Hajimemashite FujiSan

 Another early start to the day (the Japanese work ethic must really be rubbing off on us) saw us heading to Hakone, the Mt. Fuji—or Fujisan region of the country. 

Imagine getting people excited about drain covers. 
Yup, with each new region, I'm actually looking forward
to discovering what the drain covers in the region 
would look like. 

Hakone is known for its scenic beauty, so we decided to hop on the Hakone Tozan train for the ride. This involved a bus journey, a ferry, a couple of cable cars to the top and a funicular back to the bottom, followed by a train ride back to the station. 

The freezing ferry ride across Lake Ashi to the first cable car.
We were supposed to have our first glimpse of FujiSan from the ferry,
but I didn't even bother peeking. Too cold. 

First stop, Ubako station.
Child 2 decided to flop down and
read for a bit. I understood completely.
I just wish I had the good sense 
to carry a book, too. 

Sulfur fumes are visible on the mountainside 

from Ubako.

Our first glimpse of Fujsan from the cable car

Clear views from Owakudani

The very beautiful Fujisan. It was a lovely day too, blue skies
and sunny. 

All thoroughly enjoyable, beautiful and very, very touristy. However, this time, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The region has some of the most volatile mountains on the planet and they've found a way to make it interesting and approachable, and that is really commendable. Coming from a country that's indescribably beautiful, but frustratingly inaccessible in spots, you tend to appreciate all the more. 

There were enough and more folks waiting in queue to try the famous Owakudani black eggs (which were just regular boiled eggs, but the shell turns black because the water contains sulphur and iron). A bit pricey and too much effort for something that (to me) adds nothing to the taste. 

Each of the stops had a different stamp

The mountain at the back of each is Fuji san

The relative position of the ropeway to Fuji
in height.

This was the cogwheel 

We did, however, find a lack of places we could explore on our own and finished the day relatively early, prepping ourselves for the last leg of the journey, commencing the following day. 

A final farewell from the Hakone train to Mt Fuji