Hakone

I finally got to see fuji-san! A little bit ago, Ashley and I ventured out to Hakone to see Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji in the distance and enjoy the autumn colours.
It was a really fun day- bright, sunny, windy, and clear. And the perfect jacket weather. We had a nice time walking around the lake and the cute little town.
The scene was gorgeous, and more diverse than what I was expecting too. There were some brightly coloured maples in reds and oranges, but also lots of lovely
evergreens and tall straight Japanese cedars. Walking through a cedar forest was one of my favorite parts. Further up the mountains up a tram, there was even
an area famous for its volcanic activity, and it was really cool to see the huge vents of steam gushing out of the rock.
























It was so so refreshing to be able to escape the city even just for a day. For some reason since moving to Tokyo this year, it has been surprisingly
difficult to just leave and get out for a weekend. Every weekend has brought its important errands, illnesses, fatigue, and work obligations between the
two of us,and this is the first time I've gotten 'out of tokyo' since our short jaunt to Yokohama back in October. But I don't really count that as 'out
of the city' or a nature escape in any way. When Ashley suggested Hakone I got so excited to finally see mountains and forests again. I'm so glad I got
to meet her and she's up for going on adventures with me.

Seeing Fuji for the first time was pretty epic. My first view was actually from the train windows on the way to the station and it was like it just
loomed up out of nowhere. It was a much bigger and steeper view from there but by the time I thought to take a photo the 'photo-op' had passed.
Ashley and I had a picnic right up on the lake with a view of Mt Fuji across the water, and that was pretty magical. There was about a 6 minute window
when there weren't any clouds obscuring any part of the mountain , and that view was definitely worth waiting for. Afterwards we rode a fun pirateship
ferry across the lake to the tram, which took us up to the thermal vents, and the home of the famous kuro tamago which are eggs that they boil in the
hot springs here to turn them jet black.
















I dressed in my beloved Niko And.. brand again this day...Actually, this event took place back in November before my last post, but I'm not very up-
to-date these days. I actually wore the exact same Niko And wool dress underneath this Niko And yellow jacket. The lengths lined up perfectly and the layering
was perfect for the sunny but chilly weather. I've always wanted to own a classic yellow raincoat, and I really like the cut and fit of this one. It was the
thing that caught my eye at Niko And.. during my first visit, and I kept coming back and eyeing it to see if it would go on sale. I'm glad I was patient, because
it did, and now it is mine, and we are in love<3