9: Hakone and Fujiyama (not...)

Our first Semester at Sea sponsored excursion was to the town of Hakone with the promise of a view of Mount Fuji. We were warned that it would be about ten degrees colder where we were headed, so we layered up with silk, wool, down (vest AND jacket) and carried our raincoats too.

After my bout of sea-sickness, the movement of the bus we took up mountain roads towards Hakone hindered my recovery. I could feel a migraine coming on, so I closed my eyes. Mind over matter was my mantra…

After an hour and a half we stopped at Lake Ashinoko where we would traverse by ship (a pirate ship!) to Hakone. On the way, we had passed through the built-up congested suburbs of Tokyo, so the contrast of open space, water and green vistas was a welcome change.

The pirate ship was a bit of puzzle….Japanese kitsch? When it was time to alight from the ship, our guide told us  that the tram may stop running due to bad weather, so we needed to quickly make our way to the station and plan to have lunch at the end of the line up on top.

As we made our way up the mountain on the tram, it started to rain. We joked with each other that Mt Fuji must be a phantom mountain, as it was no where to be seen. Gary started to give us a briefing on all the possible natural disasters that could befall us…but the tramway seemed solid. I was not concerned.

What did put me off a bit was certain odiferous scent of sulfur in the air. Volcanic gases and hot springs were emanating from the mountain. Apparently there is a thriving business here selling eggs that turn black after being exposed to sulfur gas. For those who believe in the old traditions, eating a black egg is thought to add years to your life.

Once we got to the top, we eagerly rushed into the visitor center which was nice and warm, looked around the gift shop, went out on the deck to snap some photographs, and then sat down to order some lunch.

Not being able to see Mt. Fuji was disappointing, but the dreamy mist and biting cold made for some lasting memories. When we got back on the bus our guide told us that we would be going to the Hakone Open Air Museum. Given the weather, most of us were just humoring our guide when she lead us out, thinking we probably just camp out in the enclosed gift shop rather than venture out into the rain to view some random pieces of sculpture.

"Balzac" by Rodin

To our surprise, the first piece of sculpture we encountered was a Rodin! Then there was a Henry Moore! And apparently, there was also a Picasso Museum! Suddenly, this part of our trip took on a sense of urgency. The Museum had clear umbrellas for everyone so out we went to explore. We only had an hour at this stop and looking at the map we received, it was clear that the grounds were quite large.

"Reclining Figure - Arch Leg" by Henry Moore

"Grande Statue de la Force" by Antoine Bourdelle

"Group in front of the Sea" by Francisco Zuniga

Many of us later remarked that we could happily have spent more time at the Hakone Open Air Museum.  The Picasso Museum was interesting only in that it housed some of his lesser-known works and ceramics and also included black an white photographs depicting his days at home and in the studio towards the latter part of his life. However, it is possible that our enjoyment of the sculptures in the landscape was somehow more intense because of the added interaction with the rain and mist and cold.

"Timber Pavilion" by Tezuka Architects

Elevator entrance to the Picasso Museum

All in all, it was another good day in Japan.