One of the main reasons I wanted to travel to Japan was to see the iconic and majestic Mt. Fuji. The 12,380 ft high, dormant volcano is world renowned for its symmetry and serenity and is an icon for Japan.
We set up the tour and read the many reviews that the tour company was great but, for some people, the weather prevented them to actually seeing the mountain. For some reason, I didn't think there was anyway that could happen to us. When we left our hotel the sun was shining and skies were clear, which continued on our drive southwest out of Tokyo.
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| Our tour guide, Hiro |
The tour turned out to really good and we got a lot of good information on the nearly 2 hour drive from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji. There were about 25 people on the tour, so enough to make it interesting but not too many that we felt like herded cats. The countryside was very beautiful as we whizzed by on our big tour bus. I managed to get a few pictures out the window...
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| Rice fields |
Apparently there is such an abundance of rice, that they have started making bread out of rice. We didn't get to try any, but I would imagine it would be pretty bland.
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| On the way to Mt. Fuji |
Unfortunately, this was the last view of blue skies we had. As we continued up the mountain, the clouds continued to get thicker and it was getting darker. As Hiro kept saying, she really hoped we could see the mountain today but wasn't sure... with a huge sad face. We continued up to the Fifth Station hoping that we would be able to see something...
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| Fifth Station sign |
Unfortunately, we were "in the clouds" and could see no part of the beautiful mountain! Below are two pictures of hikers getting ready to make the trek up the mountain. It was very chilly where we were and I'm sure it only got cooler as they went up. The hike up the mountain seemed really cool, but I was pretty glad we weren't doing it that day - too cold and rainy!
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| getting ready to trek up the mountain |
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| in the clouds |
Next, we headed to the nearby town of Hakone for a cable car ride and boat cruise on Lake Ashi. On a clear day, both are supposed to offer views of Fuji-san (as the Japanese call it). As you probably get the jist, it was not a clear day for us, so views were limited.
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| cable car coming out of the clouds |
At the end of the Hakone cable car ride we ended up at an area that is known for its abundant Natural Hot Springs. It was interesting, but we did not partake in any bathing. After the experience I had with my girlfriend in the baths in Budapest, I was not interested in seeing the local crowd in the springs. With the hot springs, the entire area has a high level sulfur in the water. One of things they sold in this area was, so called, black eggs. When they hard boil the eggs, that sulfur causes the outside of the egg to turn black. I was little turned off at first, but in case I never come back here, I had to try it. Adam doesn't like to eat eggs he's not sure about, so I was forced to eat them myself. The eggs itself, inside the shell, was no different than usual and was actually very flavorful!
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| Adam and I in Hakone |
Overall, the trip was good. It was nice to get out of the city and see the countryside. I hope that my life brings me back to Japan one day so that I can see the iconic mountain in real life.
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| an internet image of Fuji-san, for good measure |
After a ride back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen bullet train, we decided to get off at the Tokyo station in the heart of the city. We walked for about fifteen minutes to an area called Ginza. This is a very nice area that has stores of every major international brand you can think of... Prada, Dior, Gucci, Coach, etc etc, but I was excited to see a few less common shops like Tory Burch and DVF (the designer Whitney worked for on The City haha). It was a really charming little area with lots of restaurants too. It was Friday night at dinner time and we couldn't find anywhere to eat because all the the good looking places told us they were "booked for the night". It seemed like a good place to see and be seen....
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| Cool walk-up bar that could hold only about 6 people |
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| Street of Ginza |
We ended up getting noodles at one of the only places we could find a seat. They were yummy and just what we needed, even though it was a little hard to find. We walked out as a group of 3 business men were walking out and asked them the best way to the subway. They asked where we were headed and one guy said we could follow him to the right station. He walked us all the way there and seemed very happy to help.
Very impressed with the kindness and helpful attitude we received from the Japanese people in Tokyo. A real treat for me....
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