We hadn't activated our JR passes nor booked tickets, so we did so at Odawara - a small city an hour from Hakone - and got seats on the 2:08 Shinkansen to Kyoto. We therefore had a few hours to kill, so wandered up to the castle around 800m away - only to find a big dance festival on all over the castle grounds, with bright costumes and people of all ages taking part. The castle itself was built around 1600, and the lords in charge got a bit big for the Capital,...

After another Lawson breakfast, we caught the bus past the pampas fields to Togendai, and got on the replica "pirate" ship to Hakone Machi. It was raining a little but not cold, so we visited the old Sekisho (checkpoint) where they used to stop people bringing guns into Edo (Tokyo) and women running away from feudal lords (says so on the info board). From there we followed the very picturesque Cedar trail for 30 mins to the next town of Moto Hakone, where there w...

The next morning, we ventured to the local "Lawson" convenience store for yoghurt, croissants, juice and coffee, and took them back to our room. It was a humid, foggy morning - quite beautiful. We watched the gorgeous scenery from our bus ride to Gora and Chokoku-no-Mori and the Hakone Open Air Museum. There has been no expense spared on this place, and our info pamphlet describes it as creating a 'harmonious balance of nature and art with views of the surroundin...

The Odakyu train from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo to Hakone Yumote left exactly on time as one gets to expect from the Japanese transport system. We'd paid a little extra for the "Romance Car" plus a 3-day Hakone Free Pass - all of which meant a smooth ride of just over 90 mins. The 3-day Hakone Freepass allows for transport of every variety - train, funicular, bus, sightseeing ship or cable car - so worthwhile if you intend on getting out and about. From Hakone Yu...

It was raining pretty heavily in the morning, so we donned coats, grabbed an umbrella and headed to the subway and Roppongi for a look around. The complex of Roppongi Hills is over a decade old, but is still considered a forerunner of modern Tokyo city design, with apartments, offices, galleries, restaurants etc rolled up into a couple of buildings. There was a great sculpture by Louise Bourgeoise of the Maman spider at the bottom of the Mori Tower. Harriet had b...