Japan (關東), 6/2007, Day 3

Getting up early isn't our thing, but this certainly woke us up. I mean, we surely didn't expect having breakfast at a banquet hall!










This morning was a bit more relaxed, because our hotel is located at the foot of the mountain and close to our destination, so we're leaving half an hour later. The New Akao staff was something special -- when each tour bus took off, a few of them would line up next to the bus, bow, smile and wave until the bus was out of sight. Ours was no exception, too bad I couldn't take any pictures because of the reflections in my window.

After snaking up some winding mountain roads, we arrived at Hakone (箱根), or more specifically, Sounzan (早雲山) station of Hakone Ropeway.













許純美有在日本做飲料廣告?!







Views from the cable car.






















Owakudani (大涌谷) station. On a clear day you can see Mount Fuji, but as you can tell from the pictures we didn't. We stopped here to check out souvenir shops and sample local specialties.













Mmm... 好多種不同口味的魚乾, 而且每一種都好吃...









Jacky 也不放過試吃的機會.











哇哩! 連導遊也來湊一腳!!












Jacky found this little gem.









Hello Kitty in a black egg shell.





We took our bus down from Owakudani to Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) to ride the pirate ship.









































Arriving on the other end of the Lake.





















We had a great buffet lunch at Hakone Hotel, and the food was so good I didn't have time to take a picture of it. Its western style food and decor was a nice contrast to our stay at New Akao the night before, which was all Japanese.










On the long drive back to Tokyo, we stretched our legs at a "rest stop", which is a total understatement, because it's more like a local shopping center with a rest stop included.



















Japanese people just love fish.








Yum...





Ah... Back to civilization at last! After checking into our rooms at Keio Plaza Hotel, our guides took us on a walking tour around the hotel.



Shouldn't you girls go home and study instead of hanging out at the JR station?




Some girl handing out tissue packs with advertising for HUSTLE (Japanese wrestling promoter) on it. See the weirdos sitting around the tree? They're leering at her the whole time, trying to get a glimpse of her ass. Get a life, people!!













Walking through inconspicuous alleys lined with restaurants and bars. Normally these places would be packed with people who just got off from work, but we're early that day (around 5pm) so it looked deserted.

































Pachinko and 麻將: what a great combination...








Yodobashi, a large electronic chain store.





Heading back to the hotel.

Japan (關東), 6/2007, Days 1 & 2

Before we get to the pictures, I'd like to thank Jacky for tirelessly taking our pictures for us, because whenever you see both of us in the picture, that means Jacky's working behind the camera!


Day 1

After a 10+ hour flight across the Pacific and some not so appetizing airplane food, we're just glad to walk on solid ground again. But as we approached the arrival gate, our spirits picked up because we're officially "on vacation".













The unavoidable line at the customs.




We stayed at Narita Hilton the first night, and our first Japanese meal prepared by Japanese in Japan was -- kinda mediocre. I was expecting something awesome, but I probably set the bar too high (maybe they have amigos cooking in the back too?). Luckily, this wasn't a good representation of all the other meals that would come later....













Since there wasn't much to do the first night, and the hotel is beyond walking distance from anything interesting, we walked around the lobby (which is quite nice) ...















... and chatted with our tour guides. The one on the left is Mariko, and the one on the right is Minnie.





Day 2

Got up bright and early for our full day of sightseeing. Our first stop -- the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and the man-made island of Umihotaru (海螢島). It's quite an amazing feat considering how much work is involved.








The white dome-looking thing is the air vent supplying air to the tunnel portion of the Aqua-Line.






















Why the big hurry? Are we late again?










Gotta get some of that 蛤蜊肉包 before we leave...







Our next stop was 鶴岡八幡宮 in 鎌倉市. Don't forget to wash your hands before entering the shrine!















Now, that, is an impressive sake collection!








Steps leading up to 八幡宮.









In western countries, you toss a coin into a pond or fountain and make your wish, but in Japan, you come to a shrine like 八幡宮 and write your wish down on a piece of wood and hang it up.







還可以求簽...











But when you ask for ridiculous stuff like this person did, even the gods can't help you.











Looking pretty under the shade.






After visiting the shrine, we headed for lunch at the Soba House on a street just around the corner. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the restaurant didn't have enough seats to fit us all in at the time, so one of our guides took us around and checked out the many shops that lined the street.





Is this a watch dog or a guard pig?










Yum....










Dude, why the shit face? Lighten up!










Freeloaders loading up on free samples.







Ah..... Lunch at last!!



















Our next destination was the Daibutsu (大仏) of Kamakura, which is just a short drive from 八幡宮. The inside of Daibutsu is hollow and open to public (for a small fee). Our guide told us not to go in because it turns into a giant oven on a hot sunny day, but plenty of people still lined up to get baked anyway.




























Daibutsu's sandals.






Odawara Castle (小田原城) was next on our list. It's truly impressive what people could build back in the old days. This castle is actually a rebuilt of the original, and it now serves mostly as a military museum housing artifacts from the 1500s. It's a shame that photography is forbidden inside the castle, otherwise I would've taken a lot more pictures here.





















Our final destination of the day was Hotel New Akao in Atami (熱海), a city famous for hot springs and gorgeous ocean views.




The staff was nice enough to arrange for a short musical performance to welcome our arrival.










The hotel is built onto the face of a cliff, with parts of it hanging over the ocean. It's no wonder we got such a nice view from our room.






When in Atami, do what the Japanese do. Since it's our first time suiting up for 溫泉, we just had to take a few pictures...























What better way to end the day than a relaxing dip in the hot spring, followed by a big seafood dinner?













We all know she's slow, but this is ridiculous!





So what do I do in the mean time? Enjoy the view of course...













It's too early for bed and you can't sleep after a big meal anyway, so we explored the lobby area and the rec center.