Last October my family visited, and before setting of on a few days' tour of Izu we took a quick helicopter ride above Hakone for an aerial perspective. The ride was a few minutes long, and I wish I had recorded the whole trip. Here are the few seconds I caught with my iPhone, including Mt. Fuji, the Hakone range and crater, and the valley in between:
Last weekend my company had a 'retreat' of sorts, and the venue was the famous Fujiya Hotel in Hakone. This was the first western-style hotel in Japan, and while its 140-year history is long, Hakone is home to traditional inns, some having operated for more than 500 years! This hotel offers an experience unlike any other, though, with its blend of architectural styles and amenities. It consists of a large complex of 5 main buildings, all interconnected by paths and breezeways, and all constructed between 1890 and 1960. Here is my pic of the Flower Palace (花御殿) built in 1936:
Besides that building and others in the complex being National Cultural Heritage Assets, the hotel houses the register for the 'Moustache Club':
Overnighting here is normally out of reach for common people, and for real luxury there are many other more affordable nearby options, so I'm grateful to have had the chance to stay!
This weekend I again went to Hakone, this time with the intention of circling the entire crater by motorcycle. I set out yesterday hoping the recent sun and warm days would have cleared the route of ice and snow. The pass I needed to take became slick with ice and snow above 930m elevation, so I changed my plan and circled the lake by roads that were clean and dry! Here is a section of the Odawara Skyline warning of monkeys:
And my route (thanks to Runkeeper app on my phone)! I went counter-clockwise, and elevation ranges from 130m to 930m, and speed 0 to 100Km/H:
1 comment:
Great photos - the hotel looks ethereal in that light. The route looks very enticing, too, and makes me wish I could ride it. Thanks for posting the map!
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