Hakone
Hakone is a mountainous area popular as a weekend vacation spot for residents of nearby Tokyo. Our stay there was my first introduction to Cryptomeria.
Cryptomeria are a species of tree resembling Giant Sequoias (to which they are somewhat related). The tree is native to Japan. Many were planted centuries ago around Shinto shrines and temples and in grand avenues.
We walked along these avenues between the Hakone Shrine and the Hakone Checkpoint. 
The area is served by several modes of transportation for the benefit of tourists. There is the Hakone Mountain Railway, which gets you up to Gora, a town that prides itself on its Alpine qualities, as exhibited in its train station.
there is a "ropeway" (aerial lift) which takes you past Ōwakudani, a valley with sulfur vents. 
And there are mockups of foreign ships which ply Lake Ashinoko. 
