What is Japan without seeing the famous iconic Mount Fuji? Not only did we witness Mount Fuji in its glory but we set foot on the magnificent Mount Fuji. You can enjoy Mount Fuji in many different ways/ locations from Fuji Five Lake (富士五湖, Fujigoko) or Hakone. Hakone is the most popular for tourists as it is very accessible from Tokyo. I did up an one day itinerary for Hakone but I didn't manage to make use of it. Maybe next time I'll put up a post for Hakone. But we didn't just want to see Mount Fuji from afar so we opted to join a tour to take us up to Mount Fuji and its surroundings. I joined JTB Sunrise Tours.
JTB Sunrise Tour has a variety of tour packages for you from a day trip package to multi-day package to Sumo tours, Tea ceremony etc. From geisha to sushi to anime to even World Heritage sites, JTB Sunrise Tour got you covered. They even have different transportation options for you. The guides are really fluent in English and they are funny. At least my tour guide was and not to mention he was really good at taking photos since he is probably asked to take group photos ALL the time. JTB also offer a package for those who want to climb Mount Fuji. Yes it is possible. My guide's 6 years old son even climbed it. Kuddos. I couldn't even climb Achasan 아차산 in Korea without slipping.
I went on 1-Day Mount Fuji and Hakone tour by coach, which is ¥3,000 cheaper than the Shinkansen return. The tour includes stops at Fuji Visitor Centre, one of the Mount Fuji 5th station (Yoshidaguchi 5th Station or Kawaguchiko 5th Station), lunch at Fuji Highland hotel and Hakone (Lake Ashi cruise and Mt. Komagatake Ropeway). However, Mt. Komagatake Ropeway was closed because the weather was bad so the guide substituted it with Kachi Kachi Ropeway at one of the Fuji Five Lake, Kawaguchiko.
It was raining heavily on the morning when we were supposed to head for Mount Fuji and I given up all hope to see her.
The Fuji Visitor Centre (富士ビジターセンター)
This was the first stop. Like the name suggests, Fuji Visitor Centre is an information centre for travelers about all things Mount Fuji. They do have exhibits about the mountain and its history. All that thingamajig. I didn't have the time to look around because it was really crowded and I needed to go the toilet before our journey up. Obviously the queue for the ladies snaked.Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station
(Yoshidaguchi 5th Station or Kawaguchiko 5th Station)The 5th station is the highest point any vehicle can go. From there on you have to climb on foot. Among the 4, this one is best developed and easiest to access with commanding views of Fuji Five Lake. But since it was raining, clouds shrouded the surrounding view. Besides that I was freezing to death with only 2 layers of clothes. My fingers and toes went numb. It felt like winter when it was supposed to be summer. But being an instagram #slave I wanted photos so I braved the cold and rain to get them.
Fuji Highland Resort/ Hotel
We stopped here for lunch. The weather was clearing up and we caught a glimpse of Mount Fuji when we got down. Fuji Highland Resort is right next to the crazy-ass Fuji Q Highland amusement park. I first found out about this amusement park 3 years ago when Bigbang actually went on Takabisha, the steepest rollercoaster in the world. Having seen it in person I can't imagine actually riding it especially since I don't like riding rollercoaster. But I have friends who went and loved it. If you are game, make a trip there. The cherry on top? Mount Fuji as your background.
When I arrived at the hotel, the peak isn't visible but the clouds were slowly moving away.
After lunch. You can almost see the peak!!!
Kawaguchiko Station
Kachi Kachi Ropeway/ Lake Kawaguchiko (河口湖)
After our 2 course lunch, we were whizzed away to Kachi Kachi Ropeway at Lake Kawaguchiko. The initial itinerary was to head to Mt. Komagatake Ropeway, where you can get to try sulphur eggs which apparently add more years to your life. We were put into a cable car cabin and headed to an observation deck near the peak of Mount Tenjo. Sitting at more than 1000 meters above sea level, the view from above was stunning with panoramic view of the Lake Kawaguchiko and Mt. Fuji in the background. You could even see Fuji Q Highland crazy rollercoasters.
And behold Mt. Fuji in its glory. Given that it is summer I guess most of the snow melted and doesn't have that nice snow capped view. But this is good enough for me considering I didn't had any expectations.
Lake Ashi Cruise
After a good 15 minutes of abusing the shutter button, we proceeded to Hakone for Lake Ashinoko (芦ノ湖/ Ashi for short) cruise. The lake with Mount Fuji in the background is the symbol of Hakone. That is on a good day. We were lucky to have seen Mt. Fuji from Kawaguchiko but not so lucky at Ashi. Visibility was zero.
-
Another way to see Mt. Fuji is a train trip between Tokyo to Kyoto/ Osaka. If you are from Tokyo going to Osaka, try to get seats on the right. If you are coming from Osaka/ Kyoto/ Nagoya, left for you. I managed to reserved seats on the right side of the train and caught Mt. Fuji on my way to Kyoto via Shinkansen train.
My guide told me that visibility of Mt. Fuji is temperamental and being able to see it twice, I'd say I'm pretty lucky!
-
Another way to see Mt. Fuji is a train trip between Tokyo to Kyoto/ Osaka. If you are from Tokyo going to Osaka, try to get seats on the right. If you are coming from Osaka/ Kyoto/ Nagoya, left for you. I managed to reserved seats on the right side of the train and caught Mt. Fuji on my way to Kyoto via Shinkansen train.
My guide told me that visibility of Mt. Fuji is temperamental and being able to see it twice, I'd say I'm pretty lucky!
0 comments