Sunday 26^th March 2017

It was raining steadily this morning so we put the bimany up on the car (a type of hood). Scotty warned us yesterday that it would be raining and snow was also expected.

We drove back to the coast and headed south to Hakone where Phil had planned to drive an iconic road in Japan, the Hakone Turnpike, a road famous for drifting drivers (not that a Morgan drifts very well!). However we got to the toll gate and the road was closed, so we turned around and set off to follow the GPS up and over the hills. We passed through Hakone which is a popular resort town, wall to wall hotels, twisting winding roads climbing up into the hills. It was still raining and cold 0 to 2 degrees. We could see snow in the distance and many of the cars coming down from the hills were carrying snow on their roofs. Soon enough we were driving through snow and it continued to snow.

The snow continued to build up on our car with the wipers clearing a measly area of view. At one toll road we were stopped by an official who was checking for adequate treads on the tyres of all cars. No tread, no go!

At Fujiyoshida we pulled into a petrol station to fill up. The proprietor came running out with an umbrella. When I went into the warm office to pay, I was bombarded with gloves, maps and heat packs. The proprietor proceeded to pull up my clothes and show me how the packs worked. They were nice and warm.  Upon getting into the car, the proprietor came running out again with 2 very large plastic bags which she proceeded to use the bags to wrap around us and tuck us in. Topping off her kindness was a couple of lollies to get us on the way. It was an absolute circus.

Near Fuefuki we made a stop at ApexMoto to say hello to Saori and John who had organised our Japanese car insurance. They run a small business dealing in building, and restoring collectable motorbikes. It had stopped snowing by this stage as we were now out of the mountains. We got on our way after applying stickers to the car, group photos and farewells.

Around this area there were a lot of orchards. Interesting was the way the branches of the fruit trees were pinned horizontally, thus forming a canopy. Saori warned us to be careful driving in the country as the farmers take no notice of road rules!

We drove for another hour or so back into the hills to our hotel for the night, the Nishiyama Onsen, the oldest continually operating hot spring onsen (bathhouse) in Japan. It has been operating since 705AD and is in the Guiness Book of Records.

The idea is you book a time to take your outdoor thermal spring rockpool bath.  We booked for 4pm and had a private onsen, for 30 minutes. It was particularly hot, even for me! There are separate onsens for men & women and after 10pm they are mixed.

You can have breakfast and dinner at a time of your choosing so we went for dinner at 7pm. Inside the accommodation you leave your shoes in the hotel foyer and for the duration of your stay you walk around in slippers. Not only slippers but you wear the provided kimonos complete with sash and jackets.

Meals are an art form with a variety of different sized and shaped crockery, each containing a small tasty piece of food. The courses went on & on, like a degustation menu or tasting plates. The highlight was probably the small skewered charred fish standing in a bed of smoking pine needles.