Black Volcanic Boiled Eggs?!?

Woke up feeling well rested and prepared to get a little workout in before the journey to Hakone. My entire day would be filled with travel and sightseeing. While in Tokyo I had been walking around quite a bit but hadn’t really worked out since arriving in Japan. I figured a morning workout and a full day of walking/hiking would allow me to really appreciate my evening onsen soak before bed. The staff whom I’d gone out with last night also assured me that I’d have the room to myself tonight which was an added bonus and meant not having to worry about disturbing another roommate.

I quickly got dressed in sports attire and headed downstairs where I was able to leave my room key at the front desk while on my morning run. I didn’t really have a specific route in mind but had spotted a little lighthouse up the coast and thought it’d be a fair distance. I headed out of the hostel and followed the little canal towards the ocean. The morning air was so fresh and it felt amazing to get a proper run in. As I continued along the coast I was able to pass some historic monuments situated in small parks located along the beach as well as smaller groups of locals participating in a variety of morning activities. I did take a small break by the lighthouse to catch my breath and rest a little – the purpose of the run was more meant to get the blood flowing and feel good than kill my legs. The lighthouse area turned out to be a little store and themed park for kids. There weren’t any rides but there was some specific characters associated with the lighthouse and area. I’ve noticed by this time that many of the smaller towns actually have their own anime characters that represent it. Hakone had a specific anime group of friends that was used in most of the flyers and marketing related to Hakone. I thought this was kind of cool because it really lets the towns get a little more individuality and it allows you to put a face on the place. To add even more, many of the famous anime’s take place in real cities around Japan which attracts fans to the area. Along with these anime characters Japan also uses themed trains to attract a lot of attention but I’ll dive more into that soon.

By the time I got back to the hostel I was pretty sweaty but felt like I’d hit the refresh button. I hurried to my room, grabbed a change of clothes, and made my way to the smaller personal onsen which was located upstairs. This onsen was super small and although I could barely fit in it, it was a few levels warmer than the downstairs public onsen and it was nice to have some privacy. I bathed on my little stool and sank into the hot water which was borderline painful given the intense temperature. I could only last about 15-20 minutes before hitting my limit and decided to turn on my bathing water to an extremely cold temperature to bring my body temperature back down. After drying off I headed back to the room to change yet again and prepare for my departure to Hakone.

I first decided to relax for a few minutes by the window and soak in the morning sunlight. The morning light felt amazing and the temperature in the room was perfect. After achieving a pretty zen frame of mind, I took a few minutes to map out my exact route based off the time that I’d be departing the hostel. Basically, I’d be jumping onto the local train from Ito to Odawara station which would take about 45 minutes traveling north along the coast. Once I got into Odawara I’d switch over to a bus which would take me to the Hakone Tokaido Checkpoint which is the southern area of the lake. The bus would take a little under an hour and somehow include passing 51 total stops! I had heard a lot about Hakone but hadn’t really done much research as to what there is to see or what areas are best to visit. Overall, I was a bit anxious and excited to just go do some solo hiking and exploring outside of Tokyo for the first time while in Japan (Rui had been with me in Nikko). Furthermore, I didn’t have any plans once I arrived in Hakone but had acquired a collection of different pamphlets that listed all the sights worth seeing. I finally began my journey a little before noon as I left the hostel with my small bag on my back grateful I wouldn’t need to lug my larger luggage anywhere until tomorrow. I was even lucky enough to score a super scenic themed train on the way from Ito to Odawara.

There are tons of different types of lines and trains in Japan. Even if you take the same line and route sometimes the specific train might randomly be a seasonal special one that sports a unique style or feature. The train I ended up boarding had seats that faces the windows opposed to facing forward or backwards. They were like a zigzag along the windows allowing you to sit and enjoy the amazing views of either the mountainside or the coast while making your way north. I was able to soak up some awesome views and get some good photos while I crept closer to the large station of Odawara.

After arriving at Odawara I made my way outside of the station to the bus area. I was slightly confused at which bus I needed to get on but at least I had my all access pass which would allow me to avoid any payment issues or confusion. There were about 10 different platforms with no English instructions and my heart was once again increasing it’s beat-per-second over the thought of speaking in my broken Japanese to communicate with a stranger. I did a few doubletakes on my phone to see if it showed me which platform I’d want but unlike with the trains, it just showed me the general area and told me the bus name in kanji (it didn’t even have a #)… Luckily, I was able to locate a tourist staff guide whom was helping some other people get to their respective buses.

I was hesitant and nervous as I made my way to the women to interrupt her as she oversaw another group board a bus on a nearby platform. I able to communicate a little with the women in English and since my destination was often sought after, she was able to tell me which platform I needed and which would be my correct stop. Hunger was beginning to creep in as I hadn’t eaten anything yet and had already done quite a bit of activity. I figured I could grab something once I got into Hakone as it’d be a little after lunchtime. The bus was a bit more crowded than I’d expected but I was able to get a window seat and with my experience in sleeping on the commuter bus between my home and San Francisco, I was able to make myself comfortable and get a quick nap in before arriving in Hakone. I did happen to wake for a short moment while traveling through the actual town of Hakone which was bustling with local Japanese and quite active.

I woke in time to catch my main destination as many of the other patrons on the bus also seemed to be going to the same place as me. I had already flashed my handy-dandy all-access pass to the bus driver which allowed for a quick and painless exit from the bus. I now found myself in a small little area that was located in the southern area of the lake. I decided to explore my surroundings in search of a spot to eat as there were several cafés and restaurants scattered along the water. As I prowled the restaurant selection and corresponding menus, I noticed that many places were super overpriced which was a little expected but I wasn’t prepared to spend a ton of money on lunch. After walking the small street up and down twice, I finally settled on a sandwich and some food from the local 7-Eleven. The 7-Eleven was also conveniently located right across from the main dock which looked to have some sort of ferry service and seemed like a nice decision as this particular area had been a little underwhelming considering all the hype it gets online. I arrived at the boat ticket booth and found out that my all access pass allowed me a pretty good discount on the ferry ticket to get across the lake. It also appeared that the boat was a big attraction for couples judging by the increasingly long line slowly coming to life near the gate. I was unfazed by being not only one of the few foreigners around but also a solo patron. I quickly came to the realization that the line was increasing as the boat would be approaching any minute and missing it would mean being stuck waiting another 2 hours for the final boat of the day. So far I had spent most of the day at the hostel or in transit and I was determined to get some good photos and experiences from Hakone. I grabbed a coffee from the nearby vending machine and scarfed down my sandwich as a very interesting pirate-themed boat began it’s approach.

I’d done a little more research by this time and had discovered that I could take the boat one-way across the lake, apparently find a gondola which would take me over the mountain, and then eventually I’d find myself in a small town where I could get on a new bus meant to return me to Odawara Station. As I boarded the boat I headed straight inside and quickly scored myself a seat by the window in hopes of catching some awesome views. I’d overheard that you could see Mt. Fuji on a clear day but honestly didn’t even know which direction to look let alone how close I actually was to it. After sitting in the lower deck for a little I decided to move upstairs to get some fresh air and explore the boat a bit more. The wind was whipping strong which made the top deck a little unpleasant and quite vacant despite a few random couples attempting to get some gram photos without their hair covering their faces. I was able to snap some photos myself and remained outside as long as I could bear before going back inside in search of a new seat.

Unfortunately, by this time many people had seen the sights and explored most of the boat which left me with no available seat to chill in. I opted to post up against the wall and continue to admire some views as the boat continued on. After getting to the far side of the lake I wasn’t really 100% sure what my next move would be – I hadn’t really planned out that bit yet… So, much like I do relatively often when I’m lost, I proceeded to just follow the crowd and eventually found myself at the line for the gondola which would potentially take me to the top of the mountain. Around the time same I noticed a group of cute girls who would be boarding the gondola just behind me in line. I briefly schiemed of venturing to the bathroom and back in order to change my order in line which would increase my chances of sitting on the same gondola car as them. Before I had a chance to finish the debate between my left and my right I discovered that I was next in line. I decided to just ride it out and sat in a car accompanied by 3 other couples. The trip up the mountain was gorgeous and I was finally able to notice Mt. Fuji off in the distance. We were still quite far from the enormous mountain but it wasn’t difficult to see how amazing it was. As we reached the top of the mountain everyone seemed to exit the gondola to explore some of the shops located at the peak.

I soon came to the realization that the area I had now found myself in was called Owakudani and is quite famous for its eggs. I’d randomly seen a video online that had spoken about the “volcanic eggs” and had concluded that I’d successfully arrived at this tourist landmark. The gondola had dropped me off right near the top of a smaller volcano that had slight volcanic activity. You could visually see steam and sulfurs being released from the mountainside. This area had become so famous and known for hard boiling an egg in sulfur. The result was a black egg which supposedly took on a “unique” taste. I decided to skip out on the egg but was able to capture some cool photos before announcements started echoing over the nearby PA system. It seemed the station would be closing soon and the last gondolas were heading down the mountain. I felt a little relieved that I’d made it across the lake when I did since had I caught the last boat, I most certainly would’ve missed this opportunity and had had a relatively failed first solo exploration. I slowly caught some last photos and strolled through the giftshop before eventually making my way back to the gondola. I had noticed earlier that the group of girls had headed towards the food stand that serves up the eggs and was buying for some time in hopes of catching the same gondola as them on my decent. After exploring all I could at the shop and hearing the same announcement over the PA several times, I decided to just proceeded down the backside of the mountain alone. The gondola would bring me down into Gora which was a quant little town featuring some local shops, onsens, and the bus that would ideally take me back to Odawara.

As we arrived at the bottom of the mountain, I noticed many already making their way to the buses in order to begin their proceed back home. I did a little research and found that there’d be another bus in an hour and decided to stick around to explore this little town a bit more. I had hoped to grab some actual food and maybe some drinks to accompany my meal. I ventured around the town which was located on the mountainside (Japan has sooooo many hills and mountains that I felt like I was always having to walk uphill whichever direction I went). After quite a bit of wandering I found a cool little brewery which even featured an outdoor foot onsen for you to soak your feet. I checked out the menu and quickly realized that things were quite overpriced. While I wasn’t on a tight budget at this point, I hate the idea of paying unreasonable prices for things that I don’t reallllly need at the time. I decided to continue my protest of the area’s unreasonable food prices and made my way back to the bus stop with an empty stomach. I grabbed another drink at the nearby vending machines and awaited my bus.

My fatigue from the morning run, morning onsen, and the adventures throughout the day was beginning to set in as I battled to keep my eyes open and not miss the coming bus. While slowly drifting between consciousness the bus finally pulled up to the stop and I flashed my all access pass as I made my way on. According to my google maps, I’d need to take this bus about halfway and then I’d get on another bus to finish my trip. The bus was rather empty and upon boarding the driver took note to my fatigue but also noticed where my destination would be. He politely informed me in English that he’d give me a signal when we’d arrive to my transfer point. The bus began to roll down the mountain and my exhaustion appeared victorious as I fell into a deep asleep. I woke super rested and feeling amazing which rose concerns about just how long I’d been out for. I quickly opened my google maps and noticed that I’d far passed the spot where I was supposed to change busses but also noticed that the bus was still proceeding along the highlighted route that the new bus was supposed to be taking. I decided to check it up to the twilight zone and roll the dice to see where I’d end up. Eventually I somehow got all the way to Odawara Station when the driver gave me the signal that we’d arrived where I needed to get off. There weren’t many people on the bus so I’m not sure if the driver had just decided to drive the entire route as it was one of the last buses of the evening or if google maps had just been trying to complicate my trip; regardless, I was super thankful to be back at the station and now had a mere 45 minute train ride before arriving in the small town of Ito. It was dark now so the views were a little less extravagant as we traveled along the coast but I finally arrived back to the area I’d call home one more evening. I was lowkey super excited to get some food and decided to stop by the local 7-Eleven for drinks and food. It wasn’t really that late yet so I ended up grabbing a 6-pack of beer and some food in hopes to lounge in the common area at the onsen and maybe offer up a beer or two to some other residence in exchange for conversation.

I got back to the onsen and unfortunately it was actually pretty quiet so I headed to the common area with my iPad and cracked open my beer as I began devouring my bento box and onigiri. After a few more beers and absolutely no regrets I’d made my way from my previous table to another table that had a blanket covering it. I had seen this style in Japanese anime but had never sat at one of these tables.

I quickly realized it had a heater positioned below the table. The warmth felt so good brought on some pure bliss while being accompanied by several beers and the exhaustion already in my legs. The alcohol was hitting fast and hard given the lack of actual food, water, and rest that I’d consumed that day. I decided, after finishing my last beer and not having being greeted by any guests, to head to the onsen which was deserted. I was able to snap a quick video for some friends back in the states to show what the onsens looked like. I had been chatting a bit with them as it was just morning there given the time difference. After about 20 minutes in the onsen and battling the urge to fall asleep, I made my way back to my room and was beyond ready for some amazing sleep.