Edited version of Kelly’s method:
1) Find a sign or map with both the English and Japanese versions and take a photo of it for future use.
2) Flex your creative brain muscles and equate symbols to familiar pictures.

For example, in the sign below, the first character looks like a P9 and the second character looks like a ladder on the left side. The second to last character looks like Gumby with the letter J, while the last character looks like a house.

So far, we have used the letter J, the letter R, a power line, a person, a house, two flags surrounding a hut, and a disc golf hole, just to name a few.  Some of the simpler Japanese characters also look like Hebrew letters.

Following our Mt. Fuji experience, the comfort and relaxation of the onsen hotel in Hakone was a nice respite. The hot springs helped soothe sore muscles (at least for Kelly and me, Ryan and Jason opted out of the nudity required onsens), and the Japanese style sleeping mats in the hotel were very comfortable. We opted for the breakfast buffet in the hotel Wednesday morning with both Japanese and western style breakfast foods, allowing us to try the unusual items, and then eat eggs, cereal, yogurt, and fruit. Check out our room and Ryan, Kelly, and Jason in the traditional yukata robes.

           

Jason requested flowers for our room at the onsen, the first night of our honeymoon spent in a hotel, but there was a bit of miscommunication. The front desk presented us with the flowers upon check-out, and we couldn’t quite get across the point that they were supposed to be in the room. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, and they were very nice flowers.

After breakfast began the complex journey to Jogasaki, taking a bus to a train to a train to a train. Kelly had all the directions well detailed, and we surprisingly managed to get on all the correct trains. The trip was definitely worth it! This section along the eastern coast was created by lava from the Omuroyama Volcano over 4000 years ago and has beautiful rocky cliffs with magnificent views of the ocean and the city. We climbed the Kadowaki Cape lighthouse, crossed the suspension bridge at Kadowakizaki point, and went for an easy hike along the coast line . . . because we didn’t get enough hiking on Mt. Fuji and had no sore muscles whatsoever.

The journey then continued with a train to a train to a train (to maybe another train, I lost count), landing us in Kyoto in time for a late dinner.

Around 5am the next morning we woke to the sunrise (took a while to formulate a logical hypothesis for why the sun might rise at such a different time than in NY City given they are at the same latitude). With Udon-filled stomachs, we navigated our way to the 5th station on Mt. Fuji where we started the climb to our 8th station hut for the night.

We met a very friendly couple from NY City, Willa and Dan, and traded picture taking duties and email addresses along the ascent.  They were so nice that Kelly “wishes we were friends with them in real life.”

Arriving at the hut, Nicole skipped dinner and went to bed promptly at 5:15 due to a headache. Ryan forced down some of the “western dinner” (salisbury steak, potato salad, and rice), only to see it a second and third time later that night. The headache and shortness of breath eventually led to a self diagnosis of mild altitude sickness. Kelly and Jason enjoyed the meal and felt great. The hut accommodations were, shall we say, minimal. We felt like sardines with 100 of our closest coughing, sneezing, snoring, stinky friends. If only there were a Nyquil for that…

The next morning we started our final ascent to the summit around 3:30am to catch the 5:15 sunrise. The last stretch was very much a traffic jam of hikers with headlamps illuminating switchbacks up the mountain. The sunrise was spectacular even though it was cold and blustery with wind gusts upwards of 50 mph (says Ryan the weatherman). The picture of Nicole and video from Jason say it all

Jason’s windy Video

After a peek into the mouth of the volcano, which in geological terms should be erupting any day now [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_eruptions_of_Mount_Fuji], and a successful walk around the rim (we weren’t blown off), we started our descent down the officially closed Gotemba trail. 8km of unrelenting switchbacks through a Martian landscape. The terrain was all part of a centuries old lava flow with almost no flora or fauna to be found. The crushed rocks did make for fun sliding (ice skating style) down at times.

Upon reaching the bus stop at the bottom, we were met with the realization that when the trail is officially shut down for the season, so are the weekday bus routes. A few unsuccessful (and pricey) cellphone calls to local cab companies eventually had us reaching out to our saviour Chen to arrange a cab to the local bus station.

Days into trip: 4, Shower count: 1

On to Hakone…

Our 27 hour journey to Tokyo took just 13 hours aboard the 777. Night time chased us west around the globe, but never caught up. Thankfully everyone closed their window shades. 2 movies intermingled with long naps helped pass the time. Chen, a good friend of Jason’s from grade school met us at the airport and guided us through the maze of trains to our first meal and his apartment floor for the night. Here’s the tomato-based Ramen that everyone ate (except Ryan, due to the mystery peanut ingredient we were warned about, thanks to Chen). Nicole says it was “just eh.”

Today feels like yesterday. That’s because we didn’t sleep last night with all the last minute preparations. After a smooth ride to the airport in John’s new Grand Cherokee (sweet ride!), and a 2 minute flight to O’Hare (measured by minutes spent awake on the plane), we were greeted at the gate in Chicago by Kelly & Jason who are joining us on the 12+ hour flight to Tokyo for the first leg of our trip!

Here’s our 777 waiting for us to board. Looks clean and in good working condition to me (although I must say our MD-80 from AUS was probably the most worn looking plane we’ve been on in a while)

And here are Kelly and Jason just minutes before boarding:

See you on the flip side.