Solo Japan Part VI: Fujikawaguchiko
Day 8: Fujikawaguchiko
Even though Hakone was wonderful, I still felt that my dear, sweet Mt. Fuji deserved a closer look. From Atami, I took a train to a bus and found myself in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, part of the Fuji Five Lakes area and home to Lake Kawaguchiko, the most famous of the five lakes.
It's a cute little town and I found myself a wonderful hostel that boasted views of Mount Fuji from its windows, something I couldn't see due to the day's weather and the dwindling daylight. Luckily, I was staying two nights though, so there was still plenty of time to catch a glimpse. ^ ^
Day 9: Finding Fuji
I set my alarm to wake up bright and early at 6:30 and took a peek out of my window to spot a beautifully visible Mt. Fuji! Today I planned to hike up the trail to get ahead of the Kachi Kachi ropeway (cable car) crowd and catch an early view of the mountain.
The view as I walked only added to my excitement. Armed with my Kagome vegetable drink I made my way to the lake and toward the trail of Mount Tenjo!
However, when I tried to find the trail entrance based on some directions I found online, it was blocked by some kind of caution tape and a man told me the only way up was the ropeway. I felt a little defeated because it was an hour till the ropeway opened and my whole plan was to get ahead of the crowds. C'est la vie. I made a phone call to pass the time and was one of the first in line when it opened.
Note: I've since found this detailed blog post explaining how to get to the trail. I don't know if this would've helped at the time or if it was truly closed like the man told me. My morning brain was fuzzy and I didn't think to search for more information online at the time. Oh well!
I cheesed for a photo op, but was pretty bummed.
Because hours had passed since the start of my day, the clouds had crept in and my dear, sweet mountain view was gone. ㅠㅠ
I climbed up a trail passed the ropeway station offerings and sat on a bench in a quiet spot with a coffee and waited for the clouds to disappear.
About an hour went by and sadly, there wasn't much change. More people started showing up and I decided I'd try my luck back in town.
I sailed on the Ensoleillé Pleasure Boat on the lake crossing my fingers for a view. The clouds were clearing up but I still couldn't see Fuji in its full glory. :(
Determined, I walked more and more, chasing a better view of the mountain. I was like the storm chasers in Twister except I didn't have a cool van and my storm was a snow-covered volcano.
I stopped briefly at the bus station to get my return ticket to Tokyo for the next day. It was the clearest, closest view I had so far and I asked a nice man to take a picture of me.
The journey continued! Hours later, I finally saw it completely unobstructed for the first time behind some businesses and light traffic. I was SO HAPPY.
I got sushi to celebrate a day's hard work.
I still can't believe that cars aren't crashing everywhere from the beauty of this magical mountain. I kept double-taking as I walked away, taking more and more pictures and videos. It is the most majestic thing I've ever seen. I can't properly describe how awe-inspiring it is, you just have to see it for yourself to believe me.
As I walked back to my hostel, the sunset cast a beautiful orange glow on the side of the mountain and fireworks started going off in front of it. My heart was filled with love and my belly was filled with sushi. I cannot recommend seeking out Mt. Fuji enough if you're in Japan. It seems obvious and I may seem obsessed, but it was truly a sight to behold.