Discovering Hakone.

Matt left a couple of days ago for another deployment, but before he left he took a little time off of work for a staycation.  I feel like we are always trying to take advantage of traveling to other places and forget that all we need to do is hop on the train for amazing day trips that are all around us. 

So our first staycation trip was to Hakone.  Hakone is a vacation destination for Japanese families.  It is filled with onsens (hot spring baths), the cutest little restaurants, and beautiful sweeping views of the mountains and Mount Fuji.  

We started the day with a trip to a local onsen.  I have wanted to try an onsen since we arrived in Japan.  It was awesome, but so unbelievably hot that I could only stay in for a few minutes at a time before hopping out.  We had an hour reservation and I would say I spent about half the time in the hot water and the other half pouring cold water on myself.  Apparently, I am not made for hot springs.  I am made for eating, though, so we headed to lunch next.  After lunch in town, we decided to go up to Owakudani.  My guide book described Owakudani as “a volcanic cauldron of steam, bubbling mud and mysterious smells.”  Who wouldn’t want to see all that?!  But the real reason that we went up there is because there is a local belief that if you eat one of the eggs that has been blackened by the sulphurous waters then you will live an extra seven years.  

Here is our trip to Hakone.  On a side note, the book was right about the mysterious smells.  It did not smell good at all, but seven years is seven years (plus, Matt ate three eggs and I ate two, so...worth it).

Don't let this picture deceive you - it was scalding hot!

Can't you just picture those trees in the fall?!

Transporting the eggs.

All I could think of was Sanka in Cool Runnings.

This is the look of a guy who just added 21 years to his life.