Hello everyone! I am heartily sorry for not having posted in a while. I was a bit busy juggling work, home, and community activities and most days I was just too tired to post. Fret not, this will be my last update on my recent Japan trip since this is the last highlight. So, let’s begin.
We had an overnight stay at a traditional Ryokan, the Kiyokuniya Ryokan in Hakone in the hopes of seeing the beautiful Mt. Fuji. Below are some of the snaps I took from that 2-day trip:
We started off quite early in the morning at around 5:30 A.M. to be able to catch the train from Sounzan Station to Togendai.
Fellow travelers early in the morning. 🙂
A fisherman’s quiet haven.
Look at that thick mist.
An opaque blanket of fog envelops the whole Ridge.
While we were trying to find our Ryokan, we also had some mini stops along the way:
Lake Ashi on a cold afternoon.
This is like a scene from a movie.
Hi!
What a dramatic scenery this is.
We arrived at Kinokuniya Ryokan at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I was so relieved to finally be able to rest myself from wandering so much in a 10 degrees kind of weather. My teeth were chattering all along the way!
This is my first time wearing a yukata and I’m so happy while I was being photographed. :’)
Tea, anyone? 🙂
The futons are so fluffy and comfortable to sleep in!
The next morning, I was able to take time to capture some of the decorations and garden landscapes of our hotel. I loved the whole vibe of the place, especially that moment before dawn when that part of town was just slowly waking up to the chirping of the birds and the cool breeze brought about by the mountains.
We then went to Lake Kawaguchiko, a very well-known lake with lots of mini boat rides, roadside cafes, and other interesting tourist activities along its shores. A very useful tip when travelling in Japan: always keep your coins. They really come in handy especially for transportation expenses. Going back, we rode on a cable car to see Lake Kawaguchiko from the top of a ridge and the famous Mt. Fuji. She was such an enchantress. It felt like she was enveloping the whole town of Kawaguchiko with her charm and mystery.
Credits to my cousin Valerie Verdijo of turnthoughts.com for being our tour guide and photographer for most of the trip. These were taken using her Iphone 7.
Nice to meet you, Fuji!
Going to the top. 🙂
How did they even shape this tree? Amazing!
A decent photo of me in my OOTD. 😛
View from above Lake Kawaguchiko.
Fuji in all her glory.
Being able to experience what Japan really is like can only be attained if you spend some time away from the city and into the quiet rural areas such as Hakone. The almost 2-3 hours travel is worth all the painstaking agony while sitting in the train the whole time because you get to view a very different yet altogether familiar side to Japan.
This post wraps up my whole travel diary of my favorite country in the world. I am so happy and blessed to have been given the opportunity to grace Japan and take a glimpse of its culture and people. I got to learn a lot about them which I never did learn from just watching Anime only.
Seriously guys, if you want to tour the world, put Japan on top of your list. You’ll never regret it. Thank you so much for extending your patience in keeping up with this blog series! let’s see each other again in my next travel diary!
Lovingly,
Iva
