Japan - part 3

Sa 20.1.: Today we did the excursion to Odawara castle and Hakone, leaving at 9h to ODAWARA along the coast getting stuck on Expressway 1 in the usual Saturday morning rush. Despite of the good weather forecast, in the morning it started SNOWING at Zushi! Arrived at Odawara castle museum, we visited it after passing the fortified entry doors. Its nicely established both for adults and children, you can see old armours, weapons, tools, clothes, and information to the reconstruction of the castle, which had been destroyed after the Japanese 'revolution' 1867. After that we went to a special fish market ('Suzuki') and ate lunch at the restaurant attached to it. After that we drove up to the old wound Tokaido road (first road leading from Tokyo to Kyoto) to Hakone, passed the Ashinoko lake arriving at OOWAKUDANI hot springs at 1050m above sea level, where you smell the vulcano and - if you want - can eat black eggs, i.e. eggs boiled in the sulfuric waters from the hot spring. Only thing we missed, was the view to Mount Fuji, who still was hidden behind clouds. Then Hiro drove us back passing many thermal hotels, old and new, to Zushi where his wife had prepaired for us another Nabe, i.e. a Japanese ceramic pot with some soup and many, always variing, delicious things in it. We lived up to now very well on Japanese food, we feel very well, watching Japanese traditional films, cooking lessions and are looking forward to the coming excursion early tomorrow.