ROUTE 1 - ONSEN BREAK

Hey! Hey! Dawn on ASHINOKO draws white lines of breath. Red and yellow run side by side toward HAKONE. STEAM OR LAKE? Take me higher, HAKONE! White air chases the newborn day, STEAM OR LAKE? Call and I obey, Over the pines—Hey! Hey! From the edge of ASHINOKO the roadway thins, Mist sketches corridors I almost dive in, Head full of the bath, a speed-curved grin, Heartbeat climbing—I wait for the sign. She, relentless, snaps a spin-turn and parks. The mist grows thicker, my breath turns white, Cold in my body, the chassis starts to shiver, So cold—I want the bath now, Yet my hands stay calm; the road is on my side. STEAM OR LAKE? Take me higher, HAKONE! White air follows the waking day, STEAM OR LAKE? Call and I obey, Up through the clouds—Hey! Hey! A narrow lane to a pier looks like a gate, I tip the nose toward that silver plate, ASHINOKO rises, ready to take, She draws alongside, arms in a giant X—wait! The sudden halt throws me; I stumble and slip, Straight into a puddle; my skirt gets soaked. Worst luck—wet again. She laughs and says, "Did you wet that skirt on purpose, trying to cover it up?" I blink, then laugh; today it seems water is my best friend. The mist thins slightly; the joke lands right, My body stays chilled, but the mood turns bright, First the bath, then the SKYLINE ride, Two beats, one smile—alright. Down to HAKONE YUMOTO we follow our breath, Open-air bath, white veil and sulfur depth, Shoulders under, the cold forgets, She flicks the surface—milk-white duet. Hot spring or lake—HAKONE! Hot spring or lake—ASHINOKO! Hot spring for sure—Hey! Hey! STEAM OR LAKE? Now we know the way, Not the mirror of the lake—today it's the bath, STEAM OR LAKE? Laugh and say, Next we chase the blue—ASHINOKO SKYLINE! Whoa-oh, HAKONE—the white turns into light. Two footsteps click; the morning says go.