from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
The Gentle Path to the Beyond The little train that carried me into Hakone started winding through misty mountains.  The trees were thick and a fog was rolling in.  I had a feeling that it would stay wet, moody, and fairly perfect.  It had that heaviness that made you feel like it would remain like that for a few days, and it did.Before I get on train rides, I have a wonderful but dangerous habit of loading up with pastries.  Train stations seem to have nice little selections of all sorts of foreign twists on the usual subjects.  And, since I consider myself an explorer, I thought it would be good to get a TON of pastries and try them all.  It's very nice... sitting there... looking out the train window at a new land... rain falling... eating pastries...  (and I'm only a little ashamed to say that, upon arrival, my pastry bag was empty.)- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
The Peaceful Ryokan Baths of Hakone Whilst on my last trip to Japan, I did feel like a samurai photographer, traveling the countryside hard by day, and sleeping in ryokan by night.A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, and they feature everything one might expect from the visions that are coming in and out of your head.  There is a tatami floor, with a mat or futon upon it.  The rooms are separated by classical sliding doors of rice paper.  There are also communal or private hot baths for relaxation.  In the one below, I had a private bath that overlooked the countryside near Hakone.  This room also came with a traditional Japanese dinner served by women in full and traditional Japanese outfits.After dinner, and by the time I got myself out of that tub, I think I was more physically drained than I had ever been in my life... it was just wonderful... and I look forward to more ryokans on this next trip!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
See photo in original gallery.