Hakone

We travelled by bullet train, then trains and bus to this resort area. We had a picnic lunch on the lake with a view of Mt. Fuji and a tori gate in the lake.

We were very lucky. Mt Fuji, a sacred mountain and the highest in Japan, is notoriously shy, more often than not hidden by clouds. We crossed the lake on a pirate boat

then took a cable car to the top of a mountain where there are sulfur springs.Fuji is an active volcano, and the area is famed for its hot springs, and bathing areas known as onsen.

In the resort town, we had huge rooms, and kimonos supplied. After a gourmet (kaiseki) meal we could go to the community onsen (men and women are separate), part outdoor.

This is a brochure photo, I thought it would be frowned upon to take my camera to place where bathing suits aren’t allowed. But I’ll never forget Alisha wearing a bathing cap only, with her camera taking pictures of the onsen.

I went for a bath again the next morning before leaving for Tokyo.