There were many things that happened this (fiscal) year, but somehow I survived. So, I thought I needed to go to a hot spring to rest our bones, and spent a short vacation in Hakone. I had planned to enjoy the early spring mountain scenery while viewing late-blooming Japanese apricots or winter cherry blossoms, however…
It’s so cold!
For some reason or another, the Kanto region was hit by a severe cold wave during my stay, and I ended up spending time in Hakone in freezing temperatures.
The view from the window of my inn was not just early spring, but the coldness of midwinter.
My hands, which were holding the LUMIX G9PROII I had brought along, were freezing.
Given the conditions, I decided not to take the car and instead rely on the mountain train and bus, switching to a “stay put as much as possible” mode.
Since I wasn’t moving, I couldn’t take many photos… oh well.
The only sightseeing I did was to the Okada Museum of Art, which I visited in the few hours before the sudden drop in temperature, when there was still a hint of early spring.
You can’t take any photos inside the museum, not even with a smartphone, but you can take photos of the huge Fujin Raijin-zu (by Fukui Koutaro) painting, which can be viewed from the footbaths outside. Let’s put a link to the official website here.
The special exhibition I was interested in this time was the “Gyofu and Isson: Precious Japanese Paintings” exhibition. I visited the museum for the first time because I heard that I could see different works from the Isson Tanaka retrospective exhibition in Ueno the other day.
And while both Isson and Gyofu Shimizu were wonderful, what was most impressive (in my opinion) about this museum was its collection of Oriental (Japanese, Korean and Chinese) ceramics. I came here without any prior knowledge and was surprised by the sheer power of the collection. Even I, who don’t even know the first thing about ceramics, was overwhelmed by the many colorful masterpieces. The quality and quantity of the collection was incredible.
This time, due to the need to move around, I had to cut the tour short, so there are still lots of amazing things I missed. I’d like to go back and spend at least half a day looking around properly.
Apart from the museum, I just lazed around in the hotel to get through the cold wave, and wandered around the hot spring resort town of Hakone-yumoto for a bit.
It’s been a long while since I’ve walked through this bustling area.
There were lots of inbound tourists in Hakone-yumoto! And there were lots of Japanese young people in their teens and twenties, not just the elders! To the best of my knowledge, the clientele was similar to that of the Arashiyama area of Kyoto.
Young people and foreigners alike were walking around energetically, not letting the cold rain bother them, with kamaboko skewers and soft-serve ice cream in their hands. Aren’t you cold?
Finally, here’s a shot from the window of the Hakone Tozan Railway.
This is a view of the freezing mountains and railway bridge from the switchback station.
Under the restrictions of not being able to use a car this time (or not being able to use one), the regular operation of the mountain railway was really reassuring. And because I gave up on moving around busily, I definitely got a break, so I could say that I achieved my original goal. Long live the Hakone railway.
It was a cold day, and I didn’t get many photos, but “my stay in Hakone was unexpectedly fun” was the story of the day.
