Mount Fuji 富士山

9/29/2014

Mt. Fuji seen from the lake Motosu

Mount Fuji (3776m) is the highest and most sacred volcano in Japan and really depicts the essence of this country and its nation. You can truly call this mountain a symbol of Japan. It doesn't only make the list for foreign tourists, but equally if not more for the domestic ones. If you consider that the "official" hiking season runs from July through August, so really just over two months, and then take the 300 000+ people who go for it per year...well, let's just say you're not alone in there. This being particularly true over the weekends when lots of people from around the capital pack their bags and head to the nature! Hence the famous Japanese saying "If you never climb Mt. Fuji, you're a fool. Climb it twice and you're a crazy fool."

Our initial plan was to drive from Matsumoto (Japan Alps) to Mount Fuji and stay a few nights there before moving on to Tokyo. But as it dawned on us that the weather wasn't going to allow us much outdoors, we settled for a shorter road trip through the area instead. As we had seen in the previous days in the Japanese Alps, there was absolutely no point in going to the mountains if the weather wasn't going to be good, and besides, we thought we could easily use a few extra days in Tokyo.

National landscapes, even on a 1000 yen note.

In general, driving in Japan is very straightforward and the road from Matsumoto to the Fuji area was only around two hours on a pretty scenic route. At the feet of Mt. Fuji there is an area called Fuji Five Lakes that encompasses the lakes of Yamanaka, Kawaguchi, Saiko, Shoji and Motosu. These five lakes were all formed in different eruptions and nowadays they represent some of the most celebrated views over the majestic volcano. We took a little winding road around the lake Motosu that followed the lakeside and had a lush forest on the other side. Driving along this road, you could really sense the nature and peacefulness around you without a person in sight...

In fact, there are many stories and urban legends about the mysterious forests around this area, particularly the one called Aokigahara (aka Sea of Trees or Suicide Forest). Much material can be found about this dense forest, but mostly it's known as a dark, haunted place where desperate people go to end their lives. Sounds a lot like a horror story, but the fact of the matter is that these stories are real and there are even "reconsider your actions" and "don't do it" signs set up around the forest to try and stop some of the fatalities that occur every year. Roughly speaking, there are three kinds of intentions for people entering this forest; first is to explore the forest on guided walk (otherwise there is a high risk of getting lost), second is to go and stay there and third is to go and look for those who stayed there. Pretty freaky, but apparently the forest is also very unique due to the volcanic soil.

But back to the actual topic now. Throughout the day we kept seeing glimpses of the snowy peak of Mt.Fuji as the sky cleared up every now and then, and the famous views over the lake Kawaguchi were just like we had pictured them to be. Although, for sure, the landscapes would've been even prettier on a clear day not to mention during the cherry blossoms or some fall colours...;). But we can't have everything, now can we! Somewhere in the late afternoon we returned the car to the town of Kawaguchiko and hopped on the train towards the capital and at the same time, towards our last stop on this epic trip- Tokyo.