so for this day we decided to go on an excursion outside tokyo.this place called hakone seemed to be the most logical choice.it's a mountainous area with lots of lakes and hot springs.and it's a perfect place to view mt. fuji!
and in order to get there, we had to take a...shinkansen...that's the bullet train for you and me.
i remember when i was in high school and i was watching the sharon cuneta show.don't worry, this segue will lead back to japan.promise.haha.anyway, sharon cuneta is a popular singer/actress in the philippines.she was gushing about her upcoming trip to tokyo and that her only wish was to ride the bullet train.and i thought, wow, wouldn't that be wonderful? idol! and eversince i dreamt of riding the bullet train (i know, it's not a very big dream, eh?)
so when we were in the train station, ready to ride the bullet train, i thought of...sharon! hahahaha.i hope she did ride the train because it was one of these life experiences that one will never forget.ayan, nakipag-level na ki shawie.nyahahaha.
and when the clock says it will leave at 12:37, it will really leave at 12:37, not at 12:38.
we had one of these famous lunch boxes in the train
i would have wanted to stay longer inside the train, eh kaso, bullet train nga, so we reached our stop sooner than later, and changed trains again, and then rode in this cute toy train zigzagging up the mountains.
view from the toy train
we then reached gora and took a cable car, then a ropeway.
it soared over the owakudani valley, where these crevices emit sulphurous fumes and smoke.
we were playing with baby inside the car, and mr t said, "look behind you." lo and behold, mt fuji loomed without any warning.i was gobsmacked.
we reached the stop and eagerly went down.it was chilly.i was almost shivering.but i forgot all inconveniences when i saw this majestic beauty.
we stayed for awhile in the viewing area, then headed up to where we can see up close these crevices with fumes.
we had these eggs boiled in the hot springs, thus the black color
a small shrine nearby
we were fortunate enough to see snow-capped mt fuji with the setting sun in the background.i whispered a thank-you prayer for all this beauty around us, and for allowing us to bask in it...
we took a train back to shinjuku and as it turned out, we were in the wrong train! mr t was honest enough to tell the conductor and he actually told us to get off at the next stop and to take another train.
a japanese girl overheard their conversation (or lack of) and then offered to help us.she managed to convince the conductor to let us just adjust the fare.there was a conductor who came by and managed to settle the fare differences.in the end, the conductor kept on apologizing to us! i love them! we did something that was entirely our fault and they were the ones apologizing to us!
we reached shinjuku, tokyo's largest terminal.
i was keen on going to a gift gate shop, and our guide book mentioned a shop in shinjuku.so we kept on walking looking for it.
we unknowingly passed by the seedy part of tokyo! hahaha. we must have looked strange amongst the creatures there.we looked so out of place with a baby in tow in kabukicho!
we were ready to go back to aoyama as it was almost nine at night, when i saw this small sign across the street.
hallelujah!
that was it.hands down.my childhood fantasy was right before my very eyes.
she is the actually the world's largest hello kitty monument! how grandddd.
i.can't.stand.the.cuteness.anymore!!!
it was good that the shop was almost about to close as i was like a child set loose in a candy shop.i thought i was about to burst! haha.i don't even go to sanrio shops in dubai or in manila.but dude, i was in japan, the home turf of hello kitty.i had to be there!!!
so after all this pink-ness, we went back to our hotel all giddy.we then had ramen as a mop-up.a perfect way to end this wonderful day where my japanese wishes came true all at once.
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