Third from the right is Date Masamune. Didn't even have to think about it.

Odawara castle, or rather, part of it.

That's the skyway station we took the ropway from. AND THE GIANT TIDAL CLOUD OF DEATH and CAMERA SPECKS!

From the top of Odawara Castle.

Also the top of Odawara castle.

Sulfur mines! Woo!

Hakone.

Lake Ashi. THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY LENS!

Temple steps, and some skeeeetchy looking nihonjin.

Enter.

Lol, I know, this can't be real, right?

The stairs...oh god the stairs.

^ ^

Hayama/Yokohama

So it's been a few days now since we arrived here. So awesome.

1. Hayama (and I guess most parts of Japan) is a jungle. Was not expecting. When leaving the house, and sometimes even while inside it, the first thing you hear is the jungle. A completely deafening roar of insects/birds/animals. Cicadas are especially prominent. There are huge bugs (both flying and crawling) as well as huge spiders (Waah).

2. Walking down the street is a different experience. They are very narrow, always. Cars, as a result, are very small - this I was expecting. However, none of the roads are straight, and everything is hilly. There are pathways and hidden shortcuts everywhere, and plants just kind of pour out from everywhere.

3. You can get milk. You can get cheese. You can get fruit (albeit expensive). It's all good. This one is for you, mom, since you insisted this would be impossible. It's very possible to eat cheaply. Food costs more or less the same, it's not too bad. We went to a bar in Hayama, which was incredibly fun, though we had some trouble (did not realize there was a button we had to press to call the waitress).