Fujisan is Very Shy

Between the Go-Go of Tokyo and the Obon Festival in Kyoto, we took a break at Mount Fuji. Ellie had been told that Mount Fuji was very shy about showing itself, so we decided to spend two nights at the lake near the base of Mount Fuji in hopes of being able to see it clearly and get a few pictures.

To this point, we've been traveling around Japan by train, but we finally had the opportunity to catch a bus from Tokyo to the city of Fujikawaguchiko. It was on the shores of a lake, looking up at Mount Fuji, and Lynn had found a hotel there that had an Onsen inside.

The bus ride was nearly 3 hours long, and as we approached our destination, there were more and more clouds, and then there was rain. As we neared our final destination, we saw what looked like industrial pipes and machinery that turned out to be a roller coaster at a huge amusement park only a mile or two from where we'd be staying.

After we checked into the hotel, we took a ride back into town to wander around, see what we could see, and find something to eat. As we were strolling down one of the narrow, winding roads, we saw that a pine tree had been trimmed and bent and shaped to cross over the entry to a driveway. You found that in more than one place and seemed to be an architectural and horticultural phenomenon for the area. After getting ourselves moderately lost, we were working our way back towards the bus station where we would be picked up later, and saw a man kneeling down in the street lighting a fire. At first, we thought that he was just going to cook something  on the streets.  It became obvious after a little bit that he was not the only one lighting fires in the street. We were reminded that this was the first day of the Obon festival and that the fires were being lit to call in the spirits of the ancestors in Japan.

That night there were no signs of Mount Fuji, and I checked my map to determine whether we would have a chance to see it from our room. I could swear it would be right there, just to the right of those trees just south of us, and our balcony would give us a chance to see it if Fuji would not be too shy.

That night the girls went to the women's onsen in the hotel, and I to the men's. The ritual bath with locals was an interesting experience in both the social aspects and the physical part of it. Public disrobing and showering at a low counter with a dozen strangers seemed odd at first, but soon was just another stroll down an unfamiliar path. Long looks from small children and a few Japanese words and a fistbump exchanged with a local, and the only thing awkward was staying put in water near 110 degrees without melting.

The next day we did a little bit more walking around, and I spotted a world heritage site dedicated to Mount Fuji only about a mile away, and so we made our way that direction, assuming that if there was a chance to see the mountain, that would be a prime spot to do so. About halfway there, I realized that the laundry that we were doing in the hotel facilities would be done soon, so I scurried back to the hotel to take care of the laundry while Ellie and Sue went on to the world heritage site.

I caught up with them about a half hour later, and we had a little bit to eat while we were looking out of the big picture windows in the direction that promised to reveal Mount Fuji. The sun started to come out.  There were peaks of blue sky here and there, and finally Ellie pointed out the window and said that she could see the mountain. What she was able to see was a little piece of the right side of the mountain as we were looking that direction, but it did give us some hope.

We stayed and we watched and we hoped to see more. We could guess where the peak was because of where the east and west slopes would intersect above the cloud line, but we could not see it.

We made it back to the hotel and prepared to go out to town for dinner. As we were about to go downstairs, we looked to the south and saw Fujisan with only a cap of clouds sliding over the summit.

Ellie figured out how to get pizza delivered, and we all sat on the balcony watching the unveiling of all but the very peak of the shy volcano.

We patted ourselves on the back for our perseverance and good fortune. Beer and pizza gave us a good look at the famous sight, and we were off to bed.

I awoke a little after 5:00 in the morning to see light coming around the curtains. With squinting eyes, I peeked outside to see a perfectly clear view of Mt. Fuji with brilliant blue skies. The view was finally what we had hoped for. I woke the others with trepidation and found nobody was upset with the early morning spectacle presented. Sunrise was a long, lovely illumination of the guest of honor.

We were satisfied with what we saw, but had scheduled to take the Fujisan View Express on our first leg to Kyoto. The train was beautiful.  Unfortunately, by the time we left the station, the weather had once again shrouded Fuji with clouds and we never saw her clearly again.