良いお年を

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I spent the long weekend in Hakone, at a rather fancy hotel, Hatsuhana. The weather actually cooperated, so we got to see Ashinoko (although Fuji was being coy as usual), the Little Prince Museum and I watched Matcha-kun transform into a samurai. It also unfortunately came with some angst (on my part, surprise) which now I shall have to work through...

This period can be really hard for expats in Japan, with Christmas being a blingy couple-centered affair, and New Years being when all your Japanese friends go back to their hometowns. We have to find our own traditions, and enjoy the free time to the fullest. I for one have cleared out Tsutaya's shelves of Ghibli and SF movies, pencilled in several runs and decided on an unconventional New Years with a friend. Maybe even hit up the sales at the running store.

One of the awesome parts of New Years is that suddenly Tokyo empties out, and the trains are full of available seats. On my way to another Hash (which I couldn't go to before because of sheer busyness) it seemed as if currently Tokyo has the number of people it should have, rather than the excess it usually has. And thank the kami for other crazy runners, because there is simply too much cake in my diet these days, and I need to make up for it somehow.

I wish everyone a wonderful 2013, and hope that the Year of the Snake will be peaceful and happy.

Weekend Away: Hakone

After a month filled with planning and attending work events, constant interviews and general rushing about like a headless fowl, I took Friday off, jumped on the Odakyu Romancecar, and escaped to Hakone (Matcha-kun in tow).

I am a bit of a tetsuko at heart, and there really is nothing like sitting back in a fancy train, watching as the towering buildings of Shinjuku are slowly replaced by smaller houses and stations, which eventually turn to tanbo and winter forests.

Hakone is broken up into several areas, and one of my senpai recommended staying around Gora, which was perfect. The ryokan, Kiritani Hakoneso, was pretty basic, but then again neither of us can afford really high-market accomodation. The onsen (both regular and kashikiri) were great, with wonderfully milky white water. I actually would recommend it for those who want to visit Hakone with relatives, as they have tatami rooms with Western beds, and are quite accomodating to vegetarians!

       

The following day dawned rainy, but turned to mist after the ginourmous wa-style breakfast. Using the awesome Hakone Free Pass (which I highly recommend buying if you are in the area for more than a day), we went up the mountain to the prehistoric looking 'hells' of Owakudani, to check out the sulfuric springs and eat the famous black eggs (each one you eat adds 7 years to your life, apparently... in which case Matcha-kun managed to add 24 years to his lifespan!)

 

      

As we approached the Hakone Open Air Museum, the sun briefly burst through the clouds, and the mist disappeared like magic. Turn around for a minute, and the mist was back, as if nothing had happened. I actually thought this added to the atmosphere, as the statues slowly came into focus as you approached. I would love to visit it again in a different season, and think this is a must see. Nearby there is a little sushi palace, famous for its delicious inari zushi, yum!

        

After taking the adorably retro Tozan train to Miyanoshita, another onsen break was in order (yes, I love boiling myself in hot springs faaar too much), followed by a stroll down Sepia Road to look at all the antiques and beautiful yosegi zaiku, a form of traditional wood working that has a surprisingly Middle Eastern look to it. And then, the awesome bit of Meiji/Showa-ness that is the famous Fujiya Hotel.

   

While the exterior is purely Japanese, inspired by Kinkakuji in Kyoto, the inside is an amazingly preserved bit of nostalgia. European wood panels, huge squashy armchairs and chandeliers... all altered with delicate carvings and details to give it a Japanese twist. In the tea room overlooking the garden I splurged on the tasty strawberry-infused creation above, filled with matcha cream and decorated by yosegi zaiku inspired chocolate.

Two wonderful days of relaxing and eating everything in sight... returning to the real world is tough.