Hakone: Japan's Tourist Resort
Today, I'd like to share my trip to Japan. We've arrived in Hakone, and first, we visited the 'Hakone Gosho' (). It's a wooden residence built over 200 years ago, established as a checkpoint during the Edo period. It's located in a very strategic and precarious position, backed by Mount Fuji and facing Lake Ashi.
Inside the Gosho, there are exhibits of items carried by travelers in the past, similar to Yang Ba Jie () from the Peking Opera 'Horse Courier' play, as well as statues of the various inspection officers and their long-handled swords. This site has been designated as a national key cultural relic.
Visiting Lake Ashi () was a highlight of our Hakone tour. Upon arriving at the lake shore, we didn't see any water reeds, but rather a dense growth of trees and aquatic plants flourishing along the shore. Some of the branches extended deep into the lake, and under the shade of the trees, we spotted a few pairs of colorful ducks enjoying a leisurely stroll or resting, adding a touch of charm.
Notably, Lake Ashi is a volcanic lake, resembling a giant gourd. It covers an area of approximately 7 square kilometers, with a maximum depth of 45 meters. The water is clear and azure, and the lake is home to fish like crucian carp. It's said that there's a hot spring nearby with water temperatures ranging from 100 to 130°C. They boil eggs in the hot spring – it takes only 3 minutes for them to cook. Because of the sulfur in the water, the eggs turn black, earning them the name 'Black Eggs'.
'Black Eggs' have a purported effect: eating one can extend your life by 7 years. We took a boat ride across the lake, enjoying the beautiful lake and mountain scenery. The boat ride was filled with moving scenes, with peaks appearing and disappearing in the swirling clouds, and the reflections of the mountains in the water were even more illusory and dreamy, creating a feeling of being in a fairyland. Like West Lake in Hangzhou, Lake Ashi also has many moving myths and legends.
Finally, across the lake, there's a towering mountain, believed to be the home of the gods. I couldn't really sense any 'divine' aura, but the reflection of the mountain in the lake was quite picturesque. There were also a pair of dragons in the lake – a male and female duo. Local villagers, seeking to ward off disaster and ensure good fortune, would burn 'Lucky Lanterns' on August 5th during the summer months to appease the dragons. This has become an ancient folk custom. After boating for about an hour, we disembarked, took several photos.
It was already getting late, so we had to leave the boat and return to shore. Looking back, we saw wisps of clouds drifting across the verdant mountain peaks, constantly changing and elusive; the lake surface shimmered with ripples, adding to its allure. It was then that I realized sincerely: the scenery of Lake Ashi is truly beautiful.
