Shizuoka Getaway

Despite its proximity to Tokyo and the fact that it tops many travel lists, Yuna and I had never been to Shizuoka before. On the trip over, we stopped at a highway stop which was in the middle of a collaboration with the famous mecha (giant robot) anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. This show was responsible for a lot of my initial interest in Japan in my high school days, so I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of what was on offer.

In addition to the giant robot statue, many of the restaurants had themed menu items, from curry presented like one of the antagonistic “angels”, to a gigantic burger pierced by the Lance of Longinus!

After a long and crowded drive we arrived at our ryokan, and had a wonderful bath in their apple onsen. We were warned not to take a bite out of them no matter how tempted we might be by the subtle smell they lent the bath.

When we left our ryokan the next morning, the friendly staff generously(?) gave us some local cola to try. This is unagi cola, featuring extract of eel. The bottle is now sitting unopened on our shelf and I imagine it will stay there for quite some time.

We pressed on, keeping active with a quick hike up Mount Omuro (ok, we used the chairlifts), where people were practicing archery in the extinct crater, and although it was hazy we had a pretty spectacular panoramic view. I took my old 500c/m and shot a few rolls of film, which I’ll process soon. Here’s an iphone shot through the viewfinder which is looking like it might need a bit of a clean.

Before heading home we paid a visit to Fuji Safari Park, where Yuna held a very sleep lion cub, and we drove through the exhibits Jurassic Park style, trying not to giggle at the park’s animal themed buses utilised by patrons without cars of their own.