Hakone - Day 3

This morning we said goodbye for a while to the busy Tokyo and set off on our journey through Japan. Our first stop was in the town of Hakone. We traveled by train and then took a bus for about 2 hours. Hakone is a small town known mainly as a spa destination and, to a large extent, as the gateway to the sacred Mount Fuji. I have read and heard a lot about Fuji. It is the highest mountain in Japan, rising over 3000 meters – a volcano that is currently covered in snow during winter. Seeing Fuji is a dream of every traveler. However, what I didn't know is that paradoxically in winter, visibility and the probability of seeing it are the highest! So we decided to give it a try.

In Hakone, we dropped our backpacks at the hotel and headed straight to Lake Ashi. We took the local bus, where we were the only Europeans. We reached the town of Motohakone right on the lake's shore. From there, we had a wonderful view of Mount Fuji along with the iconic red Japanese gate that added to the scenery.

We discovered that it’s possible to take a boat ride on the lake. And since it's the off-season, there were plenty of options. We ventured onto the lake and admired the mountain from the water's surface. Then we returned to Hakone and went out for dinner. Local restaurants are very small, often with seating on the floor or on tiny stools, so we headed to one of them. The town has the typical character of mountain resort towns – people stay here for one night and continue on their journey in the morning.

For the first time, we tried Tonkatsu – it sounds very Japanese, but it is actually a pork cutlet! It is served with rice and, in this version, accompanied by a curry side dish. What touched me the most was the hospitality in that restaurant. The waitress communicated with us in broken English, translating what each dish contained, and then she was overjoyed when we said that it was really delicious. Now we are off to bed, I feel my face weather-beaten from the lake, a pleasant fatigue, and looking forward to another day.