Hakone, first visit - October 3, 2020

We had been wanting to explore Hakone for a while. There is so much to do in the area we knew we wouldn't be able to see everything in one day so we arrived with a list of options and a plan to do as much as we could.

One of the things we wanted to see was the Hakone Open Air Museum and since it was a nice day we thought it would be a good place to start. We arrived around lunch time and decided to get food first. Luckily, there is a highly recommended gyoza restaurant (Gyoza Center) within walking distance of the museum. We ordered the gyoza chicken wings, crab gyoza and kimchi. The gyoza chicken wings are something I had not seen before living in Japan. They take the bone out of the meatier section of the wing and replace it with a filling. Then the skin is re-wrapped around the stuffed portion and they fry the whole thing. They are really really yummy.

With full bellies we headed to the Museum. I will let the art do the talking. Click on the arrow at the left and/or right of the largest photo to scroll through the images.

The museum also contains an indoor Picasso exhibit (no pictures allowed) and a really cool stained glass observation tower. We didn't climb to the top of the tower due to crowds; and besides that, it was such a grey day we doubted the view would be worth it.

We stopped to enjoy resting our feet in the free foot onsen (hot spring water bath) before continuing on our way.

It was getting late by the time we left the museum so we headed down to explore the shops around one of the local train stations. There were lots of cool souvenirs and unique food items available. We purchased a bottle of wasabi furikake (rice seasoning) and I broke the rules by buying a zougan picture of Mount Fuji (a Japanese technique using inlayed wood to create an image). For those who don't know...I am not allowed to buy wall art as I have more pictures than I will ever have the wall space to hang. After dinner at a local pizza shop we headed home.

I really enjoyed our time in Hakone and was already looking forward to coming back and seeing more of the area.