I traveled the loop clockwise since I was coming from Yugawara (after staying at Hakuunsou). First was the bus ride over a mountain and to Lake Ashi – very scenic 1 hour trip. Because of our early start, B and I had the whole bus to ourselves.
Everything was so lush and green.
Great view of Lake Ashi coming down the other side of the mountain.
Yes, folks – we rode a ‘pirate ship’ across Lake Ashi!
The 40 minute boat ride from Hakone-Machi to Togendai was great -- standing on the top deck and enjoying the spectacular scenery.
Next, riding up the ropeway towards Souzan. I recommend making a pit stop right before Souzan and getting off at Owakudani.
Owakudani, which means ‘great boiling valley,’ is the area around a crater formed by Mount Hakone's last eruption over 3000 years ago. It is still an active volcanic zone with sulfur fumes rising from the ground. I could smell the sulfur from the ropeway, but it’s nothing compared to the stench after walking on the trail up Mount Kamiyama (yes, people actually want to get closer to the sulfur vents!).
Along the “nature trail,” there’s a place that sells eggs cooked in the boiling sulfur water. The sulfur turns their shells black, and eating them is supposed to prolong your life. There were lots of Japanese people eating the eggs, but I decided to pass on this custom. I also didn’t hike the rest of the way up the trail – no need to see (or smell) more steam vents and bubbling pools of sulfur water.
After taking the cable car to Gora, the next mode of transportation was a train on the Hakone Tozan Railway. I HIGHLY recommend getting off at the first stop (Chokoku-no-Mori) to visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum – this was by far the best thing to see in Hakone. It’s one of my favorite museums in the world, and features artists such as Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Naum Gabo, and Henry Moore. [Note: There are 2 restaurants at the Open Air Museum. Since the Japanese buffet didn’t look very appetizing, we went to the Chinese restaurant. The dim sum items were pretty good.]
I loved the juxtaposition of modern art with nature as the back drop. The visual effect was stunning.
The Net Forest is made of over 500 interlocking logs of wood… and it's a play area for kids!! No one under 13 allowed inside - such lucky kids!
The Picasso Pavilion displayed over 300 works by Picasso, one of the largest collections in the world. Even the sign on the building was visually stunning, surrounded by the beautiful landscape.
Inside the Symphonic Sculpture, a spiral staircase enclosed by a tower of colorful stain glass. It was cool to be completely surrounded all these colorful pieces of light.
Who says art has to be serious?
Art was everywhere, even in the most unexpected places.
The Glass Web was another unique and interesting play area for kids -- no boring jungle gyms here!
It was surreal seeing all the giant sculptures among the mountains and open blue sky. The landscaping was amazing.
And finally, it was a 2 hour train ride back to Tokyo. What a fantastic trip!
Our room was pretty sizable for a ryokan, and we enjoyed hanging out on the balcony.
I loved having a private onsen in our room!! It was connected to our bathroom, then extended out onto the balcony…such a cozy place to sit back and relax. 
A small stream ran below our balcony. It was so soothing to hear the sounds of the water from our room. 
There's also a family onsen which can be reserved for private use. It’s housed in a cottage separate from the ryokan. The facilities were excellent.
The kaiseki dinner was served in our room - this is always my favorite part about staying at ryokans. The amount of care and energy it takes to bring each course (and there are many) into the room and serve all of the beautiful dishes really makes it special.
Kaiseki meals are a form of art, showcasing local ingredients in their optimal taste, textures, and colors. Our first course consisted of silky steamed tofu, an assortment of seafood, and an apertif.
Sashimi course with conch, tai, chu-toro, hirame, and maguro. The tai (red sea bream) was especially tasty and refreshing. I’ve never actually seen the wasabi root before, so I was impressed that our nakai (woman in charge of our room) gave us our own in case we wanted more than the amount she had grated for us. 
Clear vegetable broth with a surprisingly light and airy ball of fish paste and red beans 
This rich and flavorful langoustine bouillabaisse was heated right at our table. 
Fresh vegetables and beef for us to cook on the hot plate with soy and ponzu sauce. 
Look at the lovely marbled fat on the beef (maybe Kobe…if only I could read the menu!)
Marinated and grilled fish with a bowl of stewed radish and yuba. The yellow dish in the back contains freshly ground pink salt. 
Lots of components to this course – baby shrimp tempura, miso soup, pickled veggies, and mushroom rice… 
… and sliced radish creatively presented in a kabuso fruit - the sweet and tangy flavors freshened my palate 
And last but not least, dessert – peach gelee, creamy and delicious peach custard, and super sweet cantaloupe.
Then a soothing vegetable and tofu soup. We each had our own pot heated at the table.
Grilled mackerel with chawan-mushi (egg custard)
This langoustine miso soup was my favorite part of breakfast - the rich langoustine flavor gave it an extra level of depth.
Cold and refreshing egg custard.
Breakfast was finished off by ridiculously juicy and sweet pears and cantaloupe.
Our large table was literally FILLED with food -- now that's a breakfast of champions!
Rainbow Salad – Our waiter quickly listed all 22 ingredients of the salad before he mixed it table-side. Despite the many ingredients (including four types of noodles, green papaya, tofu, onions, dried shrimp), the flavors were not complex at all. I could only taste the noodles and spicy tamarind sauce, which I didn’t mind because I enjoy the tart and spicy flavors of tamarind – this salad reminded me of some dishes found in Vietnamese cuisine. I liked the slippery texture of the noodles and found flavors to be vibrant and refreshing.
Burmese Curry with Lamb – I really liked the lamb curry at first. The lamb was very tender, and the potatoes weren’t overcooked and mushy like they are in many other curries. However, the gamey flavor of the lamb became progressively overwhelming after a few bites. I’ve never had such gamey lamb before. Neither B nor I could stomach very much of this dish. The tomato sauce was also way too salty.
Black Rice Pudding – This dessert was more like a sticky rice than pudding. The coconut ice cream was sweet and thick, softening the firm black rice. The almond slivers added a nice crunchy texture.
Overall, the food was good but far from great. Aside from the tea leaf salad, there wasn’t anything special about Burma SuperStar. This place is way over-hyped. I would not wait in line for 30 minutes again to eat here – and am shocked that people would wait for 2 hours!
Posts
