This is the guy in Owakudani that has the thankless job of putting the eggs (dozens at a time in these wire baskets) into the boiling sulfur water. The smell is unbearable. I suppose he gets used to it. We couldn’t stand to be in this location for more than a minute or two. The kurotamago (黒玉子–black, hard-boiled eggs) that he is transporting are sold to tourists for outrageous prices. Eating them is supposed to give you a longer life. I have a hard time believing that working in sulfur everyday will do anything but shorten your life. Needless to say, we didn’t partake.

Posted on February 28th, 2009 under Japan • Tags: hakone, japan pictures, people. • RSS 2.0 feed • Both comments and pings are currently closed