Fuji-san = Breathtaking

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For those of you who are still following my blog, I am going to make this last entry short and sweet. Part of the reason for this is exhaustion...but perhaps an even more important reason is that the experience of seeing Mt. Fuji seriously cannot be captured in words.

A few weeks ago, I told a Japanese man staying in my Tokyo guest-house that I was planning to visit Mt. Fuji during my last weekend in Japan. I incorrectly assumed that he had visited Mt. Fuji before, both because it was the largest mountain in the country and because it was known all over the world. Much to my surprise, though, he said that he, and many others in Japan, never visit Mt. Fuji out of respect for its awesomeness and religious/spiritual significance. It was a perspective that was completely foreign to me (who in the United States would ever say that?!), but it also helped prepare me for what I was about to see...

Mt. Fuji is nothing like any other volcano or mountain in the world. It is not part of a mountain range or rocky terrain, but arises out of what seems like nothing to hover over a vast area that spans two prefectures. To be in its presence is seriously nothing less than awe-inspiring. Thankfully, I had decided to splurge during my last weekend and spend a few days in a nice hotel in Kawaguchiko with amazing views of the mountain. There was something about being there alone that was both meditative and oddly spiritual. But, perhaps more surprisingly, there was something about being there that was also extremely romantic. Of all the places I have ever visited (which is admittedly, not very many), Mt. Fuji is the place that I would most like to come to again with a significant other. Being in its presence is something that should definitely be shared with others, and it's something that you will definitely never forget for the rest of your life.

And on that note, I say "sayonara" from Japan, and look forward to another international adventure sometime soon 😊

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Photos

Me!
...in front of the awesomeness that is Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji
...with hat-cloud overhead.

Fuji-Sengen Shrine
...Buddhist monks would often lodge here before climbing Mt. Fuji.

Comments

[auspicious]

Really enjoying your blogs. Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to read about the Japanese man's perspective on not climbing Mt. Fuji, but I'm glad you continued on to experience it's profound vastness (adding it to my list of places to visit). Also read your Kyoto blog -- hilarious!