Hakone (Ha-Ko-Nay)

Hello Avid Reader!

I'm writing from Narita International Airport, having just said farewell to my travel companions over the course of this past weekend. Flights to Detroit, LA, San Francisco and Seattle have all boarded. It's near empty here in the NWA Lounge and I'm already starting to feel sad. Why sad, you ask? I will tell you: because it means the official end of one of the most awesome adventures to date! Which also means, Avid Reader, that I'm ecstatic to have the chance to share it with you!!

Carrie, Lori, Patrick and I ventured to Hakone, Japan, this weekend to enjoy their world-famous natural hot springs at a traditional Japanese Inn. Sadly, I cannot tell you it's name for all I have is a receipt in Japanese characters. But in English, I have officially named it "The Shizzo"; Avid Reader, this place was definitely heaven on earth!

We arrived Saturday afternoon, left our shoes at the door along with all of our cares in the world, and entered another world altogether. Steaming hot baths, traditional Japenese cuisine, man-handling massages, incredible company, and lots of laughs and memories.

Our room for the weekend was a fully self-contained sanctuary, with our own private Japanese garden and view of the misty Hakone mountains. Our "room" was a shared one with a series of sliding doors for privacy, and started with a tabled dressed for afternoon tea. We then quicky dressed in our Japanese robes and trekked out to the natural hot springs.

Separated by gender for modesty, Patrick and I stripped buck and proceeded to scrub ourselves silly in the indoor hot spring area. It's quite an interesting process for anyone who has not had the privilege of enjoying a Turkish hamamm or Japanese spa... you grab your own personal stool, bucket, and scrub cloth and just go to town. At first, it's quite awkward soaping yourself up on a stool next to your buddy and in front of what could be an entire audience of other soakers, but after the first few minutes, it's all good!

After our first hot springs adventure, we made our way back to our room where massage beds were awaiting our weary bodies. I went first and had a 70-year-old Japanese man whose only words were "hardo? softo?". Upon selecting 'hardo', I proceeded to get full-on MANHANDLED. Seriously, Avid Reader, this man owned me, beat me, slapped me around, and thought he was going to get every knot -- present and future -- out of my body. Needless to say, it worked. In fact, I think he may have worked my bones into putty as I nearly couldn't walk when he was finished!

A traditional Japanese dinner followed all of our massages -- and we Americanized the night by enjoying many rounds of sake and beer, much to the delight of Masae, our personal server. A late night spa in the rain -- yes, more nekked scrubbing -- and much more Inn enjoyment wrapped up our evening.

This morning, we hit the spa again, enjoyed a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, fish, squid and other delights, and then made our way back to Tokyo where they've now departed and I'm now reminiscing...

What an AWESOME weekend altogether, made so now that I've had the chance to recap it to you. And, made especially so having had the opportunity to spend it with somewhat old friends Carrie & Patrick and new friend, Lori Goode.

Off to Seoul, South Korea, here in about an hour. More adventures to come, I'm sure!