Jeepney Press / Joey Manalang

The Elusive Mt. Fuji

During the New Year holidays, I was itching to go somewhere out of town. So I browsed some interesting places on AirBnb on my iPad and decided to book a place near the Kawaguchiko Station in Yamanashi-ken. I found one that was quite reasonable, only 9,000 yen per night so I booked it for 5 days and 4 nights.

Day 1

Packed my stuff , left home, and took the train to Shinjuku Busta (Bus Terminal) just across the street from the South Exit of the Shinjuku Station. The ticket cost only 2,000 yen. Left Shinjuku at 2:15 pm and arrived at 4 pm. Walked for about 3 minutes and checked-in at the AirBnb. The place was small but quite comfortable and I could see the foot of Mt. Fuji from the window. Got settled and went to the convenience store to get some snacks. By 8 pm everything was dark. It was minus 4 degrees Celsius outside and for some reason, I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go and take pictures of Mt. Fuji around midnight. The streets were practically empty as I quietly setup my tripod and took pictures while cars came zooming by with Mt. Fuji lit up by the moon and the stars in the background. It was beautiful.

Day 2

The next day, I went to a couple of rent-a-cars, unfortunately all fully booked, so I rented a bicycle instead to get around. It cost 1,500 yen per day for the regular bike, but they were all taken, so I had no choice but to rent the electric bicycle which cost a thousand yen more. Oh well, it turned out to be the better choice because there were plenty of uphill slopes along the route to the Kawaguchiko Lake. I crossed the bridge to get to the other side of the lake. Wow, it was freezing cold to ride a bicycle in winter, but it was worth it to see Mt. Fuji towering over the lake. I have been in Japan for more than 3 decades and for some reason, every time I go on a trip to see Mt. Fuji, it’s always been hiding behind thick clouds. But this time was totally different. In 5 days, there was only one cloudy day, and 4 days of perfectly clear skies! While riding the bicycle around the lake, I was surprised to see an old and rusty Japanese fighter plane from World War 2 sitting in the middle of an empty eld next to someone’s house. It was such a bizarre sight, so I took plenty of photos as it was definitely the highlight of the day. On the way back to the AirBnb, I stopped by a coffee shop to have some cheesecake and co ee.

Day 3

On the 3rd day, Mt. Fuji was covered with clouds for most of the day except when I went out in the early morning. Around noon, I had lunch in a ramen restaurant and made friends with the lone 82-year-old man who runs the place. It was interesting that he was quite familiar with Philippine politics, and he told me he was so disappointed that Manny Pacquiao didn’t win to become President in last year’s elections. We had a good laugh for a couple of hours just lazily chatting as we exchanged views on how come there are poor countries and rich countries. He said people from tropical countries tend to be lazy compared to people who live in countries with four seasons. In a way, he’s probably right.

Day 4

On the 4th day, I could finally rent a car by making reservations online and picked it up the night before. Spent the whole day driving around the Yamanakako Lake. It would have been impossible to get there by bicycle. It was amazing to take pictures of Mt. Fuji with its clear reflection on the lake. Also enjoyed visiting an old Japanese village called Saiko Iyashi-No-Sato. After that, I enjoyed another breathtaking view of Mt Fuji from the hot springs called Fuji Yurari Onsen.

Day 5

Took it easy on the 5th day after checking out of the AirBnb. It was a slow and relaxing day, and I enjoyed some carbonara pasta while viewing the lake. Spent most of the day just bird watching. In one of the photos I took of Mt. Fuji on this trip, I saw this zigzag trail that leads up to the summit. I told myself I wanted to climb that trail one of these days. Maybe this summer.