My workplace gives us five days of summer vacation each year. This year didn’t go quite as planned, but I decided to use the last of it for a short escape to Hakone.
My workplace allows five days of summer vacation.
This summer, I had planned to visit my daughter in New York, where she’s on a temporary assignment, taking advantage of the Silver Week holidays.
But when my younger brother suddenly fell critically ill, the trip was no longer possible. I ended up taking only three days off before everything came to a halt.
Two days remained unused—one of which I took last Friday, and the last one was today.
The weather forecast called for heavy rain in the afternoon, and with another three-day weekend starting tomorrow, I didn’t feel like going far.
So I finally decided to visit Nicolai Bergmann Hakone Gardens, a place I’d long wanted to see.
As expected, the gardens were decked out for Halloween, with pumpkins of all sizes scattered across the spacious grounds.
It was colorful, cheerful, and beautifully arranged.
Ann was thrilled—she ran around excitedly, pulling me this way and that.
I somehow managed to calm her down long enough to take a few photos, though as always with animals, only one out of ten shots turned out usable.
Many other visitors had also brought their dogs, each taking pictures in their own way.
Since rain was expected from around two o’clock, we left just after noon.
On the way back, I stopped by Hiratsuka Seaside Terrace Park, which I noticed had just opened today while driving along the coast toward Hakone.
It’s apparently a local public facility operated by the city through a semi-public organization—a pleasant spot for residents.
Still, if the weather had been nice, I imagine the place would have been packed, and Route 134 would have been jammed once again.
Kamakura and Hiratsuka—both in Kanagawa, both nearby. Convenient and comforting.
Heavy rain is expected tonight.
Time to stay quietly at home and listen to it fall.
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