Hakone

I think most tour groups go to Hakone…it’s a hot spring town close to the water but situated in the mountains next to a river. Naoko, Naohiro, Kai, and I stayed at a largish hotel in a traditional tatami room. When you first arrive, you are welcomed into a large tatami room that is a platform and is surrounded by soshi screens. Around the perimeter, where you see the little table and two chairs in the photo is at a lower elevation,  a step down. When you go out at night, they come in and lay out the futons. There were four of us but we paid for three futons… One kid… And the futons were laid out in a row so we all slept essentially in the same bed. Interesting.

Table and chairs on the tatami portion of the room.

Table and chair on outskirts of platform for gazing outside.

Our bed…after a night’s sleep.

We stopped at a 7-11 in the town and I saw more westerners than in all my previous trips to Japan! This is a tourist center for sure. 

The baths were lovely because the hotel was nearly empty. The hotel provides a yukata (cotton kimono), howrie (jacket), and socks for going to the hot springs. When going to the baths, you put your clothes in a locker, and must then scrub yourself to death to make certain you don’t impart any nasty bits into the communal waters. Next you hit the waters. This hotel had an outdoor area among the trees,mand an indoor area. Very nice.