Japan Hour: Road Trip On Hakone Tozan Railway (Part 2)
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 recommendations only the locals know. 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 speciality 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) On the journey on the Hakone Tozan Railway, our duo found four entries on the first day. It seems that they'll have to pick up the pace tomorrow. (The second day) -We'll do our best today. -Yes! Good luck! -See you. Thank you. -Thank you very much. (31 minutes until the 9:31 train) We need to first get to the bus stop.
They take the same public bus as yesterday, and go back to Miyanoshita Station. (Miyanoshita Station) Either way, we need to go down. -Or we can't start our day. -True. I don't want to spend too much time on the train, -so let's go to the next station. -Sure. (Kanagawa Prefecture) As they want to save time on the train, our duo will go to Kowakidani Station, the next stop.
(9:31 am) The second day of their journey of enquiry and discovery starts now! 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.
(Kanagawa Prefecture) Their goal is to enquire local residents and create an original travel guide with 10 entries. Today's time limit is set at 5 pm. (Time limit: 5:00 pm) (Kowakidani Station) In nine minutes, they arrive at the first station that they'll get off today called Kowakidani Station. (9:40 am) -Here we go. -Hmm? This looks similar to the station we were at earlier. -That's true. -Yeah.
But in front of the station, I see some taxies and a bus stop. That probably means that it's easy to access. Kowakidani? -I thought it was Kowakudani. -It's Kowakidani. Here's the timetable.
-One hour. -One hour. Or two hours. Either way. -One hour for one entry. -Well...
There's one at 10:58. -Let's aim to take that train. -Okay, let's go. We need to enquire a lot today. -Hello, good morning. -Hello.
In Kowakidani, -any great places or recommendations? -Spots you'd recommend? Chisuji Falls. -Chisuji. -Written as "Senjo", read "Chisuji". Is that a famous place? I often see foreign tourists visiting the falls. I think it'd be a nice place to visit. Where are the falls exactly? There's a pedestrian crossing over there, so cross that, and keep walking up on a hill.
Once you climb up, you'll see a signboard on your left. Is that so? Go in there, and you'll arrive in three to four minutes. -Thank you. -Thank you. -Bye. -Have a safe trip. Kowakidani. There are hot springs everywhere.
Let's see. Where do we go? Which way? We'll cross the road. We'll cross the road. That's it! Chisuji Fall. Chisuji Fall.
Falls. -Falls. -Falls. -Falls. -This way. They follow the sign to a mountain path, and walk for about five minutes.
I see it! They're horizontal. Nice. It's very interesting. Cute. -It says something. -Chisuji Falls. (Chisuji Falls) It's pretty. I can see the bottom.
-Yes, it is. -It looks deep though. That must be like an guardian deity. -That large tree. -That tree is huge. I'm sure it's protecting the place. The water must contain the nutrients from the tree. It must be a few hundred years old.
This is the Chisuji Falls. They're about three metres tall, and approximately twenty metres wide. The name comes from the fact that water flows down in a curtain-like pattern.
The name means "the waterfall of a thousand threads." You know what? We've been travelling for a while now, and I want to bring out the charm of my travel partner. -Your travel partner? You mean me? -Yes. I was thinking how I can do that, and I came up with an idea. What's something similar to a waterfall ? -Do you want me to do a riddle? -Yes. Okay, let's do a riddle about Chisuji Falls.
What is it similar to? Chisuji Falls has something in common with... my favourite clothes. Why is that? You want to see them over and over again. Okay.
-Nice. -Nice. It was nice. It was subtle and nice.
It was subtle? That's annoying. The fifth entry in the guidebook, Chisuji Falls, a hidden relaxing spot created by nature. It's 10:15 am right now. It's 10:15 am. -We can go and take the train earlier. -Sure. -Or we can try to find another entry. -We still have time.
What should we do? -Let's enquire people. -If we get recommendations, -we should check it out. -Sure. To continue finding entries at Kowakidani Station, our duo gets back to the station and enquire people. Shall we ask them? Sure. Hello.
In this town, is there anything special or any places that we should visit? Or it could be food we should try, or an interesting person we should meet. There's not much around Kowakidani Station. -Is that your wife? -Yes. -Sorry for the trouble. -Hello. She's young and pretty.
Any places they should see in Kowakidani? -In Kowakidani? -Around here. Are there any famous places? What about Gora? -We're going there. -Yes, but we're not sure what to do next. Sorry. -Thank you. -Sorry for the trouble. -Sorry we couldn't help. -No problem, thank you.
-Let's take the train. -Sure. -Let's go. -It's quick to get to Gora. -This way? -A couple stops away.
-This side. -This side. -This side. -This way is the front. Let's take the train then. -Let's go. -Yeah. -Thank you. -Thank you.
-Thank you. -Take care. Thank you. We asked some people. -We need to buy tickets. -Sure.
What's next? They mentioned Gora. -Shall we go to Gora? -Yeah, let's go to Gora. Now our duo heads to Gora Station, recommended by the couple. (Kanagawa Prefecture) (10:58 am) This is regarding the cable car bound for Sounzan after Gora. The line is currently not in operation due to renovation work.
For this section of the journey, we operate a substitute bus service, so please use it. What did they say just now? I heard that the cable car isn't currently in operation. So we need to take a bus. What? Please repeat what you said. What does that mean? -Right now? -Right now.
From Gora? It's between Gora and Sounzan. -There's no cable car. -Why not? It's not in operation for some reason. Either way, it's out of operation. So we need to take a substitute bus.
-Bus? -Bus. -No way. -Let's learn more about it later. Sure.
In six minutes, they arrive at Gora Station. But our duo can't stop thinking about the announcement that they heard on the train earlier. (Gora Station) (11:04 am) So many people. It's very crowded.
They keep explaining about the substitute bus. -I guess... -Please step forward. Please come this way. Excuse me, we'd like to know more about the bus. -Who should we ask? -That person? Excuse me. How can we get to Sounzan? Please take a substitute bus, from Platform One.
-Is the cable car not in operation? -No. Station building renovation work. (Hakone Tozan Cable Car, all lines will be closed) So we can't take the cable car. That's right. Between these stations, we'll take a substitute bus. When this was filmed, due to renovation work, the cable car was out of operation between Gora Station and Sounzan Station.
They'll take a substitute bus from here on. -Okay, first of all... -I see people waiting outside. Let's go this way. This is a touristic place. You know... Let's ask for recommendations. Let's do that.
Let's first go to a store. -Can we go in suddenly? -Let's go in and ask. -Hello. They're all tourists. -True. Let's first see if we can film the store. Yes, let's go ask.
Excuse me. Good morning. Here in Gora, we're looking for some recommendations. I recommend our Kumosuke Dango. -You recommended it right away. -Really? Of course you recommend it! -You can sample it if you want. -Thank you.
-I'd like to get more information first. -Sure. By the way, are there any places that are unique to this town that we should visit? There's a store called Tamura Ginkatsutei which is famous for their tofu cutlet. It's pretty good. -Tofu cutlet? What's that? -What's that? It's cutlet made with a mixture of tofu and ground meat. It's quite healthy.
-Tamura Ginkatsutei? -Exactly. We'll try that place. I hope they're not closed today. What time is it now? -It's eleven... -Let's see. Sorry, they're closed today because it's Wednesday. -I'm glad we asked. -Me too.
Are they closed today? Any sweets? -Sweets? -Or drinks. But this was also recommended. -Shall we try it? -It won't be counted as an entry. I'll buy some. Sorry to ask this to someone who works in the same industry, but any sweets? Sweets? Let's see. There's a place called Ishikawa Kashiho.
-Ishikawa Kashiho. -That's right. They sell famous confectionery called Gora Mochi. -Gora Mochi. -Gora Mochi. What is it like? It's rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves.
They mix some yuzu in the dough. The kind storekeeper gives our duo a great piece of information. Since they're there, they decided to also try the store's speciality dango. We use a sauce which we simmer until it gets thick and rich.
-It's rich. -Exactly. Very good. -Thank you. -It's chewy. It's soft mochi.
The sweet bean paste is smooth. It's not too sweet. -Bye. -Thank you. It was great.
-All right. -We took a break. -Now... -Actually, we only got one recommendation. -Okay, let's go from here. -Let's go. -Let's go. -It was very good, and near the station.
-Thank you for the food. -Thank you for the food. They head to the recommended Japanese confectionery shop. (Ishikawa Kashiho) We've got a recommendation from the dango shop's owner earlier. Here is Ishikawa Kashiho. -This one is closed too. -Here it is.
On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, our duo visit a Japanese confectionery shop at Gora Station, but... -Here it is. -This? This one is closed too! This is it! Are they closed on Wednesdays? Today is actually... Wednesday.
Unfortunately, it's their regular holiday. So they get back to Gora Station to do more enquiring. Hello, sir Hello. Are there any places that you'd recommend us to go? It'll be a bit expensive, but Itoh Dining. -Is that a restaurant? -By Nobu. Itoh Dining by Nobu.
Itoh Dining by Nobu. What's their speciality? Anything they make is good. Is Nobu the name of the chef? -Yes. -Is he famous? -Thank you. -Thank you. We need to walk up that one-way street, right? Thank you. We'll go all the way, and when the road splits, we'll turn right.
They walk up a steep hill for about five minutes. There it is. It says Itoh Dining. It's a four-star restaurant. Four-star restaurant. Koenshita Station.
If we could take the cable car, we would've passed this station. Is that so? Isn't that right? See? What's this? -No? -What's this? -It looks fancy. This must be it. -It says Nobu. They might say no. It looks like a luxurious restaurant.
What will they say? Okay. We talked to them. -Here's the result. -The result. They accepted it. -Welcome. -Thank you for having us.
Fortunately, they had a private room available so they accepted to be filmed. Sorry for the trouble. Thank you. -Here is your table. -Great. How nice.
Thank you. Itoh Dining by Nobu. They use carefully selected ingredients such as Hakone Seiroku vegetables and special Japanese black beef, and serve them in teppanyaki. It's a restaurant where the owner Mr Ito collaborated with Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, a world-renowned chef. By the way, this restaurant is called Nobu.
Who is Nobu? He's a world-renowned chef. His name is Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. He even collaborated with Robert De Niro and opened a restaurant in New York first.
That's impressive. Is Nobu here right now? No, he's not here right now. He has restaurants all over the world so he travels around a lot.
-So this is one of his many restaurants. -Right. -That's why it's four-star. -Four-star. (Combination Lunch 5,724 yen) Our duo orders their popular lunch course meal. Here's fish. Incredible.
The fish of the day is a type of fish called halibut. -Halibut? -Yes. I'll first try it with just the sauce. I thought flounder would have more of a light flavour. But it has a nice amount of fat, and the fat from the fish goes well with the clam flavour of the sauce. At the end, the aroma of yuzu goes through my nose.
I've never had flounder that was so sophisticated. Here's the meat, the main dish. -Here comes the teppanyaki. -Yes, thank you. This is A3 grade Japanese black beef.
It's cooked medium rare, which is what the chef recommends. It's so tender. Is it good? What is this, Nobu? Wait, Nobu. I'll try it too.
I want Nobu's magic too. -Nobu! -It's Nobu's magic! I love the wasabi and yuzu pepper. Can I try it too? This is magic. What? I taste pepper.
And... What came to my mind was... -Here's rice! -Oh, already? You're that kind of a person today. -This is exactly what I wanted. -How nice. Me too! Best timing. -Nice timing. -Thank you.
Ishi-chan would go crazy if he were here. It's the golden pair. Incredible. Tender meat, and... -It's irresistible, isn't it? -Yes. I'll save some for you.
Let's experience his magic together. The sixth entry in the guidebook, an incredible magical experience at Itoh Dining by Nobu. -Thank you. -Thank you. -Great food. -Great food. Thank you. -See you later. -Bye.
All right. -We have six. -Six. -Six entries. -So there are... -four more to go. -Four more to go. We still have four more to go. We need four entries between this station and another station.
-So... -We should find one more. -Or even two. -That'd be nice. We should find more here. -There are people around the station. -That's right. -There's a side we haven't gone to. -That's true. -The opposite side. -Exactly.
Let's walk there. Since they still have time until their bus arrives, they enquire more people back at the station. There are so many people waiting for the bus that we're going to take.
They might not fit in one bus. Yes, maybe they need two buses. -Shall we cross to the other side? -Yes, can we go now? -Can we? -Can we cross the road now? -Go ahead. -Thank you.
-Wait. -I see someone. He must be on a break. Is he a gardener? -Excuse me. -Hello. Are you working right now? -Yes. -Are you on a break?
Can we ask you questions while filming? -Sure. -Great! -Are you working on this garden now? -Yes. -Are you a local resident, then? -I am. -Great. -Nice. Thank you. Do you know any famous spots in Gora, or nice spots that are not well-known? The closest one would be Gora Park.
-Gora Park? -Yes. What's famous there? The plants at Gora Park. -Plants? -Yes. They have trees and azaleas.
-There's also a greenhouse. -Greenhouse too? That's right. -So we can see many kinds of plants. -Exactly.
By the way, do you go there often? -We take care of the plants there. -Really? -We've got to go then. -That's impressive. What is your job exactly? -It's a landscaping business. -Landscaping. -Everyone is here. -Is your break over? -Hi there. -Hello. Excuse me.
Sorry, right now... He knows a lot about Gora Park. Gora Park. -Hello. -Are you in charge of Gora Park?
I'm not in charge. -Right now... -I do the pruning of roses. Pruning of roses? We were asking for recommendations on where we should go in this town. -He suggested Gora Park. -Sure. In the greenhouse, they have a Christmas tree made of poinsettia. You should go see it.
-Thank you. -Thank you. -This is a great piece of information. -Yes, it is. To go to the recommended Gora Park, our duo continues to walk up the hill for about 10 minutes. Believe me. We'll feel a sense of achievement. Turn left for Hakone Gora Park.
In front of us. -All right. -Thirty five metres. It's a National Monument.
-It's a scenic spot. -Scenic spot. -That's it. -Nice. -Here's Gora Park. -This is it. (Gora Park) We might need appointments. -Oh, yeah. -Appointments. -They could say no. -Exactly.
They ask for permission to film right away. -It's okay. -Thank you very much. -It's okay. -Let's see... Gora Park, which opened in 1914, was the first French-style aesthetic garden in Japan. The park is equipped with a greenhouse where various kinds of plants are planted.
Visitors can see various plants all year around. -Tropical botanical garden. -I'm scared. -It's so warm. -It's so warm.
-It won't be good for the camera lens. -It'll fog up. They're huge! Look! -There are huge plants. -Are these banana trees? -Yes, I see bananas growing. -I see that.
Impressive. It's huge! It's like a fan they use for king. -This tree has a funny name. -Oh, yeah?
A traveller's tree. It's just like us. It's about 10 metres tall. -Aren't you Hiroyasu Shimizu? -Sorry? Mr Shimizu, the speed skater? No, I'm not. -You are... -I...
-I've never been mistaken for him. -Can I shake hands with you? -Mr Shimizu, the speed skater. -Are you filming? Yes, we are.
Actually, I... -I have a father who's famous. -Who's your father? Can you guess who it is? I have a similar hair style as my grandpa. Who could it be? -You have a curly hair. -Exactly.
Here's a hint. Look, ma'am. I think I know. You're his son? -Grandson? -I'm Sanpei's grandson.
Are you the second grandson? -No, I'm the oldest. -Really? The second son is also in the same industry, right? The first son is Kobuhei, whose name is currently Shozo. -The second son is Sanpei. -Sanpei. That's right. He's on Shoten (a comedy show). I'm the oldest son of Shozo.
Is that so? It's him? That's right. I don't skate. -But you guys look a bit similar. -You're right. You are Kumi Nakata, right? No. What was your name?
Not her. Obayashi? Sorry! Ms Obayashi. I'm sorry. You're famous. It's that person. I'll try to tell funny jokes when I perform Rakugo. Sure. I'll look forward to seeing you more on TV. -Thank you. -Thank you.
Not many people have mistaken me for Ms Nakata. This is interesting. She mistook us both.
I'm often mistaken for Masuko and Hagitomo. -I see. -Yes. But Ms Nakata was the first time. -That's a bit funny. -Yes.
There's a waterfall. Oh, yeah. Let's see the poinsettia. -Without a word... -Go ahead. Wait. Wow, hello. Isn't this impressive?
Very pretty. Let's take photos. It looks pretty. I'll look good on social media. -Yes, it's a perfect spot. -Right?
Look. -There's even a gift in the middle. -Wow, nice. Nobody gave me a Christmas gift last year. So I'll take this. Go ahead. The seventh entry in the guidebook, Gora Park, the first French-style aesthetic garden in Japan.
-Thank you. -Bye. (Park hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Entrance fee: 550 yen) -That was fun. -Yes. -I'm glad we got to see something pretty. -Me too.
How many do we have now? Now we have... Seven entries? That was the seventh? The seventh. Did we find the seventh one? -We've accomplished. -Yes! -We found seven entries! -Already seven? -Not already. We still have three to go. -Oh, yeah. It's almost two o'clock. We have to find three entries in three hours.
-We need to hurry. -3 hours 20 minutes to be exact. -Let's hurry. -Let's go back to the station. -Shall we go back there? -Oh, hello! Hello.
We're looking for recommendations around here. Recommendations? If you go down that way, there's a place called Shima Shashinkan. The owner used to be a famous photographer. Now he has a photo studio with a cafe attached to it. They have homemade cakes.
What kind of cakes? It's a cake shaped like a Hakone Tozan train. -That's what we wanted. -That's right. Yes, cakes and other things. -Thank you. -No problem.
-Thank you. Bye. -Bye. -Bye. -Thank you. So cute. Thank you. -You know, we are... -This is great.
We went back and forth a few times. -There was a photo studio. -Yes, actually there was. -A photo studio? Or a store? -That's right.
They not only take photos... -but it's also a cafe. -It's a cafe. It's on this street, right? That's right. Also, their cake looks like a Hakone Tozan train. -They have a cake inspired by that. -Yeah, the cake.
-That's so interesting and unique. -That's wonderful. By the way, will we have to get our portraits taken? -We might as well do that. -I need a matchmaking portrait. -Is that so? -I might as well have it taken there. Matchmaking portrait. -I need a nice portrait. -It's been a while since I heard that. Is it here? Shima.
Over here. -Excuse me. Hello. -Excuse me. They've successfully obtained a permission to film, so they go inside of the store. Sorry for the trouble. First of all...
-We should order. -Let's order. -We heard that you have a train cake. -Sure. Here is our cake menu. My mother makes all of them. Here is the train cake.
So cute. It's cute. Can an adult order this? Sure, of course. -It looks like something for kids. -Not at all. -Let's take this. -Sure. -I'd like to have it with a coffee. -Sure.
-Certainly. -Thank you. This is a photo studio, so if you have some time to kill, we have some photos of Hakone in the old days. Nice. There are so many. Who took these? My great grandfather.
-Mr Rikizo Shima? -Yes. The photo studio will have its 100th anniversary next year. Those are old photos from the Taisho and the Showa periods.
-You family is all photographers? -Yes. My family too, but Rakugo performers. -We haven't introduced ourselves yet. -Yeah, sorry.
-That's more impressive than my family. -Not really. -My grandpa is Sanpei Hayashiya. -Okay. My father is Shozo Hayashiya, formerly known as Kobuhei. I'm Tamahei, his son, and I'm also a Rakugo performer. -Nice to meet you. We're similar. -That's right.
Gora Shima Shashinkan is a photo studio combined with a cafe. Rikizou Shima, who established the photo studio, was a famous photographer back then for his landscape photography of Hakone. One of his photos was even used for a commemorative stamp! Here are current and old photos of Hakone. This is now, and this is how it was. It looked like that. -They built a bridge here. -It looks pretty.
We saw that landscape briefly. Yes, we did. This is an old-fashioned trolley. It looks completely different.
Here's how Shima Shashinkan looks now, and how it was 100 years ago. -It looks very fancy now. -It changed a lot. Their hundred years of history feels heavy. -It's so cute! -There it is! Look. -It's so cute. -It's a chocolate rail track.
There's a track, and it's red like the Hakone train. (Tokotoko Tozan train pound cake, 500 yen) How nice. Here you go. -How did you come up with this cake? -This. At first, during the Golden Week on Children's Day, we came up with this idea, hoping kids will enjoy it.
-Hello. -Then... We then uploaded this to our social media website, and it was well-received. So we decided to make as many cakes as we can. Really? Do you make the cake yourself? Yes, but my son helps me bake cookies. I have other cakes to bake, so it's difficult to do all by myself.
I taught him how to bake cookies, and now he's better than me. That's impressive. Good job. Thank you for it. Wait.
The cookies are crispy. I'll try this part. It's good. It has a simple taste. Very good. Here... -I'd love to have a portrait taken. -Sure.
-Can I have a matchmaking portrait taken? -Yes, you should. On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, at Gora Station, Ms Obayashi is... -Come this way. -Thank you.
I'd love to have a matchmaking portrait taken today. -Wait a minute. -Sure. I know it's sudden, but could you take one? -I'm 50 years old but I'm still hopeful. -Sure. -We'll go prepare. -Okay.
-Okay, we'll shoot like that. -Okay. What should I do? Should I be proper? Smile. -It's for matchmaking. -Exactly. (6P size, 10,800 yen) Okay, here we go.
Stay like that. We'll shoot some more. You can change the eye directions too. Thank you. This makes me happy.
-Are you happy? -The owner took my photo. -Thank you. -Thank you. -I'm very happy. -Thank you. Here is Ms Obayashi's very first matchmaking portrait.
We hope to hear some good news from you this year! The eighth entry in the guidebook, Gora Shima Shashinkan, where a photo studio is combined with a cafe. -Thank you very much. -Thank you. -How many do we have now? -Seven? -Eight. -The eighth entry?
-We did it! Yes! -Yes! -We have two more left. -Two more. -But we have no time. -But we only have two and half hours. -This isn't good. -Yes, if you think about it.
We'll go to the next station. Also, we saw a long line for the bus earlier. That's true. It depends on if we can take the first bus, or when it leaves. It all depends on that. If we get there at three o'clock, -we'll have to find one entry per hour. -True.
Let's hurry. -There's the bus! The substitute bus! -The bus. Is it here? -Is it here? -I think that's the bus. -We're taking the bus! -Hello.
-We'd like to take this. -It's not crowded. -Do you have tickets? -No, we haven't gotten them yet. They buy tickets, and take a substitute bus to Sounzan Station, the terminal. (2:31 pm) Is Sounzan at the mountain top? -I wonder. -Is it at the top? The mountain top? Probably not exactly the mountain top.
But it's possible. After riding on the bus for 14 minutes, they finally arrive at Sounzan Station, the terminal of this trip. Thank you very much. Bye. -I smell something. -Nice. Thank you.
Is this bus going down right away? We'll stop here for a while, but we'll leave once passengers are aboard. Could you recommend us a few spots, or introduce us some places? Where do you think we should go? Let's see. If it's around here, if you go that way and walk up the hill for about 20 minutes, there's Daiyuzan Saijoji. It's the Hakone branch temple. Does it have a nice view? Yes, it has a nice view. -Great, thank you. -Thank you.
-Bye. -Nice. Two hours left until the time limit. Our duo heads to the recommended temple right away. There's a strong smell of sulphur.
I can tell it's a hot spring town. -That's true. -It's strong. It's gone now.
They walk quickly for about five minutes on a steep and winding path. Oh, it looks very old. -It's an old temple. -I see it now. Is this the one? -Impressive. -Do we go to the right?
Which way? If we go this way, we'll reach the bell. -The bell also looks old. -It says there's a Tengu (legendary creature) here. -There's Tengu! -Tengu! We can go from here too. They've got permission to film, so they'll visit the temple. This is the Hakone branch temple of Daiyuzan Saijoji. The temple was built in the early Taisho period, and Tengu is worshipped as a guardian deity.
-They said we can visit the temple. -Okay. Here are Tengu's tall wooden clogs. They're clogs that Tengu wears. This must be the actual size.
How big are they compared to yours? I think they're perfect for me. That's right. Let's visit the temple. Before anything. Thank you. Now, let's see the view behind us. What kind of landscape will it be? -All together now. -All together now.
On the journey of enquiry and discovery on the Hakone Tozan Railway, our duo visits a recommended temple at Sounzan Station, the terminal. What kind of landscape will it be? -All together now. -All together now. -I couldn't see at first. -I see. -I had to do this to see the landscape. -It's perfect for me. I said "wow", but this is all I saw.
-Impressive. -We can overlook the area. This is great. Nice lighting too.
We came up quite high. Nice. What do you see? What? -I see it! -Me too! It's Lake Ashi. Amazing. You could see it because you're tall, but I couldn't see because I'm short. -I'm up high now so I can finally see. -You can finally see it.
-Here? -This is it! -We didn't see much water on this trip. -That's true. We saw mountains. How nice.
From the top of the temple, you can see all the Hakone mountains and Lake Ashi. The ninth entry in the guidebook, Daiyuzan Saijoji, the Hakone branch temple where they have Tengu as their guardian deity. Now we've found... -nine entries! -Yes! - Nine! Yes! -Yes! What's wrong with these strange moves? You're getting stranger and stranger. -I'm just getting excited. -You're getting tired, right? -Not at all. I'm not tired at all. -Are you sure?
-Are you sure? -Maybe I am getting tired. In terms of the time, it's 3:22 pm now. -We have one and a half hours. -Yes. Our time limit is set at 5 pm.
-The sun is going to set soon. -Exactly. -Let's find another entry. -Let's do that. Somewhere nice. Yes, something nice for the last one. Yes, something.
-Something with an impact. -What will we find? Exactly. -Sounzan... -But it's getting to a time when there are fewer people outside.
That's true. They look for people to enquire right away, but they can't find anyone at all. There's nothing but trees.
I believe it'll just be a mountain path... if we keep going. -Yes, shall we go down? -Earlier, we saw a bus.
Shall we go towards where the bus went? They get back to Sounzan Station, where there were more people, to enquire. -Hello. -Hello. Can we talk with you? Are you in hurry? Can we talk while you wait? Where did you go just now? We went up. -Owakudani. -Owakudani. What's there? There's a hot spring.
Sulphur coming out of the ground. Can you see that if you go up? -Yes. -Not up close. From a distance. -It that so? -From a distance. Do you recommend it? Yes, please go. -Nice view of Mount Fuji too. -Yes.
-Really? Did you see Mount Fuji just now? -Yes, we did. -During this hour? -Yes. -Really? Are they still open? -Still open? -Yes. -Thank you. -Sorry we had to film you. -Sorry. Do we still have time? Fifty minutes left. They rush to ask for permission from the ropeway.
This determines the course of their journey. What will they say? -Sorry. We need to hurry. -That's right. They said okay. We need to hurry or we won't make it. -Sorry for the trouble. -Sorry. -Please go upstairs. -Okay, thank you.
Here we are. (Sounzan Station to Owakudani Station, 900 yen for one way) It's cold. (December to February: 9:00 am to 4:15 pm, March to November 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) -Okay, thank you. -Let's go. -What will we see? -It's like a private lift.
-We're lucky. -That's true. The view from this cable car... -It'll be breathtaking. -I'm sure.
Owakudani... -and even Mount Fuji. -That's right. -What kind of view is waiting for us? -Here we go. We were up high earlier too.
But I guess we'll go up even higher. It's going quite fast. Look! -That sun is already starting to set. -Yeah.
It's pretty. Thank you for taking... -It's pretty. -the Hakone Ropeway today.
The lifts depart from Sounzan Station and arrive at Owakudani Station in about eight minutes. Enjoy the panoramic view of Hakone like taking a walk in the air. Relax and enjoy the magnificent view of Hakone. When the ropeway approaches the mountain top... Where's Mount Fuji? There it is.
-Incredible. -Incredible. -Look. -It's so tall. -It's a bit covered by clouds. -Mount Fuji. The summit is covered by clouds though. -Mount Fuji. -Mount Fuji! Incredible!
-Amazing! -I'm scared! Here it is. -It's coming out. -It's amazing, -but I'm scared. -Which way should I look? -Left or right? -Mount Fuji, or this? Incredible. -I need to take a photo of this. -Me too. -Wait. -Hurry!
-Hurry! No need for a selfie. -Wait, I'm scared. -I'm excited. -This is scary. I'm scared.
-We can see Mount Fuji so close. -It's amazing. -This is the most important. -It's breathtaking. Owakudani is one of the most popular spots in Hakone where visitors can observe the dynamic activity of the volcano. (Owakudani) It is said to have been formed by an eruption about 3,000 years ago. The tenth entry in the guidebook, Hakone Ropeway.
They've successfully accomplished their goal! This was the third time that I was on this show. But I had a new partner, and this was a bit different from other places I visited. I had never done this at a touristic place.
I thought it'd be easy, but it was actually difficult. But I got to learn about new places I didn't know before. So it was a lot of fun. I want everyone to know these places. -This was my first filming trip. -Yes, many first tries. I took a bath for the first time on TV, and did a food review. I'm very thankful that I got to work with you, Ms Obayashi.
I'm a Rakugo performer, so I might as well -end the show with another riddle. -Nice. Please. The journey on the Hakone Tozan Railway has something in common with... festival-goers.
Because everyone is happy. -Very nice. -Thank you. -I like it. -I'm Tamahei. Finding new places through new meetings. With those many meetings, making warm memories.
To everyone who helped us on this heart-warming journey, thank you very much! Subtitles: Iyuno-SDI Group
2021-07-30 12:37
