Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History

Who doesn't love a museum of natural history?

This is the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History.  Because of COVID-19 one must make an on-line reservation in advance to visit the museum, there is also an admission fee of 520 yen unless one is 65 years old (or older) then the admission fee is 100 yen! Lucky me!

Of course the museum has exhibits of lava, asteroids, fossils, all the things that are millions of years old... they also have bugs!

Some of the bugs look a little scary.

And, you've got to have skeletons with big tusks; that's what all the kids want to see.

Stuffed animals, that's my cuppa tea.

They look amazing. 

Just what one needs to put by their front door.

After we finished looking around the museum we ate lunch in Hakone-Yumoto (I guess I forgot to say that the natural history is in Hakone) and then we took a local bus to the Pola Art museum to see the Foujita exhibition. Since I couldn't take pictures in the Pola museum we skip forward to our return to Hakone-Yumoto where we'll spend the night.

The Hakone Tozan railway starts in Gora and ends in hakone-Yumoto, or the other way around depending on where one starts. Gora is also where the Hakone Tozan Cable Car meets the railway line. This is the cable car coming down the hill.

The platform attendant announces that the train is coming.

Here it comes.

Here it is!

All aboard. We got lucky and got a booth. Emi sat looking forward and I'm looking aft.

So, down the mountain we go.

Normally I always sit looking forward so this is some new scenery for me.

I was thrilled to look out the window as we flew down the mountain.. others near us were not so excited by the train ride experience.

The train runs on a single track with several switchbacks.  

Lots of curves. There is a water tank under the train that sprays water on the rails in front of the wheels to help lubricate them and keep them from wearing out too fast. Even so, the wheels still squeal a lot as we fly down the train line. It actually sounds like we're on a runaway train that's out of control.

Looking out the window at the automobiles down below.

An uphill train is heading the same direction as we are as we race toward the first switchback.

Now we're so close to the other train I feel like we're going to collide with each other - we're just inches away from them! This is scary stuff!

Okay, we survived that - at the switchback we switched tracks and they continued uphill and we continued down. A view  out the window of the the ravine below.

This is another point where trains can pass eachother.

At last we arrived safely at Hakone-Yumoto station and we started walking to our hotel. A couple of views from the catwalk outside the station.

Hakone-Yumote is a tourist destination. Lots of restaurants, gift shops and hotels.

Next morning walking from our hotel back to the train station.

Our trip home starts with this local train to Odawara.

We practically have the train to ourselves.

At Odawara we say goodbye to our old train and get on a much faster and more modern one bound for Ofuna.

Last shot of the trip: Standing on the platform in Ofuna waiting for the train to take us home to Yokosuka.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Bonus shots!