Japan Hour: Road Trip On Hakone Tozan Railway (Part 1)
Local lines. Trains travelling through beautiful places of Japan that make us feel nostalgic. Season by season, we enquire local residents to find breathtaking scenery, delicious cuisine, and wonderful accommodations. It's a journey to uncover the gems only the locals know about. All aboard to find the home in our hearts.
(Home in our hearts) This time, the journey takes place in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture on the Hakone Tozan Railway. The train travels through steep mountains. -Wow, so cute. -Here it is!
It's a chocolate rail track. It's a railway track and it's red. It's so tender. Is it good? Our travellers enjoy specialty dishes, and... This feels nice! I feel happy. This is great.
They relax in the finest hot spring. -I see Mount Fuji! -Where? -Incredible. -Incredible. -Look! -Amazing! They're touched by the magnificent view of Mount Fuji. And... Our duo also has their first "matchmaking portraits" taken.
However... -They said no. -They said no. -It's very crowded right now. -That's right. It says that they're sorry but it's their regular holiday today. Really? Are they closed on Wednesdays? It's a two-day overnight trip with a series of unexpected events! We're experiencing power outage right now. Let's get started! All aboard our journey of enquiry and discovery! (Journey of enquiry and discovery) (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture) The journey begins in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
This time, they'll start from Odawara Station of the Hakone Tozan Railway. Who are our travellers? This is the first time we work together. Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you too. Joining the journey for the third time, this is Motoko Obayashi, a former member of the Olympic Volleyball Team.
This is Tamahei Hayashiya, the oldest son of Shozo Hayashiya, a Rakugo (Japanese storytelling) performer. This is the very first time he appears on a travel show. Aren't you about my mother's age? You'd ask that right away? -Well... -I'm already not excited about this. But you're right. I'm 51 years old now. -Is that so? -And your mother? She's 55 years old.
-I see. -I'm 24 years old this year. -You're so young! -So... Mr Shozo and I are about the same age.
I see. I didn't realise he had a son who's so big. -Just on this trip, can I call you Mama? -Mama? -Okay, I'll call you Tama-chan then. -Tama-chan? The Hakone Tozan Railway connects Odawara City to Hakone Town in Kanagawa. On this trip, our travellers will travel from Odawara Station to Gora Station.
They'll then switch to a cable car and head to Sounzan Station. There are 16 stations total, and the total distance is 16.2 kilometres. Their goal is to enquire local residents and create an original travel guide with 10 entries. There are so many things in front of the station.
What's that in front of us? What's that? What's that? We're at Odawara Station, so... Is that Odawara Castle? Really? Odawara Castle? -Is it that near the station? -It's visible from the station. Yes, it is.
But I guess we have to take the train and not go to the castle. -I want to go. -Me too. -We can't? -No. Shall we take the train? I wish we could go. -The weather is nice too. -That's true. So our duo passes Odawara Castle, and goes inside of the station right away.
I'm not sure either. Which train will we take today? Today, we'll take the Hakone Tozan... -Line. -Hakone Tozan Line. Will we switch to a cable car halfway? Cable car? It says a cable car. We'll need to get off and take that. -I see. -I'd love to take a cable car.
I'd love to! But it's quite a way ahead. Which station of the Hakone Tozan Line should we get off first? Since it's the first time... -Yes, first time. -So we should... -go to a station with many people. -To a large station.
It'd be easy for us to enquire the local residents. It'd be good for a beginner. -For a beginner. -I personally think so. -Thank you very much. -So from here... What about Hakone-Yumoto Station? -You know that station, right? -Yes, it's famous.
I'm impressed that you can reach that. I can't reach it at all. Wow, impressive. This station.
Our duo first heads to Hakone-Yumoto Station, where they'll be many people. They buy tickets and go to the platform. Nice.
It's cute. It's a bit... -It has a bit of a retro feel. -Yes, it does. It has a mysterious red colour.
Let's go in. (10:07 am) The overnight two-day trip of enquiry and discovery starts now! The line between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora was established in 1919, and the Hakone Tozan Railway celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. It is one of the few mountain railways in the country, where a spectacular view of the Hakone mountains can be seen from the windows! -Let's do some research. -In Hakone-Yumoto... are there any places or tourist attractions that you'd recommend? I have recommendations for food.
You should try Yubadon. -Yubadon? -Yubadon? -Yubadon. -Yubadon. Okay. Where can we find it? What is it famous for? Let's see... In front of the station? You have to go a bit farther from the station.
It's famous, so people would know if you ask there. It's a famous Yubadon place. I'll write down this famous Yubadon. I've never had a Yubadon before. It has Yuba? -I haven't tried it myself. -You haven't?
-Is that so? -Really? (Hakone-Yumoto Station) In about 14 minutes, our duo arrives at their first stop, Hakone-Yumoto Station. -Thank you for the great information. -Thank you. Wow, this is a touristic place. -Here we are. -There are many... tourists here. There are so many tourists.
-Amazing. -There are so many. -Let's first check our next train. -Let's check. -We should have about... -How much time? If we want one entry, we should have one hour.
-We should have two hours just in case. -Two hours. There are trains at 12:38 pm and 12:52 pm. Should we take this one? That sounds good. Around noon.
(2 hours 15 minutes until the 12:38 pm train) Excuse me. Sorry for asking you this in front of the products that you sell, but are there any spots here that you recommend? -Spots that I recommend? -Is there anything? I've only been working here since yesterday. -So I don't know. -Are you a local?
I'm from Odawara. We came from Odawara. -That's right. -Is that so? -Hello. -Let's ask their customers. No? Yes, I played volleyball. You're good!
I used to play too. You did? Was it a team of six people? Or nine people? Six... I mean nine people. -Impressive. -I'm an old woman over 70. -Do you play it now? -I did this. Back when we had to do this to play volleyball. In the old times.
Are you a local here? -No, I'm visiting here. -So are you a tourist? Yes. It was nice to meet you. Thank you very much.
Let's try the specialty at this store. -This store's specialty. -Anything? Sorry, it's my first day at work. Over here, we have...
Hakone no Otsukisama, a hot spring manju which is our most popular product. We have freshly made ones outside. If you'd like, you can eat fresh ones over there. -Hello. -Hello. We were recommended to eat one of these.
Thank you. -Let's get one each. -Sure. We'll have Hakone no Otsukisama.
-We'll have two, please. -Please. Thank you. Do you have any recommendations around here? If you want food, Yubadon is famous here.
Yubadon again. -Like earlier. -In the back alley. Go into the back alley. -Right over there? -Yes.
What's the name? Yuba... Naokichi. -Naokichi. -Naokichi. -Thank you. -Thank you. Now that they have this great tip, they'll try this store's specialty hot spring manju.
-It's hot! -Is it? It's hot but tasty. I've never tried a freshly-made manju before. It's soft, and the sweet bean paste spreads in my mouth.
I like the sweet bean paste, -and the skin made with brown sugar. -Me too. Thank you for the food. -It was great. -Thank you.
Ms Obayashi! -Hello. Are you visiting as tourists? -Yes. Where are you going? Where are you going? We're going to have buckwheat noodles. -Buckwheat noodles? -Really? Is it famous? It's called Hatsuhana. Thank you. -Hatsuhana. -Hatsuhana. That probably means "the first flower."
Our duo also learns about a popular buckwheat noodle shop. They're curious about it, but they'll first head to the Yubadon restaurant they were first recommended. Buckwheat noodles... It says Yubadon right over there. Is that the one? -They must be here for Yubadon too. -Yeah. Yubadon. It's dark and the lights are off.
-I really want to eat Yubadon. -Me too. It says that they're sorry but it's their regular holiday today. Oh no. -Okay, let's look for something else. -Sure. -We don't have time. -Right.
We need to find two entries before 12:30 pm. -We need to hurry. -Yeah. We can find one entry related to food. But here...
Hello. Good morning. Thank you. Sorry, we checked Naokichi just now, and they're not open. -Is that so? -Is there any place you'd recommend? -A buckwheat noodle shop. -Really? -What is the place called? -What was it? -Hatsu... -The ladies we met just now!
-On the opposite side of the road. -Hatsuhana? -What's famous there? -Not open yet. -I'm not sure. -But is it famous?
People line up for it. -Sorry for the trouble. Thank you. -Thank you. -Should be easy to find if there's a line. -What do you think?
Where is it? But the two ladies were walking that way. -They were customers. -Right. -Shall we get back to the street? -Shall we? -Hello. -Hello. The river looks pretty. Wow, very pretty. -It's so pretty. -It is.
-Beautiful mountains. -This makes me feel like I'm on a trip. Yes, we are on a trip. -Yes, we are. -We travelled from Odawara.
-It took about 20 minutes to get here. -Yes. -All right, now... -Look! -I see Hatsuhana! -There it is! -It's over there. -Can we get there from here?
-No, we need to get over there. -While enjoying the view, our duo finds the buckwheat noodle shop they are looking for. -That's not fair. -Hatsuhana! But I'm not sure if they'll be okay with us filming. -I see. Hello. -Hello. Around 12:30 pm, we'll...
-There it is. -I see it. It looks nice by the river. We need to ask for permission.
-So this is the moment I see on TV? -Exactly. -Really? -Yes, we'll ask about filming. Okay, wait. Let's go together.
It's the first time on the trip that they ask for permission to film. Sorry for the sudden visit. Can I talk to you? We don't have an appointment, but we were recommended to eat at this place.
On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, our duo asks for permission to film at a buckwheat noodle shop in Hakone-Yumoto. What will they say? (1 hour 46 minutes until the 12:38 pm train) -They said no. -They said no. -It's crowded now. -It's crowded. -It can't be helped. -Right.
They said no to filming because the store is full. Let's find the next thing. -There were more people that way. -Local residents... Let's ask that older lady.
-That would be good. -Yeah. -Hello. -Hello. Are you a local? -Yes, I am. -My name is Motoko Obayashi.
-I'm Tamahei Hayashiya. -This is Hayashiya. Do you have any recommendations? Recommendations? If you go straight here... -there are two udon noodle shops. -Udon noodles. -There are two? -That's right. They both use handmade udon noodles, and they're good.
-What are they called? -The store names? It's Gen, and the other one is called Akatsukitei. -Which street are they on? -Let's see... Cross the Tamadare Bridge of Tenseien, and walk for a while.
Towards the mountains where it's a bit dark. -There's another one ahead of that. -Ahead of that? Did you just say Tenseien? Yes, Tamadare waterfall. Is it pretty? It's not that impressive. Really? I'm sure you're being humble because you're a local.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you very much. Bye. Okay, let's go. Finally, we have hope. It's our second hope. Tenseien sounds nice.
They walk along the river for five minutes. That's Tenseien. There's nothing behind that.
It's massive. It's huge! I think it's the biggest hotel around here. They continue to walk a bit farther. Are many places closed today? It seems so. Oh, there's Akatsukitei! There it is! -There's Akatsukitei! -There it is! -Akatsukitei! -There it is.
Are they open? -I see cars in the car park. -Are they open to begin with? Okay, your turn this time. -Me? -You go on your own.
What if they say no? -I'll go ask. -Good luck! It says they're not open yet. They open at 11:30 am. What time is it now? They'll open in 20 minutes.
-20 minutes. -However... -However? -We have another recommendation. -That's right, we got another one. -Exactly. On the way here, the lady earlier mentioned Tenseien.
-Let's go! -Let's go! -All right! -All right! -We'll go back! -Let's go back! Since the store is not open yet, our duo heads to a waterfall at Tenseien they passed earlier. Here's Tenseien. -When you look at it... -It says "waterfall" over there.
It's the second time that they ask for permission to film. What will they say this time? We were running just now. Thank you, we'll be back. Thank you. It looks nice. -Tamadare. -Tamadare waterfall and Tamadare Shrine.
(Tamadare Shrine) -Attack. -No. -Attack! -I can reach it. You can? Toss. I can reach it.
There it is. Wow, it's huge. There's a rope there.
-It's a sacred straw rope. -That's right. Yosano Akiko? "Kimi Shi ni..." "Kimi Shi ni Tamou Koto Nakare!" I dealt with something like that in a play. Is that so? She loved the water from Tamadare waterfall, and wrote a poem about it.
The Tamadare waterfall is about eight metres tall, and is about 11 metres wide. The water resembles white rain lilies as it flows down, and has detailed and beautiful shapes, which is where the name came from. Yosano Akiko used to love drinking water from this waterfall, and she wrote a poem about it. This is very close to the water surface. I'm scared. But look! This rock looks spiritual.
It's a spiritual site. Thank you. Impressive. The first entry in the guidebook is the Tamadare waterfall of Tenseien which Yosano Akiko liked. -Yes! -We did it! -Next! -Let's go.
There's a duck. -A duck. -There's a duck. Here it is. -See. -Look at that duck.
This is a duck, right? -It's a duck. -Hi, duck. Hi, duck! It's coming this way. It's quacking. It's like an insurance commercial.
Hi, duck! -I'm sure it'll bite. -You think so? That'd hurt. Hi, duck! It's used to people. -That's true. -It lives here.
I see. -It's the duck's home. -We'll go have udon noodles. Thank you. The water was pretty. Bye. -It's shaking its tail. -Yeah.
Let's go back to the store that wasn't open yet. It should be open by now. Can we go in? I see customers inside. Will they be able to have a meal here? How was it? They said okay. But remember how the lady told us this place had good udon noodles? This is a buckwheat noodle shop.
-She said udon noodles. -Maybe for her... she calls buckwheat noodles udon. I went in without checking, and told them that we wanted to try their udon noodles. They told me they didn't have udon noodles. -It's fine. -Let's go. -Excuse me. -Sorry for the trouble.
It's for two people and we're filming, so somewhere where we won't be in the way? -Ma'am. -What do you recommend? -Aren't you Ms Motoko Obayashi? -I am. -I often see you on TV. -Thank you. -Sorry. -As for recommendations...
Today, we have a two-coloured set meal with yuzu. It's in a two-tiered food box. We serve yuzu buckwheat noodles and regular noodles. Other than that, we have these. You can order tempura too. -I'll have this one. -Two-coloured set meal?
Which should I get? What do you recommend? Tempura set meal? Hakone Akatsukian has been in business for 26 years this year. They mill only enough flour for each day in a stone mill, and make their specialty buckwheat noodles with great care! This is for the tempura set meal. -Here are the noodles. -Thank you. They're two-eight noodles. -Thank you. -Two-eight?
Eight parts of buckwheat flour and two parts of wheat flour. Maybe it's been like that all the time, but in Edo, they could eat buckwheat noodles for the price of sixteen mon. It was very affordable. Sixteen is eight times two, so that could be why it's called "two-eight." There are several different theories. Amazing, you sound like a Rakugo performer.
Suddenly, I am. -Is that so? -I am one. Here it is. The top tier has yuzu noodles. Below are the regular noodles. -Look. -Does it have yuzu inside?
They mixed in yuzu. -Noodles below are the same as yours. -Is that so? -Two-eight noodles. -Two-eight. -2 times 8 equals 16. -Thank you for it. The noodles look great. Put just a bit.
You're used to eating them. Well, not really. -Nice sound. -I was hoping for a louder sound.
-It has a great yuzu flavour. -Really? The yuzu smell goes through my nose. It's filling up my nose. Thank you for it. -Is it good? -It has a great texture. Very nice texture.
-They're gentle. -Do you want to try the yuzu one? -Can I have some? -Sure. I'll try the yuzu noodles. I think this much would be good.
-Yuzu. -It fills up your nose. -All yuzu. -That's right. -They're very chewy. -Yes, they are. -Very chewy. -That's right.
You'll go for the shrimp? It's crispy. It's huge! It's as big as my face. The second entry in the guidebook is Hakone Akatsukian, where they serve their specialty handmade noodles.
-Thank you for the food. -Thank you very much. Bye. -Thank you. -Thank you.
Right now... -We wanted to take the 12:52 pm train. -We won't make it. It's already 12:47 pm. No matter how fast I run, we won't make it. So the next train is...
1:10 pm? It's at 1:12 pm. Though they couldn't take the train that they planned to take, they found two entries so they get back to the station. -I wanted to go to a hot spring. -It can't be helped. Right, it can't be helped.
-We had great food. -We did. -We did. -And a great view too. Where should we go next? -Tonosawa? -Tonosawa? -Next stop? -Next stop. We progressed forward a lot before this. The person next to me also looks like a tower ("tou" as in Tonosawa). Are you talking about me? Go buy tickets.
Next, they'll head to Tonosawa, the neighbouring station. Around here? Excuse me. Sorry that we have a filming crew with us. Sorry about that.
(1:12 pm) (Tonosawa Station) Four minutes after leaving Hakone-Yumoto Station, our duo arrives at the neighbouring Tonosawa Station. (Tonosawa Station) (1:16 pm) Nobody is getting off. Nobody. -Only one person got off. -No way. Only one person.
-You know... -This isn't good. Surprisingly, there's nobody around! I want to turn back. This is what this journey is about.
-No way. -Surprisingly. On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, our duo is at Tonosawa Station. (Tonosawa Station) Surprisingly, there's nobody around! I want to turn back. -This is what this journey is about. -Really? I'm not surprised, though. Well...
-Hello. -Excuse me. Hello. Is anybody here? Hello. Do you work at the store? At this station, and at this place, are there any spots that you'd recommend? There's a day-use hot spring called Yuryo. Yuryo? Can we go there on foot? -It's about 200 metres away. -That's close. Climb up towards the left.
Also, Tonosawa was... the most cultivated place in Hakone. -Cultivated? -The most. -The first one. -The first one. There's a hotel called Kansuirou where Ito Hirobumi stayed.
There's another one called Fukuzumirou where Momosuke Fukuzawa stayed. Some other writers did too. This is a great place with a lot of history, but only one passenger got off here. That's right. The most cultivated place in Hakone is now the most deserted. -Everyone goes to Hakone-Yumoto. -That's right.
So now... In the old times when I was a kid, this used to be a lively place. But then buses were introduced around 1965, and everyone took buses. -They take buses. -And pass this place. -I'm sure people also take cars. -That's true. -Okay, thank you. -Thank you.
It's pretty. Maple leaves. Very nice.
I like it. There are dead leaves too, but it still looks pretty. -It has a nice atmosphere. -Nice breeze too.
They walk for about five minutes, admiring the beautiful valley. -Hello. -Hello. Are you tourists? Did you visit the hot spring? -We'll go now. -Which one?
Could it be that you're going this way? -That place. Yuryo. -Is this place famous? I thought it looked nice. We're going there too. -Really? -We heard it's nice.
-Bye. -Thank you. There's even a bus that leaves from here. But... -But? -But we need to film. -Yes, we need to film. -If we go there on our own, -we can do whatever we want. -No problem. -But we need to film. -Yes.
Or it won't be counted as an entry. Filming a hot spring is tricky. We need to adjust the time or rent the entire bath. -That's a lot. -That's true. According to Ms Obayashi, getting permission from a hot spring is tricky.
What will they say? -I'll announce the result. -Please. They said no. -They said no, as I expected. -Sorry. So... -Let's find something else. -Sure. Hello.
Are you not going there? -They said no. -We can't film. Do you know any good stores? -Stores? -Yes. -There's another day-use hot spring. -It's the white building there. -It's that white building. -What is it called? Is it right there? Yes, it's right over there.
They're open for day-use. -We'll go check. Thank you. -Thank you. I hope you can get in.
I hope so too. Thank you. I want to go to a hot spring. Great, it's right in front of us. Ichi... -It's called Ichinoyu. -It's the white building. So far, they've got two yeses and two nos.
How will it go this time? Here's the reception. We can't help smiling right now. We can't help it. -Seriously. -Here we go. -Okay. -Okay.
-Yes! -Let's go! Even I can go in. There happens to be nobody. I was told that I don't need to be filmed, so I'll go enjoy the bath by myself. -It doesn't make sense. -Bye. -What? -I'm kidding. Let's go. -What? -There are other customers, so...
I see. The camera can only follow you. -That's right. -But I'll go by myself.
I'll enjoy the bath. -I'll let you know how it is. -It's not fair. This is great. Thank you for having us. -Welcome. -Thank you for having us. -It'll be one man and one woman. -Understood.
I'll see you later. Yes, please enjoy. -I'll see you later. -See you later. Tonosawa Ichinoyu is a long-established inn that opened in 1630. In the new building of the hotel, they have a natural hot spring with water flowing directly from the source which is open for customers to stop by and relax to the fullest.
This feels nice. This is amazing. It revives me. Earlier... They told me something. This hot spring is good for people with back pain. As a Rakugo performer, I have to sit straight.
So I often hurt my knees. I've also strained my back recently, though I'm only 24 years old. But it's always nice to come to a hot spring with healing properties. I can feel that my body is happy.
Let's go to the open-air bath. I'm sure you are waiting. Sorry for the long wait. Here is the open-air bath. Here is the open-air bath. Look at that.
There are some fallen leaves. That looks nice. Here it is.
It's rare to see fallen leaves these days. That's how close we are to nature. That's the best thing about an open-air bath. This feels nice.
Ms Obayashi is enjoying the bath in private. The third entry in the guidebook is the great hot spring of Tonosawa Ichinoyu, which was established in the Edo period. Thank you very much.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you for everything. Nice breeze. We just got out of the bath.
What time is it now? It's 2:35 pm right now. When was our train? There are trains around 2:30 pm and at 2:52 pm. -It's at 2:54 pm. -2:54 pm.
-Let's take that. -From here on... Our duo is very happy with the hot spring. They walk back to the station all refreshed. Sir? There you are. -We're back. -Did you go to the bath?
-We did. -It's nice, isn't it? Due to reasons related to filming, we went to Ichinoyu instead. -We took a bath there. -Thank you. -The water was smooth, and it was nice. -Thank you very much.
She looks younger now, doesn't she? Do I? Oh, is your wife here too? Oh yeah. -Hi. -Thank you. You've taken great care of us. -We're on a journey right now. -That's right. At the next station or the station after that, we'd like to find a place to stay.
Which station would have more places to stay? Ohiradai? Nothing at Ohiradai. They should go to Miyanoshita. They need an inn or a place to stay. -There are many nice inns at Miyanoshita. -That's true. What about the next station? The next station is called Ohiradai, but there aren't many places there.
-I don't think there are inns. -No? -What's after that? -Miyanoshita. -Miyanoshita. -Two stops away.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you. After enquiring, our duo finds that there are more accommodations at Miyanoshita Station compared to Ohiradai Station. So they'll head to Miyanoshita Station. -The shape of the seats looks different. -Oh yes. Completely different.
Around here? (2:54 pm) Can we not get off? -They're doing a switchback. -I see. Are they charging energy now? A switchback is when a train zigzags up a steep slope, changing direction as it climbs. It's a popular attraction among railway enthusiasts on the Hakone Tozan Railway. It's going down now. What does this mean? How can I explain this? When a train is moving on a railway track, -to make it easier to climb up... -They do this?
-Exactly. -I see. They switchback a lot. That's why it moves this way. I see.
-That's how they climb up. -I see. -It goes back and forth. -If people didn't know that, they'd be confused why it's not moving forward. Right when the train is about to do the second switchback... Is this a birthday surprise for someone? Are they trying to save energy? What's going on? They're stopping. -They said it'd stop twice. -Power outage?
I see. -So they cut the power. -I guess. This is an announcement for our passengers. We're experiencing a power outage right now. Please wait a while before the train can start again.
On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, something unexpected happens on the way to Miyanoshita Station. This is an announcement for our passengers. We're experiencing a power outage right now.
Please wait a while before the train can start again. It's not them trying to save energy. -No, it's not. -It's a power outage.
It's a power outage. -No way. -This rarely happens. They have no choice but to wait for five minutes. With a railway company... Is it going that way? -Bye. -Bye. I feel we're friends now.
-With the train crew members. -It's tough. Thank you. (Miyanoshita Station) Though they experienced an unexpected power outage, they safely arrive at Miyanoshita Station. (3:24 pm) All right. Oh, the tickets. Let's look for today's accommodation, which will be the fourth entry.
Let's hope they'll find a nice place. -We should enquire people first. -Yes. Yeah, but if we go that way... -it's a big city. -That's right.
Those people just got off the train. Is this their destination? There is a gallery, and it says "feel free to drop by." We can take a look here.
Here it is. -Excuse me. -Hello. -Welcome. -Thank you.
Well... -What kind of place is this? -What kind of place is this? This is a cafe, and we have a gallery upstairs. Also, over there... There is a little souvenir shop too. There are more seats below too.
A footbath too. -A footbath too? -Yes. Yes. Take some time to relax. I'd love to use the footbath.
-Yeah, I'd love to. -Me too. Feel free to use it, but it'll be shared. I see. We're looking for a place to stay. To stay? Like in a house? -Not really. -You mean a hotel?
Any nice place in Miyanoshita? A place to stay in Miyanoshita? -I believe... -A hot spring would be nice. Let's see... There's a place called Ginyu below there.
Ginyu is right there, so you could just go there, and ask if they have rooms. -Thank you. -Sorry to bother you at work. Since the recommended hot springs inn is close by, our duo heads there right away.
Did she say Ginyu? Is this it? Yeah, this is it. Impressive. Impressive. Ginyu.
-I'm sure they're already full. -Yeah. Do they have any rooms available? -See? -Yeah. -It was as we expected. -As we expected. Of course. -Here we go. They said no. -They said no. I'm sorry.
-There's no way they'd have said yes. -That's true. It has a wonderful view, and the inside also looked great. Yes, it was nice. In fact, Hakone Ginyu is a very luxurious hot spring inn. The hotel was fully booked as it is peak season now.
Well, we don't have anything else. We're in trouble. No other places. Shall we go back to the cafe? We should ask for phone numbers and for more details.
Okay, let's go back there. Our duo heads back to the cafe where they enquired earlier to gather more information. -We have the owner. -Owner? Sorry for visiting suddenly. We're on a journey right now.
-We're looking for a place to stay. -Okay. Manatei? -Manatei. -Manatei. What kind of place is it? Does it have an open-air bath or a hot spring? They have an open-air bath, right? -Open-air bath? -Maybe not.
They have an indoor bath with a great view. -It has a nice view. -Something like this. -That looks nice. -You can go there on foot.
I wonder if they do pick-ups. We need to ask. -Is Manatei in Miyanoshita? -Manatei. Yes, in Miyanoshita.
-Can I have their phone number? -Sure. Sorry for the trouble. Our duo gets the inn's phone number. Since they're here, they take advantage of the cafe's specialty footbath while they call the inn. It's so warm.
I was wondering if you have two rooms available. We'd like to stay there. You have rooms? Thank you.
Sorry for the trouble. Thank you. -Thank you, everyone. -Thank you very much. Now they have a place to stay for tonight. They'll take a public bus to the inn. After riding the bus for five minutes on a mountain road, our duo arrives at a bus stop near the inn. This all feels like a hot springs town.
Awesome. Incredible. I see a train. That's the neighbouring station.
It's pretty close. It's the station ahead of us. -Is Manatei this way? -This way? Let's go in. Thank you for having us. Sorry for visiting so suddenly. Welcome.
-Thank you. -Thank you. Here is the room that Tamahei will stay tonight. What's this? -Wait a minute. -Wait a minute. -What is this? -Amazing. This is a room for many people. Everyone can stay here.
There are beds, and you could sleep on this side too. -Wonderful. -Beds. This room has a bath attached to it. It's over here.
-Is that so? -Let's see. Let me see. -What? -This is incredible. Amazing! Look at this. Wait. Is this a hot spring? Yes, it's a hot spring.
-Yes! -Amazing! I'm so happy. -I wasn't expecting this. -Please enjoy. I wasn't expecting this, either. This is too luxurious. Manatei Hakone is a popular inn which has been open for seven years. The rooms that happened to be available on this day were their suite rooms which are very spacious and comfortable.
(Semi-suite: 26,000 yen with two meals) In addition, the inn has three private hot spring baths with water flowing directly from the source. This feels incredible. I'm so happy. I'm glad we found an accommodation and a bath. But despite how happy I feel now, we still have to find six entries tomorrow. We have six entries left. We need to work hard.
(7:30 pm) It's dinner time that they've been looking forward to. I wonder what we will have. -Good evening. -Good evening. Welcome. This way, please.
-Thank you. -Thank you. I'm so excited. It looks wonderful. -Thank you. Can I sit here? -Thank you. -Thank you. -Amazing.
It looks wonderful. Mainly using organic vegetables from the Hakone area, they serve creative Japanese cuisine that's luxurious and healthy. -Nice work. -Thank you very much.
-Thank you. -Let's do our best tomorrow. -Yes. -Let's do our best. How is it? It's very relaxing.
Beer has never tasted so good before. -That's how I feel. -Really? They'll start with a shabu-shabu of sea bream! -This is my first time... -First shabu-shabu?
First time reviewing food on TV. What should I do? -Tell them what you ate? -What you thought of the food. Actually, the meat tightens when you make shabu-shabu with it. It has a great texture.
The sea bream is fresh and tasty. You're right. It's better to boil the fish very quickly. The fish has a great texture and thick meat. It also has a bit of sweetness. Very good.
Next is hoba miso-flavoured grilled organic vegetables. I'll tell you my favourite food. Okay.
This is it. Which one? Mushrooms. -I wasn't expecting that. -Mushrooms are my favourite. -Any kind. -Mushrooms? This is shiitake mushroom. It's made with hoba (magnolia leaf), so I assume it's miso-flavoured. Thank you for it.
Miso is not that sweet. It's seasoned well. I also like the aroma that hoba adds.
Very good. On top of that... Here is roasted Ashitaka beef from Shizuoka Prefecture. This is from Shizuoka Prefecture. More mushrooms. -I see a king trumpet mushroom. -Good for you.
This makes me happy. -This meat is one of the selling points. -Sure. We used a Japanese pepper sauce for the steak. I have nothing to say. No, please review the food.
The meat melts away once you put it in your mouth. -It has already melted away. -I'm sure it's still there. -It must be in your mouth. -It's gone. It's gone now. Please try it. The fourth entry in the guidebook is Manatei Hakone where they feature their specialty hot springs and food. Subtitles: IYUNO-SDI Group
2021-07-22 18:28
