Hakone Ropeway

Photos from our Hakone Ropeway ride and a few at Owakudani in Hakone, Japan.   It was a very gloomy day -- we didn't a lot of landscape photos this day.  

All photos in this post taken with: Sony NEX 5-R

 View of Lake Ashinoko From The Hakone Ropeway

Black Eggs

We read about these black eggs for months before our trip, but our trip up to Owakudani was too soon after our huge breakfast at Ashinoko Ichinoyu we didn't have black eggs at Owakudani!  They are supposed to add 7 years to your life -- we tried to find a vendor who would sell us one black egg but no luck -- they only sell them in packs of 5.  

 Tons of Tourists

Watching Others Enjoy Their Black Eggs

Black Egg Delivery

There is an egg house up on the hill where they boil the regular chicken eggs that start off white in the sulfuric waters.  Once they are done, they come out black like these.  One of the workers sent this batch down to the souvenir stores just below where we were standing.

Checking The Eggs

One of the workers checking on the boiling eggs.  There's a sign that says the water can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  A bunch of us waited here with our cameras hoping this guy would remove a batch of eggs -- no luck, he was only checking them.  

Moto-hakone Lunch

Photos of our lunch and dessert in Moto-hakone.  Had a senior moment and forgot to take photos of the restaurant signs!  The lunch place we went to was right on the water on the eastern side of Moto-hakone Station -- they didn't have an English menu -- the restaurant owner had us go to the front of the restaurants and point at photos to choose our dishes.  Talk about pressure, she stood there while we looked at all the photos!

All photos taken in: Moto-hakone, Japan

All photos in this post taken with: Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

 Katsu Don

This was a huge bowl -- good thing we shared it, but we also had...

Zaru Soba

Japanese Ice Cream

From left to right -- kinako, green tea and soba.  All very delicious.  This restaurant (didn't get the name) is across the street from the Moto-hakone Station -- slightly to your left.  It is on the second floor of a building on the corner.  

Moto-hakone

Photos of our walk around Moto-hakone, Japan, a town along the shores of Lake Ashinoko.   It was a cloudy day, so no views of Mt. Fuji for us.  

 Wisteria

Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

 All In A Row

Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

 Moto-hakone

Sony NEX 5-R

More Wisteria

Sony NEX 5-R

A Long Way Down

In a garden in Hakone across the Aincent Cedar Avenue.

Sony NEX 5-R

Ashinoko Ichinoyu Breakfast

Photos of our breakfast at Ashinoko Ichinoyu.  Very tasty and very filling.  All photos taken in Hakone, Japan.

All photos in this post taken with: Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

 Part Of Our Breakfast

 Tsukemono, Konnyaku and Other Stuff

 Grilled Saba

 Miso Soup

Onsen Tamago

Ashinoko Ichinoyu Dinner

Photos of our dinner at our hotel, Ashinoko Ichinoyu.   Photos of our room are posted here.   All photos taken in: Hakone, Japan.
All photos in this post taken with: Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

Ashinoko Ichinoyu Shabu Shabu

A pork shabu shabu dinner came with our room (the Standard Plan).  They have upgraded meals you can opt for, but we love shabu shabu.  They use a special Hakone pork.  It was delicious!

 Ashinoko Ichinoyu Shabu Shabu

Tried the Ume (Plum) soda from Odawara.  It was very good.  David said it was better than his beer.

Ashinoko Ichinoyu Tofu

 Pupus (Appetizers)

More Pupus

Shonan Beer

Ashinoko Ichinoyu in Hakone

Photos of our accommodations in Hakone.   Our Ashinoko Ichinoyu food photos will be posted in a separate post.  All photos taken in: Hakone, Japan.
All photos in this post were taken with: Sony SLT A35, Sony DT 50 mm f/1.8 Mid-Range Prime Lens

Lamp

Ashinoko Ichinoyu is considered a budget hotel in the Hakone area, but we would definitely recommend it.  It's low-key, quiet and a good deal.  There are some "cons" but in our opinion the "pros" outweigh the "cons".  

For $120 per night we got a room for two (a lot of the onsen hotels charge per person and it was hard to find one with a private onsen for less than $300), a shabu shabu dinner for two, Japanese breakfast for two and 40 minutes in the private outdoor onsen.  What a deal!  The meals were very filling too.  

The cons - the walls are thin -- we could hear other people talking in their rooms.  Whenever the ladies two doors down for us opened their door, it sounded like a loud thump.  The bathroom was old and worn, but it was clean.

The pros - (see above for what you get for $120), once everyone goes to sleep, the place is pretty quiet because it's set back from the main road.  Some Tripadvisor reviewers thought it was inconvenient because there's not much around it and takes long to get to -- but we found a shortcut which made it less than 10 minutes (walking) from Togendai Station.  We planned ahead and brought in snacks with us knowing there weren't any convenience stores nearby.  There were a couple restaurants down the road, probably a 10-15 minute walk near the lake, but they close early.  The service was great, the employees spoke enough English to give us directions to a bird watching area.

Note: all guests will find yukata in their rooms (longer sizes available - no additional charge).  You are allowed to wear your yukata in the hotel, to the restaurant and onsen if you wish.  Meals were not served in our rooms, but they do have assigned seating in the restaurant. 

 Standard Japanese Room

This was our room -- the standard Japanese Room.  It was like a half Japanese and half Western room.   There were Western style beds and a bathroom with a shower.

Standard Japanese Room

We had a Japanese style sitting area.  The hotel leaves a manju for each guest on the table upon check in.

 Onsen Bathing Area

Bathing area in the public onsen.  The hotel had a public onsen (indoors, one for men and one for women) and two small private outdoor onsen.  Each room is allowed to reserve a 40 minute slot for the private onsen -- reservations accepted when you're checking in.  We took a couple photos of the private onsen which has its own bathing area, but they didn't come out -- too dark.

 Bathing Stool and Bucket

If you're never been to an onsen or not familiar with Japanese style bathing -- you sit on the small stool and use the bucket to rinse yourself.  This onsen had shower heads but I've been so some where there's just the stool, bucket and a faucet.

Room 211

We were happy with our room.  It's on the top floor of the hotel.  It faced the backside of another hotel -- at night lights from the other hotel were a little bothersome, but there wasn't a lot of road noise.