Tokyo and Hakone

In Tokyo we meet with 4 people we hosted in Bendigo 15 years ago - there to learn English and bike training, how good it is to see them again! Masa meets us at the bus stop then finds our Airbnb and takes us sightseeing, the others appear at the izekaya - bar/restaurant - and order lots of delicious food to share

We have a free guide for the next day, so again it's  great to have a local  show us some sights, explain a lot of culture and get us around on the crazy and crowded subway. Jess and Chris go home from here. 

Then to Hakone for a night at a small guesthouse, where we don't see Mt Fuji because of cloud, don't ride the ropeway because of volcanic activity, but have great fun anyway on train, train, cable car, boat, bus.  It's cold and snows overnight nearby…

We stop at a beautiful onsen on the way home, with outdoor hot pools filled with all ages and shapes of (gender segregated) bods. Very relaxing.