When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I may have stolen that from a country music song I’m listening to at the moment but it’s a good question, especially when travelling and the answer should always be ‘today’ 😎 On this day I rode the ‘Romance Train’, saw Mount Fuji, and got unexpectedly naked in a communal Japanese bath 😬

I took this rather fancy train from Tokyo to the mountain town of Hakone, towards Mount Fuji, and it was hands down the nicest train I have ever ridden.

In my reserved seat with enough leg room for my own legs twice over, a luggage rack where I actually left my backpack out of sight and somebody came and served me a cup of coffee and biscuit. There were proper toilets with soap, and free WIFI with an interactive map and live camera view from the front of the train. Whatsmore whenever the attendant leaves the carriage they do a little bow 👏

I realise most of these points may sound obvious to the Western mind (maybe not the bowing part), but remember I’ve gotten used to trains in India where I’ve sat on the filthy floor watching my bag like a hawk and almost falling out of the open door onto the tracks.

The Japan train experience reminded me of something I forgot to write about in India. We had just arrived in Agra after a long train journey and tour guide Manny McPhee had clearly said ‘get off to the left’. Now the last time we took a train we nearly didn’t get off at all as a crowd pushed their way on before we got near the exit. So, as a few of us approached a door on the left and saw locals getting off, we followed suit. The fact there was no platform to step onto did not deter us. We jumped right down onto the live railway tracks like lemmings. I remember telling Izz Dog ahead of me to hurry up, not realising there was a metre drop. Only when I was down on the tracks, looking into the face of an oncoming train (that I now know was stationary) and realising it was not physically possible to haul myself, let alone my backpack, up onto the platform, did I panic slightly 🤦🏻‍♀️ Especially when I heard a train whistle in the distance. I still have the image in my head of Del Dog, mid air and horizontal, being dragged up on to the platform by her arms and legs. Had I not thought I was about to die I would have taken a photo, but I was too busy shouting HELP ME before I too was hoisted up by the gang. My lasting memory is tour guide Manny’s horrified expression as he registered what had happened from further down the train, where where everyone else was getting off at platform level like normal people, shouting ‘what are you doing!?’ Although I still cry with laughter at this memory, it scares me a little that I adopted this pack mentality and didn’t question what I was doing 😬

Anyway, in Japan it’s clearly marked where to get on and off so no risks of that happening again 😂

I also appreciated for the first time that Japan is not just bright lights and big cities. There was snow and sunshine at the same time 😎 The scenery and nature here is simply stunning.

The ‘Heritage pass’ from Tokyo to Hakone includes all transport in the Hakone area, which is perfectly set up for tourism. I’ve decided to start including actual useful information about where I’ve travelled as well as silly stories, as more people are reading this blog now who might be planning a trip. I got on a local bus and headed to my hostel, K’s House which had some beautiful mountain views although it was raining. I hadn’t seen rain for months!! Just across the road from the hostel is a great little Japanese style bar where you sit side by side at a long bar. They even have a veggie menu – vegetable noodles Japan style please!

The Japanese love to queue for restaurants too. All of the eateries around the train station had long lines outside but this little place is too far up the hill for most people.

Everyone who comes to Hakone does two things. Firstly ‘the loop’ which is a brilliantly organised system of trains, buses, a boat, a ropeway (unfortunately not a rope ladder as I thought but a cable car) with a bit of easy hiking thrown in. Although what I ended up doing on Saturday was spending all afternoon at various train stations trying to buy a ticket for the following day to Kyoto, plus it was raining and bloody freezing.

Secondly, eveyone visits the hot springs (‘onsen’). The bathing experience in Japan is very different. I chose this hostel since it has it’s own onsen. I thought I had misread the sign at first that said ‘no bathing suits allowed’. But yes, the Japanese like to bathe full on starkers, albeit in separate men and women’s pools. Actually they switch the timings, so men are in the outdoor pool when women are inside, and vice versa. It’s a little bit stressful making sure you’re entering the right one at the right time – should have learned the Japanese sign for women! You have to shower first sitting on a miniature stool otherwise you’ll cause offence, then get in the pool. I decided to take the plunge and was initially relieved to have the outdoor pool all to myself – although in a way this was weirder than bathing with others 🤷🏻‍♀️ No photos for obvious reasons – you can stop reading now if that’s what you were looking for!

The next day I set off bright and early on the loop after K’s free coffee 👏 The temperature was 1 degree celcius but the sun was shining, the sky was blue and I realised one more thing that day – I would be wearing all of my clothes, all of the time. I refuse to buy a thicker jacket even if that means resembling a Michelen Man.

I teamed up with a couple of guys from my hostel for the day. It was fun to do the loop with others – backpacking is a mix of time spent in your own company and with others, and today was the perfect time for the latter.

New travel buddies Matt and Andy…. a selfie stick may have been involved

With another paper map and and not really knowing how long any of it would take, plus not wanting to miss my train that I had unnecessarily prebooked, we whizzed around the first bit and accidently missed half the places we wanted to stop at 🤦🏻‍♀️

Note to self #1 – there is actually no need to pay extra to prebook a train seat if you’re flexible on time.

Note to self #2 – next time just cough up for the Japan Rail pass (for a flat fee and certain number of days you can travel all over Japan with a few exceptions) then you don’t have to faff about buying a ticket at all, you can just jump in the three unreserved carriages.

The loop includes a boat ride across the lake on what I considered a pirate ship – I really wanted to climb the masts 🤔 The crowds really build up come midday so be prepared for a bit of a wait.

I was lucky with the weather and got so many stunning views of Mount Fuji…. I had prepared myself to maybe catch a glimpse between the clouds but this was fantastic. Yes there are a lot of people doing this loop, but if you set off early and take your time to get off the beaten track you can escape the crowds.

We did just that when we veered off the path in search of a viewpoint and discovered some gorgeous snowy paths around the lake. The scenery reminded me of Banff in Canada, or New Zealand – it’s rare to have snow on the ground, bright sunshine and waves lapping at your feet.

And Mount Fuji in the background – that’s snow on the mountain top, not a cloud 😎

I tried a giant freshly roasted rice cracker with soy sauce while the guys went for the local ‘black egg’ 🤢 I guess it’s black due to the sulphur from the hot springs which we could smell – obviously ignoring the warnings stating that anyone with any health problems at all risks death (flashback to the volcano in Hawaii which Helen and I survived). I didn’t see anyone bothering with the protective face towel that was provided 🤷🏻‍♀️

There’s a lot more to see in the area if you have the time, including the Hakone Open Air Museum at the top of the loop, which I missed, and local onsens which I chickened out of. Beware – most onsen don’t accept tattoos as this is a sign of Japanese mafia 🙊

After a nonstop day involving all kinds of transport, I had my first encounter with the Shinkansen (bullet train) as we all headed to Kyoto. Next post coming soon 😎