Image search results - "hakone" |

Hakone-Yumoto Station, the main gateway to Hakone. Odakyu Line trains from Shinjuku and Odawara arrive here.
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Hakone-Yumoto Station used to be light blue, but now off-white.
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Hakone-Yumoto Station
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Romance Car (Limited Express train) at Hakone-Yumoto Station
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Hakone-Yumoto Station changed quite a bit since the last time I visited.
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Hakone-Yumoto Station now has an overpass for pedestrians.
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This is the old Hakone-Yumoto Station.
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Hakone Yumoto from the overpass
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Hakone Yumoto souvenir shops.
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Hakone manju is famous.
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At Hakone-Yumoto Station, I asked about a good place to dip into a hot spring before going back to Tokyo. A short walk across the river to Yumoto Fujiya Hotel and ¥1,800 put me in this nice outdoor bath.
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This large rock was perfectly slanted to sit back in the bath and gaze at the greenery and blue sky. After all that walking, I thought I got my money's worth.
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Bus terminal at Hakone Yumoto
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Took a bus to Yunessan.
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Interesting "ON-OFF" poster at a train station in Hakone. It basically reads "ONsen" (hot spring) and "OFFuro" (bath). It was for a hot spring facility called Yunessan
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Hakone Kowakien Yunessan, a hot spring facility famous for hot spring baths in different flavors. Yunessan admission is ¥2,900 for adults and ¥1,600 for kids. They also have a pure hot spring area where bathing suits are not allowed. That's ¥1,900 for adults. You can go to both areas for ¥4,100 if you don't mind your skin being deprived of too much natural skin oil and a prolonged increase in blood pressure. http://www.yunessun.com/enjoy/
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Hakone Kowakien Yunessan's main bath for bathing suits.
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This is the wine bath. It does smell like wine. I didn't dare taste it, and there's a sign saying not to drink the water. This bath used to be outdoors, but now totally indoors which was disappointing.These flavored baths are for both men and women in bathing suits.
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Tea bath
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Tea bath was nice.
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Coffee bath. Mild aroma of coffee.
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Sake bath was not really sake (I tasted the water). Only a tiny trickle of sake was dripping into the bath.
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Also popular was the "Doctor Fish" foot bath. These little fish come and eat away your feet's unwanted skin flakes.
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People (kids) who had healthy skin did not attract much fish. It's really ticklish.
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About Doctor Fish
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Outdoor cavern bath
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Outdoor slides at Yunessan.
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Held annually on Nov. 3, a national holiday (Culture Day), the Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession starts at Yumoto Elementary School at 10 am. About 170 people dressed in feudal-era costume are in the procession. 湯本小学校
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Yumoto Elementary School is where the procession started at 10 am. The procession route is quite long, about 6 km. The procession ends at 2:30 pm. 湯本小学校
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They had a short ceremony and briefing.
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Special guest was former Yokozuna Wakanohana aka Hanada Masaru acting as the daimyo lord. Every year, they have a celebrity as the daimyo.
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The procession reenacts the daimyo procession of Okubo Tadazane (Kaga no Kami), lord of Odawara on his way to Edo (Tokyo) for the periodic sankin kotai procession.
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Daimyo's wife
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Ladies in waiting.
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Daimyo's wife is one of the main characters in the procession.
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The crowd follows Hanada Masaru.
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The Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession started in 1935 on the occasion of the Yumoto Expo. Except for the war years in the 1940s, this festival has been held annually.
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You hear, "Shitaaaa-niii, shitaaaa-niiii" (Go down, go down!) by the tsuyu-harai dew sweepers who lead the way to tell people to clear the way and bow in respect. 下ニー 下ニー
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These men are the luggage carriers carrying the hasami-bako boxes containing clothing and other necessities. Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu. 挟み箱
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Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Procession on Nov. 3
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These are honor guards who carry feather-topped keyari poles and toss them to each other. In the old days, they did this when entering the lodging town. 毛槍
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Lead car
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The procession is led by this guide car.
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Daimyo's palanquin, however, I don't think anyone was in it. They never opened it.
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It's quite a long procession route so it's not that crowded much of the way.
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About 80 of the costumers are volunteers recruited from the general public. Women volunteers become ladies-in-waiting.
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Foot soldiers. 徒士
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End of the procession.
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At about 11 am, they arrived at Hotel Nanpuso for a 30-min. break. ホテル南風荘
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Band played during the lunch break.
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At around 11:30 am, the procession resumed. This is Marching Band Hakone 21. マーチングバンド箱根21
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Marching Band Hakone 21. マーチングバンド箱根21
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Marching Band Sirius
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Marching Band Sirius マーチングバンド Sirius
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Matchlock gunners
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At 11:30 am in front of Hotel Okada, the Odawara Hojo Gunners fired matchlock guns. 小田原北條鉄砲衆 ホテルおかだ
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They fired twice.
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Very loud bang.
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Hanada Masaru, former Yokozuna Wakanohana acting as the daimyo lord at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu
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Hanada Masaru, former Yokozuna Wakanohana at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu
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Hakone geisha
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Narrow road
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Scenic river
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The procession took a lunch break at a hotel called Tenseien from noon to 1:20 pm. 天成園
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Walked to Chimoto Bridge near the entrance to the Hakone Yumoto. ちもと
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Firing matchlock guns at Chimoto at 2 pm. 小田原北條鉄砲衆
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Odawara matchlock gunners 小田原北條鉄砲衆
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Hanada Masaru
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Hakone geisha on rickshaw
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Hakone geisha on rickshaw at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu
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Kimono dancers at Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu
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In front of Hakone Yumoto Station at about 2:10 pm.
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Hanada Masaru
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Hakone geisha on rickshaw
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They even waved at the people in the train station.
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The procession crossed the Yumoto Ohashi Bridge and ended at 2:30 pm at Hakone Fujiya Hotel.
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After passing through Odawara, we approach Hakone-Yumoto Station at the end of the Odakyu Line.
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Hakone-Yumoto Station is the main gateway to Hakone.
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From Hakone-Yumoto Station, take the Hakone Tozan Railway train to Gora.
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Hakone Tozan Railway train
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Inside Hakone Tozan Railway train.
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Hakone Tozan train line stations
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Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. Near my ryokan.
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Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway.
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Kowakidani Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway.
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Hakone Tozan Railway
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Gora Station is the end of the line for the Hakone Tozan Railway and the starting terminal of the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.
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Gora Station
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Hakone Tozan Cable Car at Gora Station
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Hakone Tozan Cable Car at Gora Station
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Inside Hakone Tozan Cable Car. If you like to ride in trains, cable cars, boats, etc., visit Hakone.
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Going up in Hakone Tozan Cable Car
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Hakone Tozan Cable Car runs on a single track most of the way.
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Hakone Tozan Cable Car
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Sounzan Station is the end of the line for the Hakone Tozan Cable Car and starting terminal for the Hakone Ropeway.
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Hakone Tozan Cable Car at Sounzan Station
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Hakone got a bum rap in May 2015 when volcanic rumblings forced them to close the ropeway going over the steaming and bubbling Owakudani valley.The number of tourists dropped.
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When I visited in Nov. 2015, the ropeway was still closed between Sounzan and Owakudani. So at Sounzan, we boarded a bus for Ubako.
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This is Owakudani, now a danger zone and off limits. These photos were taken from an earlier trip. Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
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The ropeway goes right over a dramatic and steaming valley.
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You can get off at Owakudani and see some steamy puddles.
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Owakudani
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Mt. Fuji
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Mt. Fuji from Hakone.
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Explanation of Hakone ropeway's closure.
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The substitute bus brought us here near Ubako Station, a ropeway station beyond Owakudani.
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A short walk to Ubako Station.
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Ubako Station. On Oct. 30, 2015, they partially restarted the ropeway service on the last segment where it goes down from Ubako Station to Lake Ashi. Good views of the lake and Fuji-san.
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Old ropeway cars once used by the Hakone Ropeway.
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Ubako Station where we boarded the ropeway to go down the slope to Lake Ashi (Togendai).
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Mt. Fuji as seen from Ubako Station in Hakone. It was a clear autumn day in early Nov.
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Lake Ashi is visible from our ropeway car.
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Mt. Fuji again.
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Getting closer to Togendai Station on the shore of Lake Ashi.
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Togendai Station
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Our pirate boat awaits on Lake Ashi.
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Stand in line to board the boat.
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Dunno why they are pirate boats.
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Our boat named "Victory."
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The other pirate boat's name was "Royale."
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Top deck
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Back of our boat.
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Leaving port
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Heading for Hakone-machi on Lake Ashi in Hakone.
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Lake Ashi (Ashinoko)
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Looks like there are three pirate boats on Lake Ashi.
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Mt. Komagatake
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Hakone Shrine's torii
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The famous torii of Hakone Shrine.
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The famous torii of Hakone Shrine.
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Lake Ashi's famous torii of Hakone Shrine with Mt. Fuji in the background.
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Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi
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Hakone-machi Port
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Hakone Sekisho Checkpoint
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From Togendai, you have the option of going to Hakone-machi or Moto-Hakone. I wanted to go to Hakone-machi first to see the Sekisho Checkpoint.
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Inside our pirate boat.
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Our boat at Hakone-machi Port. The boats run quite often.
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After the Hakone Ropeway to Togendai, you can ride the pirate boat to either Hakone-machi Port or Moto-Hakone on Lake Ashi. I went to Hakone-machi Port.Odakyu Line's Hakone Freepass is valid on the pirate ships.
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