WHY SO SHY MOUNT FUJI ? JAPAN JOURNEY

BLOG POST  16
Our tour for the day was to Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji

We woke up in our teeny weeny room in hotel Cochochee in Numazu

It was the smallest of all hotels in our Japan tour, the management had tried to provide all comforts but it was a tight squeeze along with our big suitcases which had been shifted from Hiroshima.

Breakfast was equally inadequate, staff were looking flustered and  harassed even before we asked anything , at least we had yogurt, eggs and fresh bread, our elixir of life when we go abroad
We were ready and out of the hotel for the tour and drove 35 km from Numazu to Hakone and reached the beautiful Fuji Hakone National Park which harbored the lake Ashi

Lake Ashi , Hakone lake or Ashinoko lake is situated on the Western side of Hakone ,Ashinoko which means "lake of reeds" in Japanese (ashi) "reed", and  (ko) "lake".
A volcanic crater like lake formed over 4,000 years ago by volcanic activity, which last erupted in 1170 CE at Owakudani. The lake is known for its views of Mt Fuji, its numerous hot springs, historical sites and shrines

The scenery apparently changes with each season. Trails around the lake are surrounded by beautiful, green cedar trees, while boat cruises on the lake are enjoyed by the visitors.

 The lake is filled  abundantly with black bass and trout and forms a great place for boating, fishing, and swimming
 As we walked to the lake, the weather started becoming cloudy and our guide who was warning us since the previous day about the expected wet weather told us to take an umbrella each from the pile placed in the back portion of the van

We saw many pleasure boats and ferries traversing the lake Ashi  . Several of the boats looked like sailing warships ,they were named Royal II,Victory and Queen Ashinoko

We had the chance to travel in Royal II which was a model of the first-rate gun ship Royal Louis, built in France in the 18th century

The atmosphere of the past was reproduced in the interior and exterior decorations and the ship featured seafarer puppet figures and rats (ship’s wheel)

It had 3 decks and a snack bar. First and second decks were shaded, third deck was out in the sun and had a VIP area with more elaborate seating.

We would have had beautiful panoramic views of lake Ashi and Mount Fuji on a clear day but unfortunately on that day, it was cloudy but we couldn’t do anything about it

Mt. Fuji with a height of 3,776 metres is the tallest mountain of Japan and is its most distinguishing physical landmark. Its exceptionally symmetrical cone, snow-capped for about 5 months a year, is used as a cultural icon of Japan and depicted in many paintings and photographs and is the model for the thousand and  old five thousand yen bill

Mount Fuji is an active strato volcano that had erupted last in 1707. The mountain though situated about 100 kilometres to Tokyo, can be seen from there on clear days.
It is one of Japan's historic sites and was added to the World Heritage list as a Cultural Site in 2013.
The forest at the north west base of the mountain is named Aokigahara.   Folk tales and legends tell of ghosts and demons haunting the forest and it was one of the many places where poor families abandoned the very young and the very old . It is the third most popular suicide location after Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco and a bridge in China
Clouds and poor visibility often block the view of Mount Fuji, and it is considered lucky to get a clear view of the mountain and believed to be a sacred mountain by many Japanese.

More than one million people climb Mt. Fuji every year during the official climbing season of July and August.
We were cruising on and on the right side, we passed a beautiful red Torii gate which signified the presence of a shrine

When we reached the eastern shore of Lake Kawaguchiko , we got down
We were taken to a local shopping center ,where there were items of interest like local treats and

handicrafts

There were exotic handmade  Japanese dolls ,hand mirrors and spectacle cases

We took a round trip on the Mount Fuji Panoramic also called Kachi Kachi rope way,

There is also a hiking trail from the observation deck down the forested mountain slope which takes about 30 minutes to descend.
Near the entrance we saw a rabbit and a raccoon figures ,our guide told us about a folk lore

There was quite a big line to get into the car ,all of us were carrying our umbrellas but surprisingly wherever we traveled in Japan I never heard a loud voice or heated arguments

We got into the car which can accommodate 36 people and was decorated with figures of  rabbit and raccoon

Though the rain obscured the views we could occasionally see the lake Kawaguchiko and the base of the Mt Fuji .

We ascended 400 meters which took us hardly 5 to 7 minutes. There were steps to an observation deck which was more than 1000 meters above sea level ,near the peak of Mount Tenjo.

This mountain in Yamanashi Prefecture apart from its views has folklore attractions of its own that make it a worthwhile trip.

There were large colorful statues at the observation desk of Rabbits and Tanuki a raccoon dog,these were from an old Japanese folktale titled Kachi Kachi Yama,  and Mount Tenjo is the setting for the tale.

The characters in the story appear cute and cuddly, but it was quite a gory tale where the rabbit takes revenge on the murderous tanuki by setting him on fire before drowning him, I found it funny when some parents there didn’t know how to explain the story to their kids

We saw the Bell of Tenjo, legend says that a wish comes true if the bell is rung while looking at Mount Fuji through its heart-shaped silver frame. Several couples were trying it, probably hoping for a long and happy relationship, I wanted to tell them it takes more than ringing a bell to maintain a balanced marriage Ha,Ha !

Next to the cafe was a quaint little shrine dedicated to the rabbit from the tale.

After the rope way experience, we drove to the Mt Fuji Subaru line 5th station. There are 10 stations with the first at the bottom and the tenth at the top and four 5th stations which are halfway up the mountain  and mark where the 4 trails start.

 Mt Fuji Subaru line 5th station is situated 2300 meter above sea level and is the most popular station for visitors and the starting base for climbers before their ascent to Mount Fuji.

 It is the best developed and easiest to access by public transportation from Tokyo. It is accessible almost year round, snow conditions permitting.
During the majority of climbing season (July to September )the road is closed to private vehicles and only shuttle buses can  operate.
As soon as we got down from the van,we were struck by the cold weather there and were shivering
On a sunny day we could have had great view of the mountain ,Fuji Five Lakes and Hakone national park from Komitake Shrine situated just behind the large shop at 5th Station. But it was so cloudy and the shy Mt Fuji just showed its face only rarely

There were souvenir shops selling handicrafts ,lovely dolls ,multiple ones arranged one in the other

Chocolates and candies of various flavors and some in 3 D images of Mt Fuji could be seen

Varieties of tea powder, some in Doll shaped containers were there

I saw a tea powder of our local flavor labeled masala chai and felt thrilled and proud

There were cute little carry bags in vivacious colors and prints

Key chains and fridge magnets of various prices could be seen on display .Whenever we travel abroad we discover myriad beautiful things to buy ,first constraint would be budget and next would be space in our luggage ,so safest is to do window shopping and capture the goods in our photos

We saw the famous black eggs which are boiled in the water heated in the sulfur mines.We tasted one it  smelt a little of sulfur .

Locals claim that eating one egg would prolong one’s life by 7 years which left me pondering on how many years was the survival rate of these people who must eating these eggs regularly

We saw statue of young Japanese men pointing to the summit at Fuji and also that of early climbers to the Mount Fiji.The weather in 5th station was so cold, we wondered how the people trudging forward for the climb onto the top were faring .Mount Fuji was indeed a very shy mountain and playing peekaboo with all of us

We returned from the 5th station on our way to Tokyo which was our final spot before flying back to India