Climbing Mt Fuji
This morning I got the shuttle bus to the 5th station. The ride from Kawaguchiko Station to Mt Fuji's 5th Station took about 50 minutes up.
Mt Fuji 5th Station
When I arrived, I was surprised to see just how much snow was on the ground. I got there early enough to get the best view before the clouds and mist rolled in: Kiire deshita! (It was beautiful!). I walked as high up onto Mt Fuji as I could and just took it the views.
Half way up Mt Fuji
I couldn’t believe it, I was actually standing on Mt Fuji… the views were great and we could see Lake Kawaguchiko pretty clearly, even as the clouds and mist rolled in. There were some tourists around, but not many this time of year and during this time of the day.
Lake Kawaguchico from Mt Fuji
After Fuji it was time to soak up in the outdoor onsen nextdoor. Onsen are the natural hot springs that are all over Japan. Seriously it’s like Starbucks, they are absolutely everywhere. The only problem is you have to go into the onsen as naked as the day you were born, which is taking some courage! Usually there are onsen for men and separate ones for women, but not all the time!! It’s not necessarily that we are nervous to get our kit off, but with the amount of old Germans we have encountered here, I could really do without that image burned in my mind forever... ewww.
