Bullet Trains, Black Eggs, and Pirate Ships: A Day in Hakone

Sorry for not blogging yesterday, but it was a travel day with only a few interesting points, mostly involving me questioning my life choices in a train station. It was our last day in Kyoto, and we were scheduled to take the bullet train to Hakone. Simple enough, right? We left with ample time, feeling confident, maybe even a little smug. But that confidence evaporated the moment we tried to figure out which train and track to go to. You’d think they’d make it easy. They did not. 

We found ourselves flustered and slightly anxious as we realized we were on the wrong train on the wrong track. A few friendly people pointed this out, probably noticing the wild, lost look in our eyes, so we jumped off before it departed. Frantic because our departure was imminent, we realized our train was on the other side, which meant going down one elevator and up another. Simple, right? Ha! We descended, only to find a painfully long line at the other elevator. I swear, time moves slower when you’re panicking in a queue.

When the doors finally opened, we sprinted out like contestants on a game show, diving into what we thought was the right train. As we made our way through the cars, a steward hastily informed me again, that we were on the wrong train. But at this point, Emily was two cars ahead, and I was lumbering behind with the bags. By sheer luck, both sets of doors opened, and I saw her two cars up. Without thinking, I shouted, “Get off the train!!” We both leaped out just as the doors closed and the train sped away.

We stood on the platform, dejected and sweaty, fully convinced we’d missed our train. After all, the average delay in Japan’s railway system is a mere 27 seconds, and we were way past our departure time. Just as we were about to sulk away in defeat, I glanced at the board one last time and saw our train in red. I assumed that meant we missed it, but no, the train was delayed by five minutes due to snow! We couldn’t believe our luck. When the next train pulled up, it was ours. We practically cried tears of joy.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, aside from catching a fleeting, cloud-shrouded glimpse of Mt. Fuji. We arrived at our hotel, which was swanky in the most traditional Japanese way possible. Our room was all thin partitions, floor futons and tatami mats, and we had to remove our shoes before stepping inside.  There was even a hot springs tub on our balcony. We were provided home-style kimonos to wear around the hotel, which felt both elegant and a little like being in fancy pajamas. The lobby bar had hot springs water to soak your feet in while enjoying a cocktail. I don’t know why this isn’t a global trend. It was glorious. 

Dinner was an 11-course kaiseki meal, which was beautifully presented but, honestly, not our thing. We’d had a few similar meals earlier in our trip and had slowly come to realize that tiny dishes of delicate mystery ingredients weren’t our jam (the slimy textures never seem to grow on us). But the ambiance was serene, and we were too relaxed to care. 

The next day, we slept in. There’s something incredibly peaceful about the whole Japanese-style vibe. Even Joni slept in, which felt like a small miracle. We had our first authentic Japanese breakfast, which was… interesting. The textures and strong flavors were a lot for the morning. I’m just going to say it: I missed toast.

We planned to take it easy and do one or two activities, but we learned that you can basically do all of Hakone’s attractions in one day. So we did.  We started with a cable car that took us up one kilometer to meet a gondola, which carried us up and over the lip of a volcano and then across its mouth. No lava, but plenty of sulfur gas. It smelled like someone had eaten too many black eggs. 

At the top, we were rewarded with an epic view of Mt. Fuji without a single cloud in sight. Apparently, this only happens about 80 days a year, so we felt pretty lucky.  We even tried the famous black eggs cooked in the hot springs. They’re supposed to add seven years to your life, so I ate two just in case.

The adventure continued with another gondola ride down to Lake Ashi, where we boarded a pirate ship.  Yes, a pirate ship. I’m not sure why Japan decided pirates were necessary for this scenic cruise, but who am I to question them? We sailed across the lake, admiring water shrines and more stunning views of Mt. Fuji. It was so picturesque, I half-expected to see a dragon fly by. 

For lunch, we stumbled upon this tiny two-table-restaurant run by an ancient Japanese woman who immediately fell in love with Joni.  She doted on her the entire time, bringing us more food than we could eat. Full and happy, we visited the sacred water shrine before heading back to the hotel, thoroughly exhausted. 

That evening, we soaked our feet in the hot springs bar, enjoying a few drinks. Joni crashed early, so Emily and I snuck out to our balcony hot tub. We sat under the stars, chatting about life, Joni, and all the adventures we’d had. It was perfect.

Only one more day in Japan before heading back home. I’m not ready to leave the hot springs life just yet.