Hakone National Park
We had a really lovely day today in Hakone National Park. The first thing we did was take a boat ride on Lake Ashi, a crater lake near Mt. Fuji. We were blessed with a gorgeous day - very hot, but low humidity and very blue sky and we were actually able to see the summit of Mt. Fuji! The boat ride was truly magical, the more so because we very nearly had the entire enormous boat to ourselves. The Japanese government has issued a warning about increased volcanic activity in this region recently and apparently that has caused a precipitous drop in tourism to this area. So instead of swarms of tourists it was really quite peaceful. We rode the boat on the lake and I was thrilled to see Mt. Fuji rising behind the mountains that ring the lake and then to see the Tori Gate in the water in front of the Hakone shrine. That's an iconic gate and we had a great day to take photos! After our boat ride we went to an art museum which had lovely Japanese paintings and a beautiful garden overlooking the lake. From there we took a walk through a grove of 400 year old cedar trees that are part of what was the route that daimyos (government officials who served the Shoguns during that era of Japanese history (17th to 19th century)) and their entourages would take on their 300 mile walk from Kyoto to Tokyo every two years. The cedar trees are majestic and enormous and the path is lined with hydrangea bushes that were still in bloom. It was a beautiful walk and pleasantly cool as the trees provide a wonderful shade cover even on a brutally hot, sunny day like we had. From there we went to the Hakone Hotel which is right on Lake Ashi for an amazing lunch buffet. Truly, it was outstanding. And to say we all stuffed ourselves to the gills is putting it mildly! We all waddled out of there when we were done. There was an incredible variety of foods - all kinds of sushi, salads, roast beef with wasabi sauce, curried chicken, chicken teriyaki, many different kinds of fish dishes, 20 different desserts, fruit... and on and on.
After lunch we went to a woodworking shop where the artisans create wonderful products from wood, a craft known as Hakone Yesegi craft. We got a demonstration from the owner of the shop re how they make their various items and then, of course, were turned loose to spend money in the shop.
After that we went to an Open Air Art museum, which is exactly what it says it is, an art museum where most of the art is outdoors. They have sculptures from many famous artists, both Japanese and others and it is truly one of the most creative and engaging art museums I've ever seen. The sculptures are all integrated into the elaborate grounds and gardens and it is truly striking. They have a few indoor exhibits too, (which helped mitigate the extreme heat) including an entire gallery devoted to Picasso, and a couple of truly unique hands on exhibits for children that were just stunning. The most amazing exhibit was one called Sound Scenes Hakone by Akinori Matsumoto. It took up three floors in the Main Exhibit hall and it was all about sound, using bamboo structures (pipes, drums, intricate bamboo hanging toys) all of which are powered by wind and create amazing sounds. The part of the exhibit called Sound Theater was absolutely spell binding as you sit in a room with hundreds of these intricate bamboo creations hanging from the ceiling and in the ground and he uses light and wind to create incredible visual effects while the bamboo instruments are creating eerie and haunting musical sounds. It was truly an "otherworldly" experience. This particular exhibit is temporary, running only through the end of this month and I'm really glad I was able to see it. Magical, truly magical. I hated to leave it.
After that we returned to the hotel and I indulged in another bath in the hot springs followed by a foot massage on a machine they have down there for that purpose. I could have used that on Saturday when my feet were so sore from walking all over Tokyo! And we finished the day with another full traditional Japanese meal! Many small courses, sushi, then chicken, then steamed fish and tofu, then white rice with red beans and miso soup and ice cream with honey for dessert. All very elegantly presented in a variety of interesting dishes and other containers! I did not eat much as I have not fully recovered from the buffet lunch!
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