Cornifesto: Japan (2015)

Lost in Translation: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Kibune

Japan was such a memorable trip! We are already planning our next trip back.

The Japanese are amazing. The people is the reason why I love Japan. Everyone we met were so polite, and so NICE! It's like southern hospitality (although I've never experienced southern hospitality and can only assume from what has been repeated).

After the Japanese people, I love the country itself and the presentation (???) of Japan. Surprisingly, for a country that populated, there were no trash! It's even more astounding when there are no trash bins! The country is so clean! There were no graffiti or litter (maybe the 3 years in prison or the 300,000 yen fine deterred it).

The subway systems were extremely efficient for the amount of travelers. People get in line to get on/off the trains/bus. There are arrows directing people so everyone can walk without bumping into each other. The country is very automated.

We seriously need some of these things in the US.

Lost in Translation: Hakone

After checking out of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, we took the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto with a one night stopover in Hakone. Hakone is a cute little town near Mount Fuji. I saw Fuji-san on our train ride but we were moving so fast that I was not able to snap a picture.

We originally hoped to stay at a ryokan for the one night in Hakone, but after comparing the options, we decided on the Hyatt Regency. Personally, I felt Hakone was a great start for our trip because it was so relaxing and there was no pressure to start the tourist activities. Thus, we were able to ease into our trip and adjust to Japan time at a leisurely pace.

Me wearing a Yukata

The hotel has a happy hour from 4-7 pm. We totally took advantage of that. The lounge was relaxing, which was perfect to help us get settled into the time-zone.

Wayne posing with the view from our hotel.

The next morning, we checked into our spa appointment at Gora Kadan before continuing our trek to Kyoto. Gora Kadan is a traditional ryokan and was a former retreat, still a retreat today. The reason most people stay at a ryokan is to experience an onsen, spa treatment, kaiseki dinner, and to enjoy Japanese culture and sleeping style. The last part I don't care too much for. Although I appreciate Japanese culture, I prefer my western style mattress and bed. So, we improvised a bit and secured an onsen, treatment and kaiseki (lunch) at Gora Kadan.

Google Image picture of Gora Kadan

The walk around Gora Kadan was our first taste of the beauty of Japanese landscape.

Entrance to our Onsen (volanic hot spring)

This is a picture of the onsen before we jumped in (buck naked). It was a good experience but too much nature for me. I prefer Burke Williams indoor jacuzzi.

After the spa appointment, we checked out of our hotel and said good bye to the property's resident dog, Haru. If I have a dog, this is the one I want. A very well-trained, friendly, and mild-tempered black Labrador Retriever.