Owakudani ("Great Boiling Valley") is a
volcanic valley with active sulphur vents and hot springs in
Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a popular tourist site for its
scenic views, volcanic activity, and especially, Kuro-tamago
("black egg") a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in
the hot springs. The boiled eggs turn black and smell slightly
sulphuric; consuming the eggs is said to increase longevity.
Eating one is said to add seven years to your life. You may eat
up to two and a half for up to seventeen and a half years, but
eating a whole third is said to be highly unadvised.
Access to Owakudani is via a funitel, the Hakone
Ropeway. There is also a road to a visitor's center just below
the Kuro-tamago hot springs site. Most visitors hike the roughly
1 kilometer trail or take the Hakone Ropeway to the actual site
where the eggs are boiled to participate in the ritual egg
eating. The funitel offers a stunning view of both Mount Fuji (on
clear days - which we unfortunately did not have) and the sulphur
vents just below the visitor's center. Present day activities
surrounding sulphur vents are the result of massive land slides
in the past, construction of concrete barriers and stabilization
of the area have been under way for many decades.
Click on the
picture to get a larger version
| Nice landscape -
before we started to 'fly' upwards |
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| Nice
view from the Ropeway |
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| Looking
down at the sulphur mines |
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| Must
be very warm around here |
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| Hm,
yes the smell was special, reminded me of Rotorua, New
Zealand |
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| View towards the
1000 m top |
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| The
shell of a boiled egg became black |
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| Nice
view from up here |
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