Hakone

Today the weather was amazing! A day of incredible luck! I saw clouds over Mount Fuji! This time, I joined a day trip to Enoshima, Hakone, and Owakudani. We boarded the tour bus at 8 am and arrived at our first stop, Enoshima, around 10:30 am. The tour guide was fantastic—clear explanations and very considerate of the group, leading us all the way to the Iwaya (Iwakaya). The local specialty is the pufferfish. We didn't have much time there, so we just bought some seafood pancakes for lunch. Mount Fuji's white peak was clearly visible along the way. We visited the Sea Stone Cave and Sangen Shrine, and even saw the Shonan Bosozoku (a type of Japanese walking stick). At 12:25 pm, we headed to our second stop, Hakone, and boarded the pirate ship. Tickets were available in first class (allowing access to the bow) and economy class. The ship was quite impressive! The one-way trip took about 25 minutes. Then we took the cable car to Owakudani. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur. At the summit, we bought some black eggs to try (black-painted hard-boiled eggs). It was quite windy—it got chilly, feeling about 3 degrees Celsius. The entire trip began with the return journey at 16:00, arriving at Tokyo Station around 18:00.

It snowed heavily in Tokyo these past two days, and many itineraries were either blocked or completely covered by snow. There were also traffic jams and many cars skidding on the roads. Luckily, we met Zhang Ting, whose driving skills are excellent. He persevered for a long time (what should have been a 3-hour drive turned into 8 hours), remaining completely focused and helping us arrive safely at the attractions and return safely to the hotel. We are truly grateful to him for his continuous assistance throughout the journey, ensuring a rich experience despite the bad weather. Only the second day in Izu was sunny, and then it started snowing again in the afternoon… You can imagine how much more fun we would have had if the weather had been better. Regarding food, since I'm vegetarian, he patiently helped me communicate with the restaurant staff. In short, although the weather was bad, our tour guide was fantastic! 😊

Easy to install, fast internet speed, and incredibly reasonable price. Highly recommended!

The professional Sakuragi-sensei provided introductions in three languages, explaining each attraction in a relaxed and humorous way, which not only helped viewers better understand each site but also made the experience comfortable and enjoyable. The itinerary was smoothly arranged, and the staff were very attentive to everyone's needs and easy to get along with! We were lucky to have good weather, which allowed us to see the entire Mt. Fuji, and the scenery from the boat and cable car was also absolutely stunning! It was a wonderful trip that filled us with happiness and is highly recommended!