Hakone's Awesome Owaku-dani Valley

Appreciating the frightening power of nature

Tomoko Kamishima May 18, 2012 - 1 min read

Coming into the valley from above is quite frightening.

Phreatic explosions are taking place right under your feet.

The local gods are always on duty here, protecting all from the horrors below!

This place is awesome and attracts huge numbers of visitors.

This hot spring water is used to boil the black-shelled eggs.

The valley can also look quite beautiful.

The eggs are not black--only the shells are, from the sulphur and iron in the onsen water.

This water is used for purification purposes.

Intense energy is popping up from under the clefts of rocks all around you. Phreatic explosions are taking place right under your feet. Welcome to Owaku-dani Valley! It must have been so scary for the ancient people who lived near here in the Hakone mountain ranges. Even now I experience a kind of helpless feeling when I see this eerie view. Why? I think it’s because we can’t do anything in the face of the sudden destructive power of Mother Earth.

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Tomoko Kamishima @tomoko.kamishima

Japan is a small island nation, but we have a huge number of surprising things to discover here. Many of these delights can be found when you step off the main street onto small side paths. I really enjoy studying about and researching various aspects of traditional Japanese culture, and then sha...