June 9, Sunday, 10th Monday - Hakone

First, grab a snack at a convenience store.

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Then the train to Hakone, and the outdoor sculpture museum.

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All kinds of interesting sculpture, and a fine Picasso museum with a lot of ceramics and drawings.

then back on the train to Odawara-shi, in Kanagawa Prefecture, where the traditional inn that Liana found for us was located. It was really wonderful, in a traditional sort of way (very old wooden structure, communal bathrooms). Our room had a lovely little enclosed porch overlooking the river.

A very nice woman with very little english served us dinner,,,the translate apps on our cellphones were very helpful...we sat on the floor at a low table.

We slept (all four of us in a row) on futons that were rolled out after dinner was cleared away. Then, the same woman served breakfast:

After a last look at the river

we headed off for lake Ashti(?) (for the sake of the journey, not that the lake was super-special...very pretty but the ride was the main attraction). First, a short funicular to the cable-car.

It took us to the top of a dormant, but sulphurous volcano, where the whole area smelled of rotten eggs.

After a short spell there, the next cablecar took us down to the lake, where the "pirate" ship was waiting

to take us on a leisurely cruise aroud the lake (which is in a caldera, i think)

At the end of the cruise, we took a bus back to the bullet train,

and on to Kyoto, arriving at night (Brandon had arranged to have our luggage sent ahead to the Kyoto hotel).