hotel de yama

There is a hotel along Lake Ashi called Hotel de Yama

And this year it is celebrating being in business for 77 years

Their azaleas have been on my “to see” list for some time

We had planned to go on Sunday but the weather seemed wonky, and then turned out to be a beautiful day! grrr

Satoshi said, "you go check it out Kat"

So I did yesterday

I mapped my route according to Google maps…well when it told me to get off the bus, I did

And then I had to find my way (safely) down to the town (no sidewalks)

Luckily I wasn't that far off from where I needed to be...

As I was walking, I then realized that there was a path along the water, so I walked along it.

and, I came upon this.

Everyone was waiting their turn to take a photo...Instead of waiting though, I just snapped one of whoever was there...

The water was super calm

The walkway wasn't too flat, so gotta be careful, especially since it was a day after it had rained.

By the time I reached the hotel, Mount Fuji went into hiding.

Mount Fuji should look like this...(from the hotel's IG page) I think they took this photo from their restaurant terrace area 

It’s been blazing, so the azaleas looked like they might have been past their peak, still, it was nice to see.

(TIPS: I had read somewhere that there was a free shuttle to and from Motohakoneko to the hotel for their guests, but if you "silently" get on board their bus, they'll take you...

To get to the Motohakoneko area by bus from Hakone Yumoto Station, you can either take Hakone Tozan Bus routes: H, R or K

When I arrived at Hakone Yumoto, everyone was standing in line for the H & R buses, so I went in the K line and this was a much nicer route and was not as crowded.

Coming back to Hakone Yumoto I jumped on the first bus that came and went on the H route...the bus driver was whipping the turns...talk about getting motion sickness..blah)

when I got back to Odawara, I went in search of lunch...and went back to Rokuzaemon

This time I tried their ume and my favorite okaka with ginger and takuan

I'm glad they let me sit on the bench in front of their shop to eat.

After lunch, I went in search of Moriya Bakery.

They have been in business since 1921 and are apparently well known for their breads.

By the time I went though, they were out of most things.

Luckily I was able to buy 2 anpan...was hot! out of the oven! 480 yen (tax included) for the 2

We had the anpan for breakfast today.

Filled with sweet bean paste

The bread was so soft! almost like sweet bread, so ono!

I'm glad I got to check out the azaleas yesterday and wander a bit around Odawara.

Moriya Bakery

2-2-2 Sakaecho

Odawara, Kanagawa

Closed: Sundays & Mondays

*cash only