HAKONE
4, Excursion boat riding on Ashi lake
Volcanic activities in Hakone region started 400,000 years ago, formed old Hakone volcano
of 2,700 meters high 250,000 years ago and a great cave-in formed Hakone caldera
180,000 years ago.
We can enjoy short crusie of 40 minutes from the north to the south of
Ashi lake
or vice versa on a pirate style boat watching the mountins, lake , etc.
Mt. Fuji is seen from the valley.
Onsen tamago, eggs are cooked black
at this volcanic fountain .
Hakone is located 100 kilometers west of Tokyo and was developed as the
first modern
summer resort for foreign diplomats in 1870s. Its caldera area was formed
by volcanic
activities and land subsidence. Therefore it is very famous of hot springs
with many hotels
and summer houses.
Vapor explosion on Mt. Kamiyama dammed a river to form Lake Ashi 3,000
years ago.
It has an extension of 7.10 square kilometers and circumference of 21 kilometers
and
is at 723 meters above sea level with an averaged depth of 15 meters where
many fresh
water fishes such as trout, carp, etc. are.
Accordingly many tourists enjoy taking a pleasure boat, picnic, hot spring
bath, etc.
Mt. Komagatake is situated by Lake Ashi with 1,357meters high above sea
level and
we can climb up to its top of 1,800 meters in 7 minutes by cable car from
the lake shore.
From the top we enjoy seeing Mt. Fuji, Sagami and Suruga bays, Izu peninsula,
Odawara city
and so on when it is fine.
Many foreign tourists on the boat.
One of excrusion boats passing by
ours to anther direction
A small Komagatake shrine is at the top of
Mt. Komagatake.
Mt. Fuji is seen form the cable car when it is fine.
A cherry tree at the parking lot of the cable car
station of the foot of Mt. mount Komagateke
Lake Ashi and Surga bay are seen below
form cable car. And two pleasure boats
are seen sailing on the Lake.
1, Lake Ashi and Komagatake mountain
Owaku Valley is also called "Hell valley". It was formed 2,900
years ago by pyroclasticflow
and land slide cuased by vapor explosion.
We can see volcanic activities only up there in Hakone where they sell
black Onsen tamago, i.e.
hot spring ggs covered with black sulfur iron on the surface.
They are cooked black in volcanic hot spring and it is announced that if
one eats an egg,
he or she could live 7 years longer.
Hakone shrine was constructed by MANGAN, priest in 757, of which one of
vermilion gates
stands in the lake. It is said in a local legend that the priest suppressed
a dragon with
nine heads, which had devoured children around the lake, and sank it with
big weights to
the bottom of the lake.
The pond with a small shrine and
many carps near the main gate.
The shrine of nine head dragon in the precincts
of Hakone shrine
Suruga bay and Lake Ashi are seen below
form the top of Mt. Komagatake
Pacific Ocean and Odawara city are seen below
form the top of Mt. Komagatake
Hakone shrine and forest at the back
2, Hakone shrine
White smokes are coming out of valley constantly
