3:30am I am awakened numerous times and am in bad wear from sleeping on the Tatami Mat. During one of these sleep intermissions, I decide to use the bathroom. Somehow, I manage to groggily don the appropriate shoes and sit on the john. But, no sooner than my tush has touched the porcelain shrine’s seat than I get accosted by the Possessed Japanese Toilet from Hell. Some nondescript (remember, I’m still two thirds asleep) Japanese folk music starts to play from the control console, the seat begins to rumble with the ‘Auto on heat’ feature, and a jet of water wooshes from the toilet to places best left unmentioned. Yes, I was most definitely in a foul and grouchy mood now. I return to my mat after deciding that automatic toilets are most definitely a bad idea, or at the very least lacking an ‘auto safety’ timer that turns off all functions during the groggy hours for those of us lacking hand-eye-foot coordination before our morning tea or coffee.

[Nathan] After a wonderful night’s sleep on the tatami mats (Marc said it was the most uncomfortable night that he has spent) I was up at 4 AM to watch the sunrise, however the weather was not cooperating with me. Rain had arrived, driven to the island nation from a typhoon swirling somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific. Instead of braving the elements, I cozy up in the small sitting area and channel surf for a little while. I left the sound off the television, focusing on the sound of the waves crashing into shore through my open window.

This trip has been very interesting for me so far, I am typically a night owl, sleeping in as late as possible. However, the shifting of time zones has worked out in my favor this trip. I am up early each morning, and am amazed at watching how the world starts it’s day. While sitting next to the window, I notice a small fishing fleet leaving Atami Harbor, heading out to sea. This scene is reminiscent of one that you would see while watching a classic Japanese Drama film. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Atami, Blackened Eggs, Hakone, Hakone Ropeway, Keio Plaza, Lake Ashi, Onsen, Oto Oto, Owakudani, Owakudani Valley, Shinto Shrine, Tokyo, Tokyo Shinjuku