Memories from Japan is a collection of my notes, unedited,
originally written on my travel diary
or published in Facebook for my friends to read.
Memories from Hakone is the second part on the series.
Yet not so serious.
Sometimes hilarious, seldom lonely, and in sorrow.
Something that most Westerners meet and feel traveling in Japan for months and years.
Loving.
Missing.
Lonely.
Sad.
And the best time of their lives.
I’ve traveled across Japan multiple times and often spend months at a time in this beautiful place.
Yet most of the memories from Japan I have only kept secretly in my heart.
I seldom write blog posts from Japan as I want to enjoy my stays there with the fullest dedication.
Concentrating on my project.
But I don’t want to keep this secret from you.
I want you to know this lovely country.
This is why I started this series to share my unedited memories from Japan.
Not so much information, but moments,
small details,
feelings,
old-fashioned diary-style blog posts.
Eating and Hiking in Hakone
These memories from Hakone were written between the last day of November and the 2nd day of December 2015.
At the time I had traveled for three months in Japan and was soon leaving back to Europe.
I already started feeling a little bit blue, because of my soon to come farewell to Japan.
I was also on a very tight budget hence working on my personal photobook project.
I’d basically been eating eggs and rice and rice and eggs plus few pieces of toast with no toppings.
For three months in a row.
That’s when I ended up staying for a few nights in a hotel in Hakone, with breakfast and dinner included.
I hadn’t seen that much food for a very long time, so you can imagine how I felt getting all these meals carried in front of me.
Each of the pictures are collection of the food served at once.
One breakfast, one dinner.
For me only and alone.
It was so much that I decided to take pictures of all of those plates and to publish a photo collection after each meal to Facebook.
Pics in this article are the original ones.
Memories from Hakone
November 30th, 2015
“Eating and hiking.
That is my life in Japan these days.
But I will never get it: when I walk around in yukata and slippers, the Japanese come to dinner with outdoor clothing.
Embarrassed I decided to go today for dinner with my own clothing
and now they all are wearing yukatas.
The waitress sent a Yokohaman businessman to interview me (no one else spoke English) and he translated to the staff what I was there for etc. And he said that the waitress wanted to tell me that I seemed a very friendly and warm person.
I will start crying!
It is not me, I just respond that way when I am treated like they do here.
Next week back to Finland.
I am happy that Aeroflot planes don’t have monitors for front cameras like Finnair does.
I can’t handle seeing that bow they do when releasing the plane to taxi off.”
“This hotel has breakfast and dinner included in the price. Didn’t expect much, because the price is reasonable.
Then last night there were three waiters at the door greeting me by name.
I had hard time trying not to burst into a laughter when I was seated.
Have seen this much food only couple of times in last three months.
And Japanese eat the whole set in 30 minutes. I can manage in 45 min trying really hard.
And it is unpolite not to finish everything. But I just can’t eat this amount of food.”
Ending up joining karaoke
“After dinner I was already leaving to onsen when telephone rang.
Hello? It’s Edo, (really, he is called Edo! The businessman), will you join us to karaoke?
Of course I did!
We shared a bottle of wine and sang.
They wanted me to sing Your song with them, tried to resist, but well, what the heck.
Then they sang me My way.
Never get this country. How they do it, without knowing people, just with a little pieces of information.
And everytime I mention any place to a person, he/she is born there.
Not just saying, but really is.
I’ve mentioned three places on this trip; Nara, Nagasaki and Takayama.
Each of the listeners have born there.
But yes, then they sang me My way and finally we sang together Imagine.
I really want real life to be like that. Why all the people aren’t wanderers.
I am starting to miss this country already before leaving.
But still few more onsens to go, a few mountains to hike, even with tears in my eyes.
And yet, still few more people to meet.
Though already missing the ones I met on my way (!).
Walked my paths alone so many times, avoiding people. I just hate farewells.”
December 2nd, 2015
Morning
“And again: breakfast
I have just learned to eat at least something for breakfast occasionally (like a cup of coffee and a toast), so it is giving me terrible time to trying to eat all this. And I couldn’t finish it. I know it is unpolite not to, but I feel so sick.
And I think some amount to keep you going would be good, but how am I able to hike after this?!
Rather take a nap.
Well, last day here, so, to the lake and mountains!”
Evening
“I was so tired today, that didn’t want to walk too much.
After a hike I arrived to a harbor and noticed there 7/11. I wanted to buy some chocolate, but there was last ferry leaving in 10 minutes and I had to decide whether to take that ferry or buy chocolate and walk home 19 km in the dark and miss my dinner. So I decided not to want that chocolate so bad.
Needed to retake that hiking selfie from September when I saw a similar mirror on a way.
Little bit more to wear nowadays, – it’s 40 degrees colder than then.
It was my first hike, this one the last.
Same time I feel it was just last week and like it was in previous life.
Fuji wasn’t visible today, but it was anyway nice to walk before getting back to city life.
Rest of the December will be in Tokyo, Helsinki, Madrid and Bruxelles.
But one more great dinner and hot onsen before that.
Or maybe two onsens since the outside one, which is my favourite, is open for women after dinner, but I also need that hot bath right away.”
“Taking my last hike here before slowly moving towards home via Tokyo.
(Wherever my home is)
This one I’ll need to do without my camera. Just walking.
Feeling very tired, but going outside always helps.
But I can’t do it.
The leaving part.”
