Hakone

Hakone, a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, is famous for its onsen (i.e. hot spring) resorts. As much as I wanted to try out the onsen, I really couldn't imagine being stark naked in front of a bunch of strangers. ;)

En route from Mount Fuji to Hakone

Its well-known sights include cherry blossoms (sakura) in Spring and Miscanthus sinesis (susuki) in Autumn. It was love at first sight for me when I saw the susukis. It looked like a scene from a Korean romance drama series...so romantic and magical..

We finally reached the cable car station.

The ride was rather slow and dull, but the scenery that surrounded us left us in awe of mother nature.

We then left to take a cruise along Lake Ashi, otherwise known as Hakone Lake.

The serene surroundings envelopes you with an air of tranquility while the vast expanse of lush greenery soothes your senses and calms the soul.

It felt surreal having the sea breeze caress my face and ruffle my hair while my eyes feasted on a breathtaking view of the verdant landscape. I wished that time would stand still so that I would never have to leave!

Alas, time waits for no man and it wasn't long before the sun set signalled that it was time for us to leave.

We stumbled upon Yakitori Doori (Yakitori Street) at Shinjuku on our way back and ended the day with a lovely dinner at a hole-in-the-wall yakitori restaurant.

What better way to end the day than with a mug of ice-cold beer in one hand and sticks of grilled meat in another!