Today I took a train southwest to the town of Hakone and the Ten-zan Notemburo Onsen. We went by Mt. Fuji (aka Fuji-san) on the way, but I could only see the base of it since the top, as usual, was shrouded in clouds. I do hope I get a chance to see it before I leave Japan as it seems ludicrous not to, but the weather may have other plans for me. The hot springs were wonderfully relaxing, and a much-needed break from the mayhem of the city. It was particularly nice given the rush-hour subway ride I took this morning to get to the train. Holy mother of god. No one informed me of the importance of properly positioning your body so that the crushing weight of the dozens of bodies doesn't contort you into some excrutiatingly precarious position, and I spent 10 minutes on an express train squashed between various elbows, shoulders, feet, breasts, purses and briefcases.

At the onsen today, I made a startling discovery. This is probably more information than anyone needs, but since when have I kept anything to myself? I was in the bathroom and found myself intrigued by the very fancy looking toilet with its series of buttons and levers. All of the text was in Japanese of course, but there was one button in particular that had what appeared to be a picture of a butt with a stream of water squirting up. Well, curiosity overwhelmed me and of course, I pushed it. Seconds later, I screamed when, well you can guess what happened. Aurelio said, "Well what did you *think* was going to happen?" Yes. He has a point. OK, onward.

There are more vending machines per capita in Japan than in any other country. Soda, beer, iced coffee, tea, juice, water, you name it. There's even a rumor that there are vending machines selling schoolgirls' underwear, but I have yet to see any of those.

Despite the fact that Japan is as expensive as it is, thanks to Chez Aurelio and the generosity and kindness of friends, I've spent a lot less money than I anticipated at this point. This is a relief, since it was hard for me not to think about every yen I spent in terms of days lost in Southeast Asia. e.g. "This 6000 yen bowl of ramen is an entire DAY in Thailand!" I still think that way, but at least I haven't broken the bank yet. One annoying side effect of being in a country that costs so much is that I am not meeting many other travelers, which makes for some lonely moments. Tomorrow I am going to the travel agent to find out what my options are for destination numero dos.