We head south out of Tokyo by car past one of the largest industrial complexes in the world, Yokohama, with Mount Fuji starting to loom in the background. We are driving towards the seaside resort of Kamakura.
Kamakura's back lanes are lined with exquisite Japanese homes surrounded by bamboo fences through which one can glimpse manicured miniature gardens.
The town's main attraction is the giant 37' bronze Buddha seen here. It has been a pilgrimage sight ever since it was cast in 1252. The town, is enclosed on 3 sides by steep wooded hills and on the fourth by the sea. It was the capital of Japan from the 10th to the 12 century - the Kamakura Period - because it was easy to defend.
A
few hours later by car and we are in Hakone
National Park - Japan's most famous mountain retreat and Tokyo's
favorite playground, where people go to relax, thanks among other attractions, to
the hot springs situated amid beautiful forested mountains.
Healing sulfurous waters boil out of the volcanic mountainsides and at one location we watch Japanese tourists flocking to buy eggs that have been boiled and turned black in the steamy fumes. It is considered a sign of good luck to eat these eggs.
The scene from our hotel window looks like it came right off a chocolate box. Pristine Lake Ashi is in the foreground, with Fuji peaking over the rim of the volcanic hills surrounding the lake. The gardens are filled with cherry blossoms as it is May. The scene is magically perfect all day long from the moment the sun touches the tip of Mount Fiji; but the sunset is one of the most truly breathtaking scenes we have ever experienced.
Springtime in Hakone Mount Fuji Eating Black Eggs