■Owakudani

 Owakudani is another of Japan’s “Hell Valleys,” and was once called such until a visit from the Emperor prompted a switch to a less inauspicious name.  Owakudani means Big Seething Valley, a more or less perfect description of what travelers will find here.  The valley was created in an eruption about 3,000 years ago, and is still shrouded in the reeking steam that pours from active sulfur vents scattered among the lava formations and bubbling pools of boiling water.

Aside from the obvious appeal of picking your way through a shattered, volcanically active landscape, the main draw at Owakudani are kurotamago, eggs that are hard-boiled in one of the valley’s pools.  Minerals dissolved in the water, principally iron and sulfur, turn the eggshells black and impart a slight flavor to the eggs, which are said to lengthen the lifespan of anyone who eats them by seven years.  Seven years is a good long time, so most visitors who arrive at Owakudani’s cable car terminal brave the one kilometer hike up to where the eggs are boiled and served. 

A word of warning for those with a fear of heights: a number of travelers have described one stretch of the cable car ride, when you cross a ridge and are suddenly suspended hundreds of feet in the air above the Big Seething Valley, as a bit unnerving.  On a windy day it can be especially interesting.  Fortunately, you’ll have a good view of Mt. Fuji to help dispel the worst of the panic.


>>Access
Sengokuhara, Hakone-cho, Ashikagashimo-gun, Kanagawa

JR Odawara station====(50 min. by Izu-Hakone Bus)====
Owakudani

>>Website
National Park Hakone Owakudani (English, Chinese, Korean)



■Yosegi

A traditional craft of Hakone, yosegi is a marvelous mosaic woodworking technique that uses variously colored woods to create geometric patterns reminiscent of Middle Eastern art.  Lengths of wood are glued together in the desired arrangement, and then slices are sawn perpendicularly.  These are assembled and glued into larger arrangements, and finally veneers are cut away and applied to other surfaces.  The complex patterns range from simple checkerboard shapes to elaborate, interlocking starbursts and knots. 

The most expensive pieces are striking cabinets and tables.  Antique examples are available from some dealers, and the aged wood can take on an absolutely enchanting beauty.  Most of what you’ll see, though, are puzzle boxes, tea caddies and the like intended for the tourist trade.  Don’t turn your nose up too quickly, though.  These are a cut above most similarly priced souvenirs in both craftsmanship and beauty.  I treasured a yosegi puzzle box that I was given as a child for 20 years before it was lost.

In Hakone, the Yosegi Kaikan gives demonstrations of the craft, as well as offering an exhibition of fine examples and finished pieces for sale.


●Hatajuku Yosegi Kaikan
>>Access
103 Hagajuku, Hakone-cho, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa

JR Odawara Station====(15 min. by Hakone Tozan Railway)====Hakone Yumoto Station====(17 min. by bus)====Hatajuku bus stop====(2 min. on foot)====Hatajuku Yosegi Kaikan

>>Hours
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.(4:30 p.m. December to mid March)

>>Holidays
End of year and new years days

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　-Matt Mangham

>>Hotels and Ryokans in Hakone Yumoto