Day 3: Hakone

This is only around 6 am in the morning and it's already so bright.

We have to set off very early to catch the first train from Shinjuku to Hakone at 7 am.

The weather is getting cooler by the day. 3 degree celsius?!

This is the Odakyu Romancecar to Hakone but there is nothing romantic about the train.

We paid Yen 5,000 for a 2-day pass and we have to pay an extra Yen 870 (one way) for the Odakyu Romancecar.

Hakone Open Air Museum is not exactly a museum. I find it more of a playground for the young and old. It's such a fun place where every corners are filled with surprises waiting to be discovered by the visitors.

The 2 guards outside the Hakone Open Air Museum.

These 2 kitties are totally not afraid of strangers. When they saw my mom holding the heat pack in her hands, which they mistook as food, both cats walked up to her hoping to catch a bite.

In deep thoughts.

Love this sight so much as it's so heart warming.

Is the sculpture crying?

See no evil.

A giant reflective ball hanging in the open.

Sigh, don't know what to wear.

Playground within the Woods of Net for kids under 12 years old. I felt discriminated, and I wanted so much to join in the fun too. The vibrant colours and unique structures are enough to bring a smile to everyone.

This tiny hut is actually the toilet. Kind of reminds me of The Wind in the Willows.

Picasso Museum showcasing some of his works, sketches & pottery.

The boxy structure is a lift that brings visitors from higher grounds directly to the Picasso Museum. But I prefer to take the winding walk down the slope which leads to the museum as there are a few scultptures along the route which shouldn't be missed.

This sculpture totally caught me off guard because most of the statues are usually standing or sitting but this is different. I actually find the position funny in an inexplicable way. This seems akin to how I felt after a day at work.

Another fun ground for the kids.

Show me your heart

The cats are so genteel that they are totally unflustered by the visitors eagerness to stroke them, they will just sit still and let the visitors have their ways with them.

The weather was still fine when we were at the museum, by the time we reach higher altitude the snow was getting heavier.

A couple sharing an intimate moment in the gondola. My mom & I were the only other passengers in the gondola.

A lone man fishing in Lake Ashi. The boat is self-paddled.

It only took a while for the snow to be inches thick. This is like Christmas in Spring.

Hakone Shrine

This is almost like a black & white picture if not for the red lamp posts & tori gate along the path.

Snow-capped bushes.

A couple taking their wedding pictures in traditional kimono at the Hakone Shrine.

The snow is so fine it almost seemed like flour sprinkled on the ground.

At Hakone-Yumoto cafe overlooking the train platform, waiting for our train to head back to Shinjuku.

We couldn't have chosen a better day to visit Hakone as the snow was totally unexpected and it was widely reported in the evening news. Serendipity! This is the first time I see snow in my life and it's so freezing cold that my hands and feet were totally numbed. This is definitely one of the most unforgettable event of the trip.