Hakone Tour 2010

Senshu University has many activities for international students, including field trips in and out of Ikuta campus. I have lived in an international dormitory with them as a "resident assistant" and this job sometimes leads me to go on a trip with my dear international students. Today, I would like to introduce the latest trip to Hakone to you all. The trip took place on Nov. 12th and 13th. We went to Hakone by train, cable car, ship and bus.
・Day one
Before going to Hakone, we went to Odawara castle. The castle was founded in the mid-15th century, as a residence of the Hojo Family. There were lots of illustrative exhibits, swords, drawings and ancient documents inside the castle. It was lucky that we had a great view from the top of the castle.
After Odawara, we then moved (climbed?) up to Hakone. There were a lot of people in Hakone Yumoto station, so the international students had a "great" experience, for they are not so familiar with "overcrowded trains" or the state of being packed like a sardine. The train ride brought us to Oowakudani, first, and then, Lake Ashinoko, and finally we arrived at Senshu University’s Seminar House. In the house, we enjoyed dinner, relaxed in the hot spring, chatted and so on. We had a great time there, for sure.

・Day two
We left the house around 9 in the morning and headed for Hakone Sekisho (a kind of customs in the Edo period which supervised the incoming and outgoing people to/from Edo). Hakone Sekisho was built in its current location in 1619, during an early period of the Edo period. We enjoyed the place very much, though we were a bit tired because the schedule was very tight. However, fortunately, we saw Mt. Fuji, which literally etched in our minds an unforgettable memory of the trip.

Throughout the trip, we had a wonderful time and had priceless experiences. I hope that this autumn course will become even more enjoyable for them.

（ゼミ生 persimmon柿生）