The
first on our things to do in Hakone was the gondola (or gondola lift or what
you simply call a cable car, bit bigger in size with a capacity of 16 persons) which
would give us a view of the mountains, lake and Mt. Fuji. But the drive was
long and though it might have been a bit boring such thoughts of boredom were
quickly set aside for along the way we got a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji on
the side we were seated in the bus and I again found myself taking shots on the
move. Unexpectedly the images were beautiful even in that situation; I display one
of them below.
 |
Mt.
Fuji. A view from bus on the way to Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014
|
About
half an hour later, we were informed that due to the bad weather, the gondola
we decided to go was closed, as such was the circumstance the guide instead
brought us to another gondola at Togendai station of Hakone rope way.
 |
At Togendai station of Hakone ropeway, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014
|
After 15
min of ropeway travel, we arrived at Owakudani station (via Ubako station). As
luck would have it, the gondola chosen wasn't that good; it hardly showed us
anything though Lake Ashinoko and Mt. Fuji were visible. It was hard to take shots
as the gondola obstructed me.
 |
A beautiful view of the Lake Ashinoko from gondola, Hakone.
Tokyo,
Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
At Owakudani station, first we visited the nearby
souvenir shop where I was really fascinated with the small wooden hand-crafted
magic boxes.
Then
we took a few shots of the Owakudani volcanic valley of Mt. Hakone. Fumes with
sulfur smell were still coming out, indicating that the volcanic zone is
active.
 |
A view of the Owakudani volcanic valley of Mt. Hakone,
Hakone. Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
Okay,
let's stop with the cable car because it wasn't the intended one for the tour
and it was boring; so let’s go to my favorite part of the whole tour. A
cruise..!
I
think I started dreaming right after I stepped out of the little building, Hakone
Kojiri Terminal, at the small harbor of the Lake Ashinoko. The sky has always
interested me; nature has always… when their beauty combines, I am amazed. Then
again what kind of an artist be itself proclaimed, be if I hadn't been
interested in the beauty that was before me. Here is a picture, it’s a bit dark
as it was taken from my iPhone, but the sky was the same.
 |
Hakone Kojiri Terminal of the Lake Ashinoko, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
Already
excited getting on the boat only made me bounce more and regardless of the cold
I took as many pictures as I could till the very end. My poor hands, but what
mattered the most was, I was very happy; I can conclusively say that this was one
of my happiest moments in Japan.
 |
Cruise on Lake Ashinoko, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014
|
However
that was the last stop. So we started heading back to Tokyo. Shot several pictures
as I was heading back, since by then the sun was already setting, but offered
the best views for me.
 |
Cruising on Lake Ashinoko, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014
|
Again
dark most likely this was taken from the bus but it doesn’t the sun and the sky
are the highlights here.
 |
Cruising on Lake Ashinoko, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014
|
 |
A beautiful view of the Lake Ashinoko from cruise, Hakone.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
 |
A beautiful view from the bus, on the way back to Tokyo.
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
Similar
to the morning we reached the innards of Tokyo, where we had requested the
guide to drop us at a shopping centre. As requested the guide left us at Shinjuku,
the largest shopping district in Tokyo as we later learned. But we weren’t
there for long; we left a while after we had bought my father a sweater so that
he would not get frozen in Sapporo where we were heading the day following the
next.
 |
| At Shinjuku shopping mall, Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014. |
By the time we had reached the Sheraton Grande Tokyo
Bay hotel all the way within Maihama
I was drooping which had become recurrent in Japan.
 |
In train, on the way back to Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay hotel,
Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014.
|
 |
| Dinner. Tokyo, Japan. Apr. 28, 2014. |
But the day had been
wonderful so I did not complain or grumble about my tired state, that night I
lay to sleep thinking about how I would love it to visit Mt Fuji again..!
No comments:
Post a Comment