#theowstaketokyo day 4

Day 4: Today was the day we left for Hakone. We checked out of our hotel at about 11am and went for brunch at a nearby shopping mall (which I can't rmb the name). I thought the food was not to my liking, but my parents and sisters thought it was pretty good. I still ate it though because I was hungry hehe. Btw, the miso soup in Japan is soooo different from Singapore.

It took us a total of 2 hours (I think) to get to Hakone by train. First we took the Odakyu Railway to travel from Shinjuku station to Odawara station and then changed to another train to go to Hakone Yumoto station. We purchased Hakone free pass, so our transportation around Hakone was free. 

Sleepy heads in the train.

 *death stares*

I have no idea why I gave this face when Camy took this photo. HAHAHAHA. 

Waiting for the train to Hakone Yumoto.

While walking to our hotel, we were greeted by this amazing view of Hakone. 

 The place we were staying, Hakone Suimeisou Hotel was a short walk away from the station. 

 The hotel staff, who were mostly old people, were very friendly and could surprisingly speak quite a bit of English.

"Please take one freely" But as you know when it comes to freebies, we Singaporeans, do not just take ONE. So, my mum took quite a number of toothpicks and put them in her bag. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Here's our room. It's really spacious and has the traditional vibe. At night, the hotel staff would come and shift the table and chairs away and then lay out our beddings on the tatami. 

As planned in our itinerary, we were supposed to go to Lake Ashinoko, Hakone Shrine or Owakudani to check out the volcano but time didn't permit us. The hotel staff said we have to be back by 6.30pm for dinner (our meals, breakfast and dinner were provided by the hotel and the restaurants in Hakone close by evening). It was 3ish 4pm when we got there so we had to cancel our plans. :( Instead, we walked around the hotel area and came by this beautiful waterfall. 

I hope you like my hello kitty sweater from HK, 5 years ago and my beanie hat thingy from China, 10 years ago HAHAHAHAHA. 

We also walked down the street where there're shops selling souvenirs and snacks. Because I'm a cheapo (don't deny, i bet you are a cheapo too haha), I tried all the food samples. They were so good, we bought a bunch of snacks back to Singapore woo! 

This shop was selling YUZU HONEY and it's DA BOMB. It goes really well with vanilla soft serve ice-cream and I LOVE IT. We bought a big bottle home, but now it's all gone. Luckily, I found out that  Isetan supermarket in Singapore sells it too! Yay to yuzu honey! :D

Dinner in the hotel. To be honest, I didn't really like the food they provided for us, like the fish wasn't fresh and there were weird stuff that I didn't dare to eat haha. So I stuffed myself with 2 bowls of rice to fill my stomach hahahaha don't judge meh.

Our poofy beddings that the hotel staff prepared for us. Oh btw, I think they switched on the heater that was why it was so freaking warm at night. The next day, we opened the window to let some cool air in.

I was really annoyed and frustrated as I couldn't go to the hot spring on the first night due to y'know, the girl thing. HAHAHAHA. It was such a waste because that was the point of staying in this hotel. So while my sisters and daddy went to the hot spring, mummy and I massaged each other's legs in the hotel room. The cold weather (~10 degrees C) made our skin so dry and itchy ew. 

It was nice being away from the bustling city and just enjoy the nature in Hakone. Till then xx.