We were driving down from Yamanashi (near mt Fuji) to Kyoto and spent some time at Hakone.
Hakone is a spa town and a popular tourist destination in the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park Area . It has many hot spring Onsen resorts and is famous for the Owakudani geysers and Lake Ashi.
Driving down to Kyoto, we were pleasantly surprised by a silvery white cover over the open lands along the road. It was flowering season for the silver grass and it was a beautiful sight. Chinese silver grass or Micanthus Sinensis is a flowering grass found in SE Asia.
Whole landscapes full of the Chinese silver grass
Hakone and Owakudani
The origins of the Hakone Volcano and Owakudani
A caldera is a hollow that forms after spillage of magma during a volcanic eruption. After the magma empties, the walls collapse into a hollow by their weight. The erupted volcanic material like lava gets deposited as edifices or mountains at the centre of the caldera.
The Hakone volcano has a caldera measuring 11 kms in diameter and Lake Ashi is a lake formed in the caldera. This caldera has formed gradually over thousands of years and has developed edifices . Owakudani is one of them and a living example of the powerful volcanic forces beneath Mount Hakone.
Lake Ashi
Lake Ashi, also known as Hakone Lake is a scenic crater lake in the Hakone area . It lies along the historic Tokaido road, the main route linking Kyoto and Tokyo. Pleasure boats and ferries operate on the lake, several of which are styled after sailing warships.
We took a sightseeing trip on Lake Ashi on a pirate ship. Fall colours dominated the scenery . Some pictures…
Lake Ashi
The pirate ship that took us sightseeing Lake Ashi
Some views as we sailed Lake Ashi
The ladies decided on a quick picture…
The Tori gate of the Hakone shrine seen from the ship
The first halt was at Hakone shrine where some passengers alighted to visit the shrine.
We continued to the next halt which was at Togendai.
We alighted at Togendai, from where we took the ropeway to Owakudani (the pillars of the ropeway can be seen on the hillside)
Hakone ropeway
After crossing Lake Ashi, we took the ropeway from Togendai to Owakudani. This ropeway has gondolas which give beautiful views of the active hot springs and the Owakudani valley. If the visibility is very good, even Mt Fuji can be seen from the ropeway.
Views from the ropeway ascending from Lake Ashi to Owakudani
A short video clip of the ropeway ride
Getting down from the ropeway, we were at Owakudani Park.
Owakudani (The Great Boiling Valley)
Formed as a result of eruption and collapse of Mt. Kamiyama ; fumes of hydrogen sulphide can be seen spewing from the mountain side. As a result of this timber has wilted exposing the bronze coloured mountain side with boiling pools and steam vents.
Some pictures…
Owakudani Park
Our group at Owakudani with the sulphur fumes in the background
A video showing the spewing gas and the facilities at Owakudani.(click on video)
A speciality at Owakudani is the black egg.
The Black Egg
When eggs are boiled in the spring water, the iron in the spring water combines with hydrogen sulphide gas forming iron sulphide which sticks on to the shell making it black. Black eggs are edible and available for purchase and it is the speciality of Owakudani.
The Black eggs of Owakudani
Leaving Owakudani, we drove on to Kyoto, our next destination.
Hope you enjoyed the views of Owakudani and Lake Ashi. Meet you at Hiroshima…
Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.
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