feat: japan retrospective blog post

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-0/index.mdx

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
                 depth: 2,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-1/index.mdx

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
                 depth: 2,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-2/index.mdx

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
                 depth: 2,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-3/index.mdx

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
                 depth: 2,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-4/index.mdx

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
                 depth: 2,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5/index.mdx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: 'A Retrospective on 14 Nights in Japan: Day 5'
-date: '2024-04-11'
-lastmod: '2024-04-11'
+date: '2024-04-12'
+lastmod: '2024-04-12'
 tags: ['personal', 'travel', 'culture']
 authors: ['enscribe']
 summary: 'I planned a 2-week trip to Japan during the summer of 2023 for my family. Here are some of the highlights, blunders, experiences gathered throughout the process.'
@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ layout: PostBare
                 depth: 2,
                 active: true,
             },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+            }
         ]}
         title="Daily Log"
         rightAlign
@@ -96,7 +101,7 @@ Fushimi-Inari is one of the more complex shrines in Japan; it has a network of t
 
 ### Senbon Torii (Start)
 
-We began walking through the torii gates at around 6:45am. The sheer emptiness of the path at the time was a stark contrast to what I'd seen on social media pre-trip, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to experience the shrine in this way (also cool photos):
+We began walking through the torii gates at around 6:45am. The sheer emptiness of the path at the time was a stark contrast to what I'd seen on social media pre-trip, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to experience the shrine in this way (also cool photos). The torii themselves created this sort of tunnel effect, despite sunlight being cast through the gaps in the gates:
 
 <div className="mx-auto w-1/2">
 ![Day 5 Photo 3](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-5-photo-3.webp)
@@ -124,15 +129,15 @@ This is the approach to [Kumataka Shrine](https://inari.jp/en/map/spot_09/), a s
 
 ### Kumataka Shrine & Shin-Ike Pond
 
-The entire shrine consisted of these little corridors lined with small fox statues, stone carvings, and torii gates dispersed unevenly throughout the area:
+The entire shrine consisted of these little corridors lined with small fox statues, stone carvings, and torii gates dispersed in seemingly random but meaningful arrangements:
 
 ![Day 5 Photo 10](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-5-photo-10.webp)
 
 <div className="mx-auto w-1/2">
 ![Day 5 Photo 11](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-5-photo-11.webp)
 </div>
 
-Right next to the shrine is this small pond, called the Shin-Ike (or [Kodamagaike](https://inari.jp/en/map/spot_09/)) pond which reflected its neighboring greenery:
+Adjacent to the shrine is a small pond called the Shin-Ike (or [Kodamagaike](https://inari.jp/en/map/spot_09/)) pond which reflected its neighboring greenery:
 
 ![Day 5 Photo 9](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-5-photo-9.webp)
 

data/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6/index.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+---
+title: 'A Retrospective on 14 Nights in Japan: Day 6'
+date: '2024-04-13'
+lastmod: '2024-04-13'
+tags: ['personal', 'travel', 'culture']
+authors: ['enscribe']
+summary: 'I planned a 2-week trip to Japan during the summer of 2023 for my family. Here are some of the highlights, blunders, experiences gathered throughout the process.'
+thumbnail: '/static/images/japan-retrospective/banner.webp'
+images: ['/static/images/japan-retrospective/banner.webp']
+draft: true
+hidden: true
+layout: PostBare
+---
+
+<div className="tocr not-prose">
+    <TOCInline
+        toc={[
+            { value: 'Intro', url: '/blog/japan-retrospective#intro', depth: 1 },
+            {
+                value: 'Fundamentals',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective#fundamentals',
+                depth: 1,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'The Itinerary',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective#the-itinerary',
+                depth: 1,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Daily Log',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective#daily-log',
+                depth: 1,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 0: Arrival at KIX',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-0',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 1: Osaka Day Trip',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-1',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 2: Nara Day Trip',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-2',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 3: East Kyoto',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-3',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 4: West/Central Kyoto',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-4',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 5: Fushimi-Inari',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-5',
+                depth: 2,
+            },
+            {
+                value: 'Day 6: Hakone',
+                url: '/blog/japan-retrospective/day-6',
+                depth: 2,
+                active: true,
+            }
+        ]}
+        title="Daily Log"
+        rightAlign
+    />
+</div>
+
+## Day 6: Hakone
+
+![Day 6 Map 1](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-map-1.webp)
+
+Today was check-out day for the Kyoto apartment! After a quick breakfast at the same spot from Day 2 (Shijō Nishinotōin Shokudō) at around 6:30am, we packed up and left for Kyoto Station. The goal today was to check into our [ryokan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryokan) at Hakone, which was a really long journey from Kyoto. We'd need to purchase Shinkansen tickets to [Odawara Station](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/station/odawara), and then take a local train to [Hakone-Yumoto Station](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/station/yumoto).
+
+### Shinkansen to Odawara
+
+To purchase Shinkansen tickets, we found the JR ticket office at Kyoto Station so that we could ask questions and communicate in English (note that although you can technically purchase Shinkansen tickets from the ticket machines, we found the process overwhelming and decided it would be easier to ask questions in person). We purchased reserved seats on the Hikari (running on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen line) to Odawara Station——the journey was about 2 hours long. After resting at a Starbucks for a bit, we made our way through the station to the Shinkansen platforms and observed the incomprehensibly fast trains zooming by:
+
+![Day 6 Photo 1](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-1.webp)
+
+The Shinkansen was given the pseudo-plane ride experience, with food carts and overhead cabinet space for luggage. I was extraordinarily interested in the engineering behind the train and the technology that allowed for the world to pass by my window at such high speeds:
+
+<div className="mx-auto w-1/2">
+    ![Day 6 Photo 2](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-2.webp)
+</div>
+
+Since we were travelling across what was practically considered the countryside, the view was mostly of small towns and fields:
+
+<div className="flex gap-2 -my-4">
+    ![Day 6 Photo 3](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-3.webp)
+
+    ![Day 6 Photo 4](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-4.webp)
+</div>
+
+### The Hakone Freepass and Romancecar
+
+After the Shinkansen, we arrived at Odawara Station and promptly transferred to the local train to Hakone-Yumoto Station.
+
+At Hakone-Yumoto Station, we attempted to purchase reservations for the [Romancecar](https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/) train (a limited express, reserved seating-only train) to Shinjuku Station for our return trip to Tokyo in two days. This option was a compromise between the Shinkansen and the local train in terms of speed and price (the Romancecar is faster/more expensive than the local train, but slower/cheaper than the Shinkansen). Unfortunately, we were unable to communicate with the ticket office's front-house staff in English——however, when my family conversed in Vietnamese amongst ourselves to strategize, another staff member overheard and was able to assist us in Vietnamese!
+
+The Vietnamese lady explained to us a particular system which would make travel within Hakone exponentially easier and more economical: the [Hakone Freepass](https://www.odakyu.jp/english/passes/hakone/). This pass allowed for unlimited travel on all modes of transportation within Hakone's "free area" (including the base fare for the Romancecar, but *not* the reserved seating fee) for 2 or 3 days. The free area included all of the popular [Hakone Round Course](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html), a route which allows tourists to visit most of Hakone's attractions while taking all possible modes of transportation (train, bus, cablecar, ropeway, and even a pirate ship):
+
+<figure>
+    <img
+        className="w-full lg:w-2/3"
+        src="https://www.japan-guide.com/g22/5210_2201.gif"
+        alt="Japan Guide Hakone Map"
+    />
+    <figcaption className="text-center text-muted-foreground">
+        A map of Hakone's "Round Course," courtesy of [Japan Guide](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html)
+    </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+Overall, the Freepass was a no-brainer for us, as it would allow us to travel to all of Hakone's attractions without worrying about individual ticket prices (and save money in the process). We purchased the 2-day pass, alongside reservations for the Romancecar, and then walked to our ryokan. Since we strategically booked our ryokan near the station, the walk from train platform to check-in desk was only about 5 minutes.
+
+### Hotel Check-in
+
+We came way too early for check-in (~1:00pm vs 2:30pm check-in) and were able to leave our luggage at the ryokan to explore the area:
+
+![Day 6 Photo 5](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-8.webp)
+
+We booked the "traditional-style room" which, although didn't have a private onsen (there was a shared onsen on the same floor), allowed us to sleep in futon beds on tatami mats:
+
+![Day 6 Photo 8](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-5.webp)
+
+The room was well-antiquated and had a nice view of the nearby river and outdoor shopping district:
+
+<div className="flex gap-2 -my-4">
+    ![Day 6 Photo 6](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-6.webp)
+
+    ![Day 6 Photo 7](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-7.webp)
+</div>
+
+### Hakone-Yumoto Area
+
+From here, we decided to head out again to kill time before the 5pm dinner service within our room! We walked around the little business district near the station and found a really cute ice cream shop:
+
+<div className="flex gap-2 -my-4">
+    ![Day 6 Photo 9](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-9.webp)
+
+    ![Day 6 Photo 10](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-10.webp)
+</div>
+
+When we got back, we were presented with [yukata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukata) by a kind [nakai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakai_(vocation))/inn attendant who performed hospitality duties (they would be serving us dinner/breakfast and taking care of our futons):
+
+![Day 6 Photo 11](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-11.webp)
+
+Although the attendant could not communicate with us in English, and spoke to us in quick Japanese without regard of our comprehension, I could luckily understand a smidgen of what she was saying (e.g. explaining dinner/breakfast times, requesting yukata sizes, etc.) and was able to——albeit at the level of a toddler——respond with appropriate information and desperate gesturing.
+
+### Kaiseki (Dinner Service)
+
+This might have been the most memorable experience of the entire trip.
+
+We were sat down in a sunken table all dressed up in yukata and were served a multi-course (and I mean *multi-course*, like there were over a dozen unique dishes on the table at some point) [kaiseki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiseki) dinner. We gushed the entire time over the wonderfully endearing and deliberate presentation of each dish, which meant to balance color, texture, taste across the dish itself alongside the entire meal. Upon researching the dishes and tradition after the fact (I was a bit ignorant about the particulars of kaiseki before the trip) I found that this order is actually _very_ specific and traditional (see [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiseki#Order)), and that this form of cuisine is considered by the culture to be the highest form of dining:
+
+![Day 6 Photo 12](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-12.webp)
+
+![Day 6 Photo 13](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-13.webp)
+
+![Day 6 Photo 14](/static/images/japan-retrospective/day-6-photo-14.webp)