This past weekend we went to Hakone, a city near the base of Mt. Fuji. It's only 100 km from Tokyo, so it makes for an easy getaway. However, with horrible Tokyo traffic, it could take 4 hours in the car to make this journey. Fortunately, we timed our journey to avoid most traffic.
We stayed at a great hotel with an onsen. What is an onsen? I went to the onsen once, and I really felt rejuvenated. I convinced Christian to go as well, although his previous experience with an onsen caused him to say, "I just can't relax in a room full of naked men." He ended up going and felt rejuvenated as well.
Going to an onsen is not for those with body image issues, but Japanese people do this all the time. One strange rule about onsens is that tattoos are not allowed. Sorry, Angelina Jolie.
The first day we were in Hakone we took a cable car up over a mountain and viewed steam coming from a crevice. Apparently, it is custom to cook eggs in this steam, and then the eggs turn black. If you eat the black eggs, it's supposed to be good luck. I couldn't find any of these eggs.
The next day we went to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. That was totally great for everyone. There were plenty of exhibits that allowed kids to climb up, etc. Joseph had a good time. There was even a Picasso building!
One of the areas of the museum had a foot bath. Joseph and I had a good time. There were pieces of fruit floating in the water. :)
