hakone-ito-12-14-17

Woke up quite early and updated web pages from last night.

Made a trip to restrooms (not in room) and then took a dip in the private onsen that I hadn't tried the night before.   

Here are some photos of the "private onsen" (this one would only fit about 2 people, the others from yesterday would probably fit about 5-10 depending on

which one).  Also some pictures of the 'pre-onsen' room for cleaning up, the 'post onsen' room for hair (hair dryers, combs, q-tips, etc).

Headed back to room and updated some web content and will read a book on my kindle until breakfast arrives at 8:00am or so.

All done eating -- packing up after updating the above web pages and checking out.   Plan on 

walking back to the station and locking my bags up

and then taking a train to check out the Hakone Open Air Museum.

Nothing like an underground "mortar" brick maze (think hedge maze) to confuse the walk through the art park--

I completed the outdoor tour of the art.  There were also two indoor exhibits, but no cameras allowed so nothing to document here.   The only thing I really liked "inside" was on the way out they had a iittle stage you could walk up

on and a computer generated real-time figure would 'match' what you did on the stage.   So if you raised up your left arm it would too, etc.    Kind of fun.

Went back to the local train station to take a slow ride back to the hakone-yumoto station where I'd locked my bags up.   On the way I saw this cool restaurant 'art' (but didn't feel like a burger so skipped eating there).

Also took this video of the "slow train" approaching the station to document what that looked like:

Grabbed a quick rice and tempura (with miso and pickled veggies) lunch at a local restaurant before hopping on a couple of trains to

get to Ito.

Took the train back to Onagawa Station and then asked how to get a ticket on the express train to Ito.   Directed to the JR office and stood in line to buy the ticket

and then made it with about 5 minutes to spare to track 3 of the JR line to hop the train.    The express is nice because (1) no transfer required at another station and

(2) it skipped a bunch of small stations - less of a milk run.

Made it to Ito Station about an hour before check-in time so locked up my bags at the station and walked around town.   I've been to Ito before so I made a quick stop 

at the bread/pastry store to pickup some treats for tomorrow in case I leave before they open (or if I get hungry at 2am).   I got an almond croissant and a bau filled with (I think)

azuki bean paste.     

Oh and YES, I (or they) always find one another -- look who ran into a small market shop and looked back at me (actually there were two of them)

Walked around a bit more -- got to the shoreline and took a nice video or two of a 360 looking out to sea and back to Ito.   Also one of a guy fishing on the pier structure.

Walked back to station and picked up by bags and then walked to Yokikan Ryokan to check in.

They were all ready for me, so checkin was really just walking in the front door.   I deposited my shoes with them and was guided to my room.

I got the impression that because I was a repeat customer who had emailed the manager in advance asking to have their special meal that they upgraded me to a higher level

of room than I was paying for (and certainly than I had last time).    I was taken up the funicular to the "3rd floor" (which is really a separate building up on the hill where their

outdoor onsen is) and put in a room with a great view:

The room itself was also much larger and had a built in "well tub" .   Also when I was taken to my room I was offered the complementary check-in tea and a nice pudding dessert treat:

" 

After soaking in the private tub I moved to the outdoor onsen and soaked there for a while.

Then I went back to the room and entered much of the above onto the web before dinner arrived... then it was time to do some serious eating!

After dinner they came and added my 'bed', which I quickly fell into and fell asleep