Moto-Hakone

It's a rare experience wondering the streets of Moto-hakone watching the cloud cover engulf Lake Ashi and the feeling of being the only ones present in the township.  Strolling through the Torii gates, past the stone buddhas finding ourselves devoured by the Cedar Avenue that frames the Old Takaido Highway. You can easily imagine a ninja dissolving into the filtered light whilst the mighty old man cedar reaches skyward to provide a canopy of protection for both the walker and their assailants. There are so many lovely walks around the lake area that we lost track of time as we meandered. We wandered the grounds of The Hakone-Jingi Shrine and down to shrine's Torii gates standing proud in the waters of Lake Ashi; It is this view of these red gates that we enjoyed from our out door onsen.
   

The locals informed us that on a clear day the mighty Fuji can be seen towering over the township thus providing one of the most photogenic opportunities around.  Unfortunately, we had yet to see the elusive Fuji. Taking matters into our own hands, we jumped aboard the pirate sightseeing ship bound for the Hakone Ropeway to try and catch a glimpse.  On our way, we witnessed volcanic vapours escaping from vents carved out of the side of Mt Owakendi. As our capsule was invaded with the stench of sulphur (or Brad's rumbling stomach, both have a similar smell) we decided to disembark to explore.  Here we sampled the local delicacy of 'Black Eggs'. The kuro-tamago or black eggs can be purchased in bags of five. The eggs are just ordinary chook eggs but the shell turns black when boiled in the hot sulphur spring. Local tradition holds that for each black egg eaten, seven years is added to one's life. However, some say that eating more than two is not recommended.  Shame we ate all five. The eggs have a smokey flavour, an acquired taste just like a minke whale burger.

With still no sight of Fuji, we decided to make the journey back to our Ryokan via the Tozan cable car. Low and behold upon our return, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the majestic Fuji. Finally we could relax with a soak in the onsen and a cold Hakone Shichitou pilsner biru.
Kanpai!






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Mt Fuji

Like a trail of fire flies they bobbed, glowing in the blackness, saddlebacking up the side of the mighty Fuji.  As one of the three holy mountains in Japan, this 3776 metre high stratovolcano that last announced its presence to the world in 1706 welcomes all who attempt to summit.  We were one of these fire flies, with our cyclops light eyes swaying from our forehead, who became part of the pilgrimage to the peak.  As we journeyed we encountered monks with conch shells bellowing, calling forth the dawn, youtube enthusiasts and selfie devotees waiting for the chance to upload to instagram, romantics celebrating the love of nature and each other, those with sad eyes who have trekked to farewell a loved one and others like us who live for adventure.

We stop at most of the stations to grab nourishment and a branded insignia that shows our height progression.  Our light joins with others and with each step we make our sojourn upwards.  Finally we stand at Fuji's peak awaiting the sun to break forth and celebrate a new beginning.  We watch as the sun crowns like a new born and then rise to its glory painting both of us with its glow.  A total silence descends, we stand in awe as we watch the rays caress the Kusushi-jina shrine with its Torii Gates aflame and like most digital natives we grab for our cameras to capture the moment.

Most people watch mother nature give birth to her sun and then happily descend earthward and thus miss the path less trodden by other trekkers.  The Ohachi-meguri circuit around the volcanic crater of Fuji is a little gem of a walk.  It rewards those die-hard trekkers with amazing views of the snow covered crater within, icicle caves and of an observation tower, that stands Colossus of Rhode like protecting those who tread its path.  This walk should take around an hour to complete, but then again with fatigue setting in, you wont get much change from two hours!

There is a famous saying about Fuji: 'He who climbs Mt. Fuji is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool......  We are no fools!

Konnichiwa Lake Ashi!

Well, here we are in the land of the rising sun for our mid year sojourn. (have graduated to bi-yearly OS jaunts) . After landing in Tokyo , we bit the bullet and zoomed to Hakone. Our Ryokan "The Musashiya" is a lovely, traditional building set on the banks of Lake Ashi in Moto-Hakone. Upon arrival our lovely Nakai showed us to our lake view room, explained the why & wherefore whilst making us some traditional green tea.  

We spent the afternoon exploring our little lake port. Hakone is a mountainous district within view of the majestic Mount Fuji. (On a clear day) . Gorgeous lush forests surround the lake and we found ourselves just meandering before making our way back to brave the Onsen.

We donned our kimonos and little red, Dorothy shoes with trepidation then headed up to the fifth floor. The Japanese culture is very rigid, so we felt a little intimidated about entering the bath without making too many faux pas. Brad true to form; stripped off and was washing in the hand basin in the changing room. Men never read instructions first . (Watch out for Onsen rules, travel tip).  The idea is to strip and then go into bath area, where there is a line of hand showers; soap up, rinse off and then bob's your uncle.

Our communal, segregated baths are luxurous. There is huge baths overlooking Ashi and the Tori gate. The smaller outdoor baths were preferred choice. (same views) . Gosh, it is so invigorating! We are addicted. Your skin feels so clean and your body feels to refreshed.

The rooms are traditional tatami bedding that is set up each evening by our Nakai. Wondering if it is an age thing or are these futons just bloody uncomfortable?  Don't get us started on the rock hard pillows! Maybe that is why it is a good idea to start each day with an onsen.

Went on the lake cruise and up the cable car  yesterday, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the mountain. No luck, low lying cloud made visibility impossible. Dawn at 0430 hours; however, holds promise. A patch of blue! Heading off to enjoy in early morn with a soak in a hot bath.

Sayonara!

In the world Kitchen!

The travel bug has hit again! Happy Birthday Jetstar! We managed to snap up some great return flights to Tokyo for the July school holidays. Spontaneous? Hell, Yeah! As it is not our first visit to the land of the Rising Sun, we have decided to just take it easy and relax at a Ryokan in Hakone, where we can soak in an onsen and enjoy the view of the magnificent Mt Fuji. "He who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool" (fools, we be not).
Then a few days back in Tokyo will put an end to little mid year sojourn.

One of our favorite parts of travel is "FOOD" and Asian food is especially delicious! Great incentive to exercise and diet hard before we depart so we can partake in our favourites;
Yakitori: skewered grilled chicken pieces seasoned with salt or sauce, Tempura: seafood and vegetables coated in batter and deep fried, okonomiyaki: Japanese pancakes made with your choice of vegetables, meat and seafood mixed into batter and grilled on a hot plate, teppanyaki, Japanese curries, sushi and the list goes on.  Lest we forget the essential asahi, kirin, sapporo and suntory. Kanpai!!


This is a fast and simple recipe for the delicious Japanese korokke – a croquette made of meat and vegetables. They’re great for lunch boxes, as part of bigger dishes such as Japanese curry, and are great for kids.

Japanese korokke

Ingredients

3-4 potatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 carrot
200g pork mince
1tsp fish stock
2tsp sugar
1tbs sake
1tbs mirin
4tbs soya sauce
salt
2 eggs
panko
flour

Method

Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until soft, then throw away the water and mash them up with a fork. Dice the onion and carrot, then brown the mince and add the diced carrot and onion.

Add 2tbs sugar, 1tsp fish stock, 1 tbs sake, 1 tbs mirin and 4tbs soya sauce and simmer for 5 mins.

Add the mince to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Then roll into oblong shapes, and roll in the flour, then the egg and finally the panko. Then prepare a pan with 2cm deep of vegetable oil at medium/high temperature and shallow fry the croquettes until the outside is golden. Serve with a little salad for garnish and tonkatsu sauce or ketchup.

Sunsets!