Essence of Japan 2
Tokyo to Kawaguchi
河口湖 へ 東京  
Japanese Motorway Japanese Motorway - toll barriers
Leaving Tokyo and entering the motorway for Kawaguchi - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Japanese Motorway - sound barriers Japanese Motorway - sound barriers
Most vehicles seem to have ETC or Electronic Toll Collection and the sound barriers of various designs cut down noise pollution - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Japanese Motorway - flyovers Japanese Motorway - tunnels
Japanese motorways are clean and have many complicated interchanges and tunnels.  Traffic joining motorways has right of way - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Japanese Motorway Service Area Japanese Motorway Service Area
Services occur every 80 to 100 km and the larger ones may include Western chains like Starbucks - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Japanese Motorway Service Area - Catering Japanese Motorway Service Area - Doggy Park
Plastic models of the food on offer let you see exactly what you will get and dogs' needs are catered for in "Doggy Parks" - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Japanese Motorway Service Area - Doggy Park Japanese Motorway Service Area - Doggy Park
The "Doggy Park" has a large fenced off area where, as the name suggests, dogs can get a run about - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Mount Fuji
富士山
Fujiyama Mt Fuji
The weather frustrated attempts to get good views of the mountain - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Mount Fuji Mount Fuji
At 2020 metres up Mount Fuji, or Fujiyama, cloud obscured the view below and the view above was less than spectacular - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Kawaguchi 
 河口湖
Kawaguchi, Japan Kawaguchi, Japan
Driving through the town of Kawaguchi on the lake of the same name the weather had still not improved - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Kawaguchi, Japan Lake Kawaguchi, Japan
Lake Kawaguchi, or Kawaguchi-ko, is one of the Fuji Five Lakes, but on this occasion Mount Fuji remained hidden in cloud (April 2013) - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Kawaguchi, Japan Lake Kawaguchi, Japan
Not surprisingly, the low cloud persisted throughout this short visit preventing any chance of viewing Mount Fuji - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Kawaguchi, Japan Pleasure Boat/Ferry ENSOLLEILLE Lake Kawaguchi
Spring cherry blossom by the lake shore, but there were few passengers for the Ensolleille - a name which on this occasion was somewhat inappropriate - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Hakone
箱根
Owakudani Hot Springs Owakudani Hot Springs
Owankudani hot springs at 1050 metres above sea level on the collapsed remains of a huge volcano - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Hakone Ropeway Hakone Ropeway
Hakone Ropeway offers spectacular views of Mt Fuji and Lake Ashi - weather permitting (and not on this occasion!) - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Hakone Cablecars Hakone Cablecars
Although Lake Ashi was visible through the haze, Mount Fuji remained totally obscured by cloud - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Ashi galleon replica Lake Ashi galleon replica
Western style "galleons" are totally unexpected on Lake Ashi  where they ply between Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Lake Ashi HAKONE MARU Lake Ashi HAKONE MARU
More traditional transport between Hakone-nachi and Moto-Hakone - catamaran HAKONE MARU - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Torii, Hakone-Moto, Lake Ashi Torii, Hakone-Moto, Lake Ashi
The vermillion Torii on the approaches to Moto-Hakone - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Hakone-Moto Hakone-Moto - Lake Ashi
Moto-Hakone (left) from where tantalising glimpses were made of Mout Fuji as the cloud momentarily cleared - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow
Mt Fuji from Hakone-Moto Mt Fuji from Hakone-Moto
Mount Fuji through the haze viewed from Moto-Hakone - PHOTOs Malcolm McCrow

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