Entries this day: A_day_in_hakone

A day in hakone

10:00am JST Thursday 22 May 2003

Nice.

Quite a good challenge to find myself in Shinjuku, which Dru says is the busiest station in the world.

Got to it. Treating myself well today. Got my own reclining seat.

11:07am

Pause for a moment in Odawara, which is also available via a line that goes through Kawasaki. I wonder oh wow. The station name for Odawara is also written in Korean on this sign. I think it's Korean.

11:10am

Leaving Odawara.

I wonder what would be measurably different if I board this train in Odawara.

11:21am

Wow. Two different track guages on the track beside us.

11:37am

Holy shit! The seats on my train, which I thought were so permanent and stable, turned around for the return trip. I took a picture showing where the different guages merge just past the station and as I walked back past my train, the seats were facing the way from which we had just come.

Like Neo in the first Matrix: Woah.

And double woah is my train was the narrow guage. And triple whoah is all the beautiful forest and tunnels through which this larger guage scenic train is climbing. And quadruple woah is that there are Japanese businessmen with briefcases and wearingsuits sitting in stony silence beside me. Like they take this trek every day and are no longer impressed.

- - - -

Oooh, that was neat. The train stopped at a small station and then went backwards out of the station; the track is basically a bunch of switchbacks going up the mountain.

11:47pm

I escaped the train. I've got no idea where I am. Several people got off and went down a steep hill, presumably to hotels and hot springs and such. Though I want to experience a hot spring, I prefer to disengage from the crowds. I'm going this way instead, on a small trail through the trees, along the tracks.

12:58pm

Breathe.

Basically I'm on top of a tall hill coated in trees. I expected to reconnect with the train at the top of the hill, but it seems that I went far more quickly up than the train could. I can hear activity way way down below me, like the Grinch listening to Whoville, except I'm way happier than the Grinch.

Encountered exactly two people on the path up here. They were going down instead of up. But it seems they must have already hiked up, since I'm at the top and there's no other way they could reasonably have gotten here except walk.

Note: next time bring more water.

- - - -

I love my life! I just opened my bottle of water and the air poofed out cause I'm at a higher elevation. I'm reminded of the time I went to the grand canyon and bounced carefully(!) on a similarly over-inflated gallon jug on the icy parking lot!

And now I'm just smiling smiling that I have stories like that!!!

1:33pm

I just took a nap here on the top of the hill. Birds sang for me. Two people walked by without speaking.

I'm now going to contine on this trail, this time down, and presumably I'll find the train again.

1:56pm

Hmm. So I wasn't at the top of the mountain. I have ascended another 50 feet maybe and found myself at a T intersection: straight and left were my options. The kanji pointing left seemed more interesting. I'm at a sturdy plastic picnic table in a sort of clearing.

2:14pm

English voices coming up the hill behind me: Rondal, Lyndsey and another name I forgot. The guys are serving in the military for 3 and 2 years, respectively. Lyndsey will be teaching English soon.

We had come from opposite directions and traded descriptions of what was available.

4:04pm

Whoooooooo

Walk walk walk

I think I know where I am. If I understand correctly, I've basically walked across this mountain. I've come to a two lane highway thing and I think I'm at a bus stop and I think if I get on this bus I'll be taken basically back to the beginning of Hakone. No one nearby to ask. The adventure continues!

4:19pm

A bus arrived

Another bus arrived just as I was writing that. The first bus arrived and driver said my pass wasn't good for that bus. I saw a cat across the street who showed me on a map where we are. I was topologically (in terms of roadways) correct (of course) but had guessed the wrong section of street.

The second bus that just arrived also said that the pass was no good, and the next bu

4:37pm

And then the *next* bus arrived, interrupting my typing, but it's cool cause the cat who helped me navigate the buses helped me a bit with Japanese and made sure I got on the correct bus, *and* told the driver where I wanted to go.

For some reason (scheduling) we are just chillin' here in the bus (we = me and the driver on an otherwise empty bus). My friend is yammering on his keitai and bid me adeiu in English.

4:40pm

Bus still empty-ish and we're underway.

4:43pm

Nice. I've been deposited at the bus stop labeled Open Air Museum, but I'm totally lost now - nothing here looks like what I thought that might look like. This is similar to when I got off the bus "near" the bicycle pound.

4:45pm

Yahooo!! I found the museum thanks to "Picasso" written on the sign. I had seen his name associated with museum ads. The museum was closed, so I didn't have to waste any time there. I got some pictures of a fly water fountain thing.

Hopped on another bus and went "950 meters" to Gora, where we turned around on a little spinny thing! wow! And now. and now!! I'm on a cable car that's being pulled up this steeeep incline.

5:43pm

It just keeps getting better better better.

I was reminded of James Bond movies while in the suspended gondola. I had the car all to myself so I rocked it side to side, causing the two huge cables to oscillate up and down.

The amazing silence pervaded my soul, soothing, invigorating. Like floating through outerspace except for the floating part. A slight hum sang to me, transmitted through the high tension cables holding my private gondola. There's almost nobody here. I'm SO thankful that I got lost on the mountain and got away from the crowd. Now they've all gone home and left this beautiful park for me to enjoy alone.

Huge.

Beautiful.

But I don't have enough time to continue the trek around Hakone, so I'm on the way back. It looked like it might get even *better*. (More suspended gondolas, but with a view of Mt Fuji!) I'll find out next time I'm here, no later than September.

6:38pm

And now I'm back on the express train to Shinjuku. (not the limited express train on which I arrived (the one with reversable seats and such) (didn't hurt to try riding it back as well) but the normal line that any ol' bear can ride.

Cool thing is the train is nearly empty.

Two German women sitting in this same car; I think it's the first time I've heard German while here.

- - - -

Overall, I most loved what Lyndsey said when she heard I made today's trip alone: "you're brave."

Awesome.