After such a long day, Dennis and I decided we would like to try our hand at some local cuisine. So we settled for a “pot dinner”. We walked a few blocks from the Ryokan, to what looked like somebody’s home.
Nobody was there yet, as we were pretty early (5pm ish). So, we stepped in the foyer and shouted “Sumimasen” a couple times. A few minutes passed and an elderly lady greeted us. She did not speak much English, but since we knew a few words in Japanese, we got along fine.
She handed us the “English” menu which basically looked like this:
Pork
Beef
Chicken
Fish
So we both chose the “Chicken”. The meal was a very simple and tasty one. The pots on the table boiled away, and the rice/chicken inside cooked. There were pickled veggies on the table, provided to be mixed in with the rice. We made the mistake of eating the pickles by themselves, so the lady brough out more and hand gestured that we’re supposed to eat them with the rice/chicken bowl.
She was very kind to us, and served green tea and miso while we waited. It took 45 minutes for the bowls to finish cooking, but it was well worth the wait! On our way out, she gave us a bag of mini-oranges to snack on. Very kind indeed.
When we got back to the ryokan, Aaron had a surprise for us. A Kanji Quiz, a naming ceremony (where we were presented with Kanji for our name), and an Origami lesson! What fun to be had!
Since the weather was so icky Thursday, we tried the whole thing over again Friday morning in hopes of seeing Mt. Fuji the second attempt. I was really hoping the weather loosens up a bit because in the morning it still looked quite a bit froggy.
At the end of the cable car ride, one can hike about 15 minutes up a trail to a place where they sell black eggs. To eat the black eggs will supposedly lengthen ones life. Dennis made the trip, while I stayed with everybody’s bags in the station and took a nap. I was feeling quite ill, and I just couldn’t wait until we made it back to Tokyo so I could crawl into bed!
After the failed attempt to see Mt. Fuji, we headed back to Tokyo. Below is a group portrait so we could remember what fun we had at the Fuji-Hakone Inn. Our hostesses were so pleasant and fun, they made us all a cake, we couldn’t believe their hospitality! I was SAD the week was almost over, and also that the tour was coming to an end.
In the picture, in the front we have: Sari, Shar, The Owner. In the back there is, Andre, Jansen, Amy, Hostess 1, Ian, Gillian, Hostess 2, Clare, Dennis, Peter, and Graham. Please send me an email if you know the Hostess Names or Owners Name!