Day 5
We Travelled to Hakone not sure what to expect. Given that Typhoon number 19 (which made worldwide news due to its clash with the Rugby World Cup) was the strongest one of the year, and declared as a 1 in 60 year weather event. When we arrived at the station we were informed that most of the park was closed due to landslides, road obstructions and sections of the train tracks being washed away. We also learned that Hakone had experienced 1 metre of rainfall in 24 hours (twice the amount that London gets in a year!). We were able to make it to the town where our hostel was located but that all ongoing public transport into the park was closed. It appears the rail line will be out of service for the next few months whilst major rail repairs are done on the line!
We expected the train journey to last longer than it did, however, after 20 minutes of picturesque train riding (and that is natural views, not amazing line side train equipment) we pulled into what felt like a peaceful getaway from the madness of Tokyo (even if the rain had followed us). We arrived having Google Map and our coats on ready, but we were not ready for the hills! After a fair climb we reached our quiet little hostel and were greeted by lovely staff who checked us in and issued us a free drink voucher.
The reception then informed us they had discount tickets available to the nearby Onsen (Natural thermal baths). It took all of a heartbeat for us to decide our evening plans based on the wet journey up; Naked hot bath!! (Note: Onsens are gender separated, this isn’t turning into some midnight blue blog). The onsen was not the major tourist one in the area but a local smaller one. It was perfect to relax at and was the first moment things didn’t feel overly touristy, shouty, loud or brightly lit.
Post onsen we went looking for food and discovered that Hakone really is a quaint and quiet place. Most shops and restaurants close at 8pm. We did stumble across a grilled fish place and thought we would try our luck, we weren’t disappointed!
After dinner we decided to hit the hay (or the floor bed) to get some rest before our next day.