More Hakone.

The trip from Shinjuku station in Tokyo to Hakone takes about 1.5 hours. Once in the area, a combination of train, funicular rail, gondola, ferry/pirate ship, and bus moves visitors through the area. Thus, the need for cars and parking is greatly reduced. In order to reduce smog and traffic jams, national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite desperately need to implement similar measures.

Smoking Mountainside.

Iconic Mt. Fuji.

Hordes of Visitors.
With 35 million people nearby, don't expect to find solitude on a trip to Hakone. The crowds were staggering, and this trip was made on a weekday. Of course, autumn also brings out particularly large crowds.

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Arggh, matey-san!

The scene felt like a strange hybrid of Japanese-Swiss Family Robinson and an overcrowded Haitian refugee boat. Naturally, someone made the brilliant decision to use faux pirate ships as passenger ferries on Lake Ashinoko, which lies in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. I'm not sure if the rampant use of kitsch across Japan is the result of poor taste or a wicked sense of humor, or some combination of the two. Whatever the cause, sometimes you just have to give in, take snapshots, and laugh.

Aaargh, nothing like me camera and beer in hand on the high seas.

An enemy pirate ship, er, ferry steers clear of our path.

More to come on the Japanese tourist mecca of Hakone...

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O' Venerable Giant.

Mt. Fuji, which rarely makes an appearance, was spotted today from the smoking valley of Hakone. In the foreground, the volcanic sulphurous springs of Hakone release toxic gasses into the air. More to come...

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