We were standing on the deck of a pirate ship, cruising across the serene waters of Lake Ashi when it started to drizzle. It’s been raining on and off, but as this particular shower ended, a full rainbow suddenly radiated on the horizon. I was reminded of the tale of going to a rainbow’s end to find a pot of gold.

AUTUMN IN HAKONE

After scoring cheap flights via Cebu Pacific to Tokyo, it was decided that on our second day in Tokyo, we would go straight to Hakone to have a look see of Mount Fuji. It was still raining in the city and the forecast for Hakone, which was two hours away by train, was more of the same. Still, we persisted, hoping against hope that the weather would favor us.

 

If you’re gonna ask me what I would remember the most during my three-day jaunt in Japan, it would probably be the rain. It poured days and nights the whole time we were in the so-called Land of the Rising Sun. But it was not a deterrent for exploration. Drenched and soggy, we still braved the streets of Tokyo and Kanagawa as much as time would allow.

Japan used to be an unreachable dream that I thought would totally remain as a such. I’m totally indebted to Sony Philippines for picking me to follow Sony Alpha’s new camera ambassadors; Pilar Tuason, Manny Librodo and Pepe Diokno to Japan.

I’ve been using a Sony NEX5n camera since winning it from the KLM-DPP On Assignment: Europe a few years back and the Sony A77 and other lenses (I so love the E 10-18mm!)provided by Sony for this trip perfectly complimented it.

Subarashii Japan!

  
   P O S T C A R D S
   Impossible Japan

   D A Y  O N E  |  T O K Y O

   Manila – Japan
   Of Geishas and Kaisekis
   The Old and the New at Toranomon’s Konpira Shrine
   Almost Paris at the Tokyo Tower

   D A Y  T W O  |  T O K Y O  &  K A N A G A W A

   Rainy Morning to Atago Shrine
   Old Castles and Unending Rains 
   Rushing Lunch at Yumoto Fujiya Hotel
   Reveries on Cemeteries
   Mists and Trails at Hakone’s Fujiya Hotel 
   Secret Temples
   Braving Tokyo’s Underground
   Rainy Nights at Shibuya Crossing
   Two Nights at Tokyo’s Okura Hotel

   D A Y  T H R E E  |  T O K Y O

   Buying Memories at Asakusa’s Nakamise Street
   The Oldest Buddhist Temple in Japan
   Mementos and Souvenirs

 

My feet led me to a dead end. I followed a trail at the back of Hakone’s famous Fujiya Hotel and it let me to a winding set of stone stairs that descended into nothingness. I looked around, trying to see my way out of this place, looking for shortcut, a hidden pathway; anything but to double back from the way I came. My eyes saw a silhouette of a structure against the bush on my right; brushed it aside and found a temple. A secret temple, unbeknownst to my fellow travelers.

Hellen Keller, Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon; what do they all have in common? They all stayed at Hakone’s Fujiya Hotel. And that said hotel was our last stop for our second day in Japan. Coolness!

I can see from the fog-ridden landscapes of the resort that this is no ordinary hotel. The architecture is different, still distinctly Japanese but with hints of western influences. It looked like a modernist take on the country’s traditional architecture, but somehow, you know that it’s all authentic.

A large Buddha with a shockingly red bib stands guard near the entrance of the Shōgen-ji Temple in Hakone. Cherry blossoms, wet from the day’s constant rain litter the grounds like delicate pink snowflakes. I carefully wend my way through them, seemingly conscious of stepping into one and destroying something beautiful. I looked up and saw the gnarly branches of the Sakura tree framing the gray white sky. It’s still raining in Japan.

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as we stepped inside the warm lobby of Yumoto Fujiya Hotel in Hakone. My shoes and socks have been soggy with rain since early morning. From my quick jaunt to Tokyo’s Atago Shrine and the three-hour shoot at the nearby Odawara Castle; my toes were now practically freezing.

A sprawling wall mosaic of what seemed like colored capiz shells decorated the hotel’s foyer. Like true-blue tourists, we gawked at the gift shop before our guide politely dragged us inside Himeshara, Yomoto Fujima’s one of six restaurants.

Umbrellas matching the colors of the rainbows bob skywards as visitors navigated the flight of stone steps towards Odawara Castle’s soaring architecture. Slender Japanese cherry trees replete with blossoms framed the inclined stone causeway, painting the much needed color to the sullen grey heavens above.

I was trying to keep my eyes open the whole two hours en route to the Kanagawa Prefecture. I wanted to see Japan even if just from the bus window, but the previous night’s jaunt has taken its toll on me, I couldn’t hold my eyelids open, they were closing on their own accord; I dreamt of cherry blossoms.