Japan
October 31, 2026 Hakone It's time to leave Tokyo. This morning we climb aboard a bullet train to Odawara. The bullet trains look very sleek and bullet like on the outside but pretty ordinary on the inside. They have a seating arrangement of 3 seats and 2. An interesting thing is the middle seat is wider than the seats on either side of it. Ed was in the middle and said it was comfortable and he didn't encroach on my space. At the entrance to Odawara Castle. In the 15th and 16th centuries Odawara Castle was the base of the famed Hojo clan. A 9 km ring of moats and earthen walls were built to encircle the entire town. This was the largest medieval fortification in Japan. Samurai soldiers in training. Leaving Odawara by bus, we drive to Lake Ashi where we board a boat for a scenic tour. The Japanese version of a "duck boat". Below are three scenic views. Cyprus tree forest. Cyprus trees grow tall and straight. Our bus picked us up at a stop part wa...