These swan boats reflect the whimsical part of the Japanese character.
The structure on top of Mt. Komagatake seen here is the station for the Hakone Komagatake Ropeway - a cable car ride that runs between the Ropeway's Hakone Station on the northeastern shore of Lake Ashi to its Komagatake Station on the top of Mt. Komagatake (as seen in this photo). We took a different cable car ride from the northern shore of Lake Ashi to Owakudani ("the Great Boiling Valley") as seen in later photos.
Lake Ashi also is known as Lake Ashinoko or Lake Hakone. The name Ashi is a shortened version of Ashinoko meaning "lake of reeds" - from the word "ashi" meaning "reed" and "ko" meaning "lake." Lake Ashi was formed about 3000 years ago within the collapse of land (a caldera) caused by the last eruption of the Mt. Hakone volcano.
The Hakone area (including Moto-Hakone), famous for its natural beauty and hot springs, and Lake Ashi are visited by many international travelers and Japanese looking to escape the hustle and bustle of big cities, such as Tokyo.
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