani (大涌谷 great boiling valley), a Hakone volcanic valley. Volcanic activity is manifested by its onsen (hot springs) and sulfur fumes, which gives a certain warmth to this place... and especially a rotten egg smell! (this is the moment for fart nobody smell the fragrance haha!). The speciality of Owakudani is chicken eggs cooked in the hot springs (shell turns black). It seems that eating an egg cooked here gives 7 years of more in your life, eat two and a half eggs gives 17 years, but if you eat the third egg whole it cancels all effects. But hey, it's a legend okay? xD

Hello Kitty is really everywhere in Japan xD

The "Kuro Tamago", the taste is like a normal egg.

Now let's go to the Ashi lake! The lake Ashi is a crater lake was formed there in 3000 after explosion of a  phreatic table which caused a collapse part of Mount Kami. This is a very popular spot for picture because when the weather is clear you can see Mount Fuji reflected on the lake. Unfortunately I never had this chance the both times I went there!

On this lake you will see a large red torii which designates the location of Hakone Jinja Shrine. I will now tell you about the legend of the dragon with nine heads of Hakone! This dragon was dozing at the bottom of Lake Ashinoko. He terrorized the village until that a monk of Mount Komagatake exorcise him and he become a protective deity (the dragon, not the monk ok? xD).

Me and the big torii.

Stairs leading to the sanctuary. I've also seen Japanese girls with heels, it's really stupid to come in the nature with such shoes.

The only nine-headed dragon that I saw was a fountain haha.

Another feature of Hakone is its hot springs! Japanese people love onsen very much. So I wanted to try, but not anywhere. I am very shy, so I don't want to show myself naked in front of another womans, but luckily there is a Hakone onsen where swimsuits are allowed! The name of this onsen is "Yunessun" it's not traditional but very nice nonetheless. There are very original pools in this onsen, with wine, coffee, sake, coal, lemonade, green tea etc... mixed with thermal water. I just feel like a piece of meat floating in a soup haha! But there are also some traditional basins, outdoors near waterfalls, surrounded by mountains... wow! *o*

Me and mascots of Yunessun, cats with square head? This is weird xD