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Published: April 27th 2014
Mt. Fuji Masterpiece!!!After all the hustle-bustle of a packed one day business conference at Tokyo, I was eagerly looking forward to my (purposefully) extended weekend trip to Mt. Fuji, the magnificent world heritage site. Accompanied by my newly introduced friend, who lives and works in Japan, needless to say, we had our plan handy for the most rewarding one-day trip from Tokyo. Conserving our tapering energy levels for some much needed sleep, we boarded a 30-seater coach that drove us from Shin-ju-ku to Mt. Fuji in about two hours. A bit annoyed by the slow-moving traffic that left us complaining, just until we got a breath-taking view of the captivating, snow-capped, mighty peak, standing still 3,776 meters above sea level. OMG! I was truly thankful for being blessed with splendid weather, giving us a crystal clear view of the mountain from all angles.
Among the five lakes in Yamanashi, Lake Kawaguchi is usually preferred by tourists for its abundant natural beauty with 22 marked scenic spots, including observatory views, conventional heritage centers, extravagant seasonal attractions, cruises and fine dining, intensifying the beauty of Mt. Fuji in all its awe and splendor. With a retro sightseeing bus available approximately every ten minutes from
View from the Rope-way Observatorythe Kawaguchiko station, we soon got into one to reach Kachikachi-yama Ropeway - our first stop for the day. And then on, our cameras never stopped clicking, impelled by the stillness and unobstructed, complete view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko from an altitude of 1,075 meters. Quickly grabbing some mashed potatoes cooked in traditional Japanese style and a few souvenirs from the store below, we hopped to the opposite side of the road to take the Kawaguchiko Pleasure Cruise, the second to-do on our checklist. This seemed to be an even more relishing experience, providing a 360-degree panoramic view of the majestic Mt. Fuji amidst the clear blue skies above and rippling waters of the lake below. I fell back awestruck at one of the tables on the first floor deck of the cruise just to enjoy the silence and peace that I had never witnessed before.
Pressed for time and urge to cover the rest of our itinerary, we jumped into the retro bus to explore the most-awaited part of the day, the seasonal Cherry Blossom attraction, skipping our lunch. But unfortunately, to our dismay, most of the trees were devoid of flowers, as it was the
Bloom Bloom Bloom!!!first day of bloom at Mt. Fuji. Nevertheless, we quickly moved to the next stop close-by, Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum (originally not included in the agenda), only to discover that it was a blissful paradise of the Venetian style, shrouded with colorful tulips in mud pots and roses hanging from hand-woven baskets, making it one of the best photo stops ever. The museum boasts of many spectacular music boxes and historical items on display, such as one of the largest dance organs in the world, and an orchestration to ride aboard the Titanic.
By this time, our intestines gave us the warning alarm to move nowhere next, but a fine dining restaurant to sumptuously feed ourselves. And, we were lucky enough to spot out an Indian fine dining, Aladdin, on our way back to the Kawaguchiko station, where we opted for the wholesome Maharaja dinner set comprising of roti, rice, two kinds of chicken curries, kebabs and dessert at a reasonable price. I would strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in trying Indian/ Nepalese cuisine at Lake Kawaguchiko. Needless to say, we relished and enjoyed every bit of our meal (lunch cum dinner), spending almost an hour there
Taller than the tallest peak!! :-)before we got back to our initial boarding point, Kawaguchiko station, to board back the 7 PM bus to Shinjuku, marking the end of our legendary, unforgettable, day trip to Mt. Fuji, one of nature’s finest marvels.
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