ugh

Had some time on my hands yesterday so I decided to check out where the cranes were

I walked and walked and while walking over a bridge that connects Tokyo with Kanagawa, I saw all of these cranes, one or two of these are what we can see from our apartment

after returning home, I looked around online and  I found out that 

they are building a huge complex with a 17 floor condo in an area called Nishikase

The whole project is supposed to finish in 2029...so I guess we can kiss our view of Mount Fuji goodbye

So bummed 

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

odawara

The sunrise the next morning was beautiful
 

At the buffet, I decided to try all the "western" types of foods...Satoshi tried some of the "Japanese" types

Loved the “make your own” fried mackerel sandwich I chose the shibazuke tartar sauce

Was bummed we couldn't toast our bread though...

Everyone wanted to sit near this window in the main dining area, the sun was blinding, dunno how they enjoyed their meals...

After we checked out, we asked the driver if he could drop us off at Omiya Green Space, a tiny park that is dedicated to the story of Omiya and Kanichi, characters in Ozaki Koyo's book, "Konjiki Yasha"

Just before Omiya and Kanichi are about to get married, Omiya falls for a wealthy man, the scene depicts Kanichi kicking Omiya in anger.

There is a huge pine tree next to the statue of Kanichi kicking Omiya...

We then walked up to the JR Atami station...8 minutes sounded close by and easy enough, but the stairs were straight up!

From Atami it took a little over an hour to get to Odawara.

Satoshi wanted to check out the castle to re-familiarize himself.

I wanted to find the Gundam manhole.

We picked up musubi from Rokuzaemon for the trip home.

I ordered the nori tsukudani

And the okaka (bonito), ginger, takuan...loved this combo!

Would definitely get musubi from this shop again, there was "stuff" in every bite!

(Satoshi had their egg yolk and saba tsukudani musubis.)

It was my first time to Shimoda and Atami, we hope to be back to check out the hydrangea in Shimoda and maybe stay at New Akao again.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as we did.

Rokuzaemon

Minaka Odawara 1F

Odawara, Kanagawa

Hours: 10:00-20:00

ps have a wonderful Christmas (one of the many trees at Hotel New Akao)

oh em gee

Saturday, Satoshi had a tour guide thingy so on the spur of the moment, I decided to go to check out the hydrangea at Kita Kamakura...big mistake!

Everyone and their uncle decided to do the same thing

Thinking Meigetsuin opened at 9:00 I arrived just before, but found out at the entrance they opened at 8:30 during this time of year...boo!　(on the news they showed 100 people plus were waiting from 7:30!)

It took me at least 20 minutes from the entrance to the top of the stairs...

Plus it was blazing..talk about culture shock from over tourism!

Wished they had controlled the amount of people that could enter the area instead of letting everyone in after paying

What Meigetsuin looks like without the crowds (same stairs, April 2023)

I overheard people chattering about being in line for over an hour! so I quickly made a u-turn and left because it was impossible to enjoy the flowers “in peace”

on the way home, I decided to get something iced and ended up waiting almost 30 minutes here...

kaffe tonic...780 yen (tax included)..., I've had this before and the price has gone up since then.

took this to-go because everything inside was filled and all that was left was outside in the blazing sun, 

This hit the spot 

I also stumbled on a little bakery (La Petite Boulangerie Kita Kamakura)...picked up lunch to eat at home

daily quiche...this was broccoli cheese...600 yen (tax included)

apple pie 450 yen (tax included)...loved that it had lots of apple and a little custard cream inside

it was just people people people everywhere...

(reasons why I avoid matsuri (festivals) and "touristy" areas, why I try to get out and about "early"...after telling Satoshi about my day, he mentioned that unfortunately it is like this everywhere these days.)

I was glad to be getting on the train in the opposite direction…6163 steps

Verve Coffee Roasters

1365 Yamanouchi

Kamakura, Kanagawa

Hours: 7:00-19:00

La Petite Boulangerie Kita Kamakura

1388 Yamanouchi

Kamakura, Kanagawa

Closed: Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Hours: 9:00-16:00

12687

Yesterday we went to Hiyoshi, where Keio Senior High School is located.

They recently won the Koshien baseball tournament and it apparently had been 107 years since the last time they won this tournament. 

Congratulations!

Lunch was at Cafe Issui, a tiny shop run by an elderly couple.

I chose the spicy chicken curry, this had a nice kick and the chicken was fall off the bone tender.

Satoshi chose the veggie curry, he enjoyed this but said the rice was not cooked properly...I thought the rice was fine.

We shared this mango shaved ice.

The ice was shaved finely and was better than the shave ice we had the previous day.

We loved the mango puree on the shave ice too, super refreshing.

If we get a chance to come back, I want to try their taco rice.

After lunch we checked out the Keio University and High School Campuses which are next to each other.

I spotted these congratulatory flowers in the lobby of the High School.

The video in the background is of their ice hockey team...

It was a beautiful campus with lots of trees.

Objet at Tokyu Hiyoshi station...Kokujizo (apparently means empty self portrait) made by Kenji Misawa in 1995 is a popular meeting spot (dude didn’t move out of my shot, you can still see his shoe and him in the reflection)

We also checked out Hiyoshi Shrine.

The stairs were killer since it was super humid...
 

They were set up to have some sort of festival...

It was nice to see all the congratulatory banners around the area and people taking pictures to capture the moment.

Not sure if we'll be back, but I'm glad we got to check this area out.

Cafe Issui

1-18-17 Hiyoshi Honcho, 2F

Kohoku, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Closed Wednesdays

Open 11:00-18:00