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 😊
It's been a 15,000+ step day, and it isn't over yet.
I awoke early (before 5 am!) but read for awhile and slept in some more. Breakfast was at McDonald's as the hotel's brunch is over $20! Since I was too late to book a morning tour, I decided to see what I could do on my own.
Thank goodness for Google Maps again. But when there is construction and renovations, its hard to go where the map tells you to. I eventually found the first station but had no idea how to use the machine to buy a ticket. Fortunately there was someone in a ticket office nearby. Unfortunately he didn't speak any English. Fortunately a lady came by who did speak English and helped me a bit. Unfortunately I still couldn't figure out the machine. Fortunately the non-English speaking man came over and completed my transaction for me.
When you are from a small place and never get the chance to use subways, it is a bit of a challenge. Eventually I was on the right side of the tracks and the train came along quickly.
My first stop was the Tokyo Tower. It was a 10 minute walk to the tower and a few minutes before I could even see it. When it finally came into view I was a happy camper. It looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower but it is painted a nice bright red. After buying a ticket, the wait for the elevator wasn't too awfully long. Due to construction/renovations? you could only go halfway up. But still, the views of the city were pretty good. Wow! 13+ million people!
The souvenir shops were pretty tacky so I just picked up an artsy kind of postcard. I backtracked to the station and headed to my next stop: the Tsukiji Fish Market. Auctions are held daily from 5 AM to 9 AM and spaces for tours are very limited. You have to be there at three in the morning to lineup for the chance to get a spot. I didn't need to see it that bad!
There are rows of buildings with tiny stalls, some selling dried fish, fruits and vegetables, ceramics, knives, and cooking utensils. There are also many small restaurants and most of them had long lines. Some of the eateries had a sign saying "sorry, we are out of food for the day". I wasn't particularly interested in fish, even though it is fresh. I just wanted to see this famous Fish market for myself. There was an interesting shrine there which I photographed.
After that, I made my way back to Shibuya station via two subways. It was much easier coming back than getting there with some 'experience' under my belt. I was quite hungry by then and was going to eat Italian. But the Italian restaurants I saw really didn't appeal to me. I walked along and saw a picture advertising chicken and dumplings. There was a tiny little restaurant down two flights of stairs. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Also, it came very fast.
My afternoon agenda was to check out stationery, pens, and craft supplies at some stores I had researched before hand. Tokyu Hands was about a 10 minute walk away. Again I used Google as the streets are not straight and don't seem to follow a logical pattern (in my mind anyway).
The store is absolutely huge. I took the elevator up to the sixth floor which advertised crafts. There were three subfloors on each level, 6a, 6b and 6c, each with their own specialty. I wanted to find something interesting and useful but there really was nothing I needed. Levels 5a, 5b and 5c had journals and pens etc. The variety was absolutely unbelievable! I can't believe that many people use planners. There had to be more than 100 different kinds to choose from. Unreal! After careful consideration, I bought some brush pens and different widths. I was hoping to get some coloured ones but they didn't come in sets and they were quite pricey individually.
I had several stores on my list but only went to one more. Same thing, unbelievable variety, but nothing I had to have. By that time it was 4 PM and I wanted something sweet to eat. Yesterday I kept seeing ice cream stores everywhere. Today not. I ended up going to the top floor of some kind of mall and had some yoghurt with chocolate cookies etc. inside. The place was small, seating was at a premium, and the music was annoyingly loud and definitely not to my liking. But my feet were so sore, I sat and ate my treat, then got out of there quickly. I am astounded at the junky ugly things that are sold in these stores.
On my way back to the hotel I was able to finally find an inexpensive watch to replace the one I brought that fell apart (yet again). Back in my room I put my feet up until our group meeting for the tour I am taking.
Our guide's name is Susie and she is Japanese. There are 10 of us altogether in the group which is a nice size. She went over details of the trip then took us out to show us a few places we might need. Thank goodness she gave us her cell number as I got lost while taking a picture. Duh! That gets me into more trouble!
Supper was and a small restaurant at the top of a building. Buildings tend to be narrow and tall, with many businesses on the various floors. I ordered a chicken, vegetables and rice with soup and dessert. The soup was cold and tasted terrible. Apparently I was supposed to pour it over my bowl of rice but I didn't want to spoil the good rice, ha ha!
After supper, Susie took us over to the Shibuya station to see if we can get tickets for Mount Fuji tomorrow. My plan was to visit there on Monday but the weather will be better tomorrow... Fingers crossed.
We have to meet in the lobby at 7 AM and it is 11:30 PM now. Yikes!
