Check ✔ -Hakone

Lake Ashi is a crater lake formed by volcanic activity.  The area of the lake is 7 sq km.  The lake never gets frozen, not even in winter.  On a nice clear day, you will see Mt. Fuji's reflection in the water.  Here are some fishermen along the shore.

Here we are climbing up to the scenic area of Kanagawa, where the black eggs are sold.  Eggs are boiled in the hot springs.  Legend has it, if you eat a black egg, you will live long.

We toured Owakudani Valley by Ropeway.  What an awesome way to see the volcanic fumes of hydrogen sulfide being emitted down below.

Volcanic fumes that still burn today

We were pretty high-

Here a man is getting the eggs out of the hot springs, we bought five for 500 Yen.

Hot!

I guess Larissa & I will live for many years to come.  We both ate the eggs and they were so good.

Our boat ride down Lake Ashi.  There are many torii gates along the way.

The boat that took us down a leisurely ride down the lake.

Hakone Shrine area

The big torii gate on Lake Ashi, I had to climb down so many steps to take this shot, then climb back up.  

Cleansing my hands

As we enter into our third and final year here in Japan, I have started to feel a sense of urgency. My check list of things to do seems to be growing longer and longer. Today, we were able to visit Hakone. Hakone is one of the most visited tourist resorts in Japan. Hakone is surrounded by scenic mountains, Mt. Fuji, boats, beautiful Lake Ashi, onsens, museums, and hot water springs. The drive itself is spectacular. Unfortunately, due to rain and heavy clouds, we were not able to see Mt. Fuji. Despite the weather, the trip was awesome! About four hundred thousand years ago, Mt. Hakone burst into eruption. Mt. Hakone resembled Mt. Fuji until it's eruption. The central part of Mt. Hakone has subsided into a caldera. The water that stayed in the caldera is now a lovely lake known as Lake Ashi. Our first stop was Owakudani Valley. You can literally feel the earth breathing. Owakudani is like a different dimension as the landscape spreads before you. Our second stop was Lake Ashi, where we took a boat ride down the lake. We spent some time in the town of Hakone, then we made a final stop at the Hakone Shrine. This national park is not only historical, but makes you want to return back tomorrow and spend a weak at one of the different beautiful hotels on the lake.  You can see more photos on my Facebook account.  This place is a must see if you every visit us here in Japan.