Leaving the overcast and very windy coast (the tail end of a cyclone), we boarded another express train to Nagoya, then boarded the “bullet train”. These trains have run since 1964 and reach speeds of close-on 300kph – but so smooth and steady that it didn’t seem ¼ as fast. Running every 10 minutes, they have a passenger load of 300 000 per day (Japan is extremely populous!). With 16 coaches and 4 motors per coach, each train is approx 43m long - - - - “bullets” from opposite directions take 4 seconds to pass each other!!
We passed over many streams and rivers, some with up to 5 bridges at once – 4 of them being for rail traffic! Also passed eel hatcheries (like fish hatcheries), and hills of waist-high rows of green tea bushes. And the ubiquitous rice paddies. After a delicious packed lunch, we arrived at the seaside resort of Atami. Boarded a bus for an hour’s misty, twisty journey up a mountainside, meeting many other tourist buses on the way (Japan’s tourist population runs into double-figured millions – and 70% of these are Japanese!)
We finally reached the Hakone National Park and were shown to our rooms in the Kowakien Hotel. On the way, we stopped to admire two wonderfully carved ivory works of art – an arrangement of flowers, and a caravel, each one about 500cm in height. Really beautiful.
The following day we left at 8 a.m. for a circular tour of the area. It was overcast, with a strong, cold wind blowing. At Hakone we boarded a catamaran and sailed across the lake to Kojiro, passing a red “pirate ship” (‘specially built for children). On one mountain slope was a UNESCO village and on another, a Japanese castle. It was very misty and we were very disappointed not to be able to see Mt Fujiyama, as we were right there!
We were driven to a volcanic cone, with yellow sulphur on the left and sulphur vents steaming on the right. We walked up to them, passing bubbling pools of sulphur (which looked like boiling hot soapy water) and were given eggs to eat that had been boiled in the springs. The shells were black – but they tasted just fine.
From there we were taken by bus, funicular (cf. Hong Kong) and single-coach train to the Hakone Open-Air Art Museum. This was a large tract of land with the focus on 19th and 20th Century Japanese and Western sculptures, including works by Henry Moore and El Greco. At 12.30 we returned to the hotel for sulphur baths and exploration of the gardens – paths, steps, waterfalls, cool trees, azalea bushes. Japan must be very beautiful in spring – azaleas everywhere, and cherry trees.
Up at 7.30 a.m. and travelled down past fir clad slopes and rushing streams, out of the mountain area. We reached the Pacific coast and travelled along past many small fishing boats, beaches and resorts with black sand, due to the high incidence of volcanic ash.
Then past plantations of waist-high pines, planted as ground cover to prevent sand blowing, especially during typhoons.
By now the towns had all joined up and there was quite a bit of industrial murk. The following stop was at Kamakura, where we walked along a long street with a Lovers’ Lane walkway in the middle. This was a wide path flanked on either side by azaleas, cherry trees and lamps – roll on springtime! We arrived at the famed bronze buddha, green with verdigris. Though it looks quite small, that conclusion is deceptive (like St. Peter’s in Rome). The statue is actually 15m tall! Its ears alone are 2m high.
We arrived at Yokohama at noon and had lunch overlooking the bay and harbour, then travelled through – or rather, over - many industrial areas till we arrived at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, situated beside the Tower for TV, which is 30m higher than the Eiffel Tower. That evening we went via subway to the Hibiya district, where we had supper then attended a topless show. The dancing was slick and polished – and would have been just as good with clothes on.
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