Japan Day 3 - Mt. Fuji

We were off to a early start this morning and in the lobby by 7 AM! Our guide wanted us to get to the station early because we were not able to get reserved seats for the train to Mt. Fuji. She came with us on the subway and showed us exactly where to stand to wait for the train.

We probably could have left a good 20 minutes later but what the heck. The three of us got good window seats. The car was very warm and it wasn't long before we were all asleep. The landscape was city buildings for quite a while then smaller buildings, followed by houses with gardens and crops, and then tall mountains with lush vegetation. Finally though, Mt. Fuji appeared!

It was a beautiful day all day with the sun shining on us and the mountain. When we finally arrived after 2+ hours, we decided to see if we could catch the bus to the fifth station. That is the highest point you can get to by road on Mount Fuji and it takes almost an hour to get up there. Snooze time again!

It was rather cold up there due to the elevation and I actually had to put more clothes on, haha! It was recommended that we buy our lunch across from the train station at the local 7-Eleven store and that we did. We found a building with a good viewpoint and ate our lunch while enjoying the scenery. We did a bit of browsing in the stores and bought a freshly baked Mt. Fuji cake recommended to us by Susie.

One of our small group had a sore foot so the other fellow and I headed off to see how far on the trails we could get. But first we spotted a beautiful shrine and checked that out. Japan is full of shrines everywhere.

There was a nice view point there as well. There was a trail nearby that looked promising and I was surprised at how much ice and snow there was on the pathway.

Actually there was a fair amount of ice and I felt quite unsure of my footing at times. Unfortunately the path didn't go all that far so we turned around and went the opposite way.

Again, the path didn't go that all that far so we turned around to look for the third member of our group. We weren't able to find her and the bus was leaving so we headed down the mountain. Unfortunately the next bus was in 70 minutes. I was able to communicate with her through Facebook and we arranged to meet when she got back down.

In the meantime we went down to the lake to explore and to find out when the lake tour happens.

The fall colours were quite stunning and I enjoyed photographing the lake, the leaves and the funny looking swan paddleboats people had rented.

We climbed to the top of a very big hill and were rewarded with tremendous views.

Soon after that, our friend met us and we went on the Lake Kawaguchi boat ride. It was getting dark and it was a short ride but suddenly Mt. Fuji came into view again. What perfect pictures! We were so lucky to get a beautiful day weatherwise. That doesn't always happen.

We had about an hour to kill before the train left and browsed in some of the shops. By the time we left, it was quite dark. I think I slept a little bit on the train.

We all wanted something to eat and decided to stay in the Shinjuku area before going back to our hotel. Andrei had been to a place in that area before and highly recommended we go there. It was a small narrow road known as Yakitori Alley.

The restaurants there are quite tiny and ours was no exception as it held only 12 people at a time. Some of the establishments are even smaller than that!

It was 'dinner and a show' in that the food was cooked right before our eyes. We could choose which kind of meat we wanted and there were lovely fresh vegetables to choose from as well, all skewered and ready to be cooked. I thought I was only a little bit hungry but the food was so delicious so I kept on ordering.  I especially enjoyed fresh mushrooms and asparagus.

At the end of the meal, they count up the sticks and that's how they arrive at your bill. The three of us also had sake. I have had it before and I can take it or leave it but tonight was a special occasion.

It was a long day but such a fun one! 16,398 steps 😊