Look at those two idiots. Is definitely what any rational person would have been thinking as they saw Yun and I prancing through the cold and rainy streets of Hakone in our summer/beachwear. If it wasn’t for the hotel umbrella we might as well have set off in swimwear. It is true that travel teaches you a lot about yourself, in our case it seems to be teaching me just how much of an idiot I am. I didn’t just forget to bring some form of long sleeve item out from the hotel, I forgot to bring any form of long sleeve item to Japan. 

It’s a clear sign of how beautiful Hakone is that a couple of blithering, freezing idiots were able to take photos on a windy, rainy and cold day and still manage to have them look half decent. In reality, we were freezing cold, but for the majority of the day our numb limbs didn’t register as we were enjoying ourselves too much. It wouldn’t be fair to summarise the entire day as simply being a cold one. 

We woke up on tatami, wrapped ourselves in kimonos and stepped out onto our little balcony overlooking Mount Fuji. I thought about reading, but it felt like a crime to stare at a page when I could sip tea and look at the stuff that paintings are made of. We exchanged the kimonos for an umbrella and left the hotel, setting off on a stroll to the harbour. The benefit of the rainy day being a mostly empty ferry. Lunch, upon arrival, definitely looked better than it tasted, at least mine anyway. ( One of the benefits of travelling in two is that you can just shove your dodgy dish off to your girlfriend and assume hers as your own under the guise of “sharing”.) 

There is never a better way to digest lunch than to start a steep hike up rainy slopes. It did however have a rewarding end as we got to the summit and found an orange paradise. 

DETAILS

Photography:

US

Location:

Hakone, Japan

Directions :

Arrive in Hakone by train and take the bus to Todendai Harbour. Take the ferry from Togendai to Moto-Hakone. The shrine is within walking distance from the harbour.