Anyway we got on our train and sped to Odawara in 30 minutes. The station was packed with everyone else going to Hakone, so we had to leave the station, line up, and loop back in to get on the local going up to Hakone. The train was packed but we got up to Hakoneyumoto Station in another 30 minutes. From there we did the out-and-in again to get onto the local local hill climber to work our way up to Gora Station. The station had photos of Swiss Alps trains (Switzerland uses Japanese trains or something) and it was quite a ride. The train would go up to a station, then backtrack, stop, the driver would get out, run to the other end of the train, and drive up to the next station. We switch-backed up the side of the mountain a couple times, each time stopping and waiting for the down train to pass as there's only one main track. Pretty cool, actually. At Gora Station most people were getting on the cable car to go up to the very top and ride the ropeway gondola, but we got on a bus and headed up to the Pola Museum. The bus driver was taking those mountain road hairpins at speed, so we got another adrenalin rush before being deposited in front of the glass and steel magic of Pola.
First we got lunch, of course at one of the outside tables, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and tolerating the fairly clueless staff. Then we checked out the art; not bad, but it's the building itself that is so cool. Finished off with some cake and coffee and postcards, and then got a cab to go back to Gora Station. With everyone else, we jammed onto a train and switch-backed down to Hakoneyumoto Station, got on a small bus and headed to Shohachi.
We checked in and got a stupendous meal, lay around for an hour enjoying our food coma, and then it the hot springs bath before heading back up to the room for some well-earned sleep.
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