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Published: April 2nd 2024
Mount Fuji
First view of Mount Fuji on a cloudy dayFrom Tokyo, I headed to Fujikawaguchiko, which is a resort town easily accessible from Tokyo by train.
As I do often, I hadn't booked a train ticket in advance and realised that all trains reserved seats were full, so I had to travel standing in the train in an unreserved ticket. It was a short 2 hour journey, but I learnt a lesson that in Japan, in peak tourist season, it's important to book in advance.
The Kawaguchiko station had a lot of people, all had come to see Mount Fuji, the Kawaguchiko Lake and surrounding areas.
I headed to the Kawaguchiko Lake after settling in, but it was a cloudy day, so I didn't get good views of Mount Fuji. The sunset was beautiful.
Next day was also a rainy forecast, so instead of focusing on Mount Fuji, I headed to Shiraito Falls.
About 1 hour bus ride from Kawaguchiko, Shiraito Falls (Shiraito means Silk Thread, which is for the thin streams of water in the fall) is a stunning place. It mostly had Japanese tourists.
I enjoyed the falls, it's call surroundings, also visited the Otodome Fall and the Shiraito Nature Park.
Kawaguchiko Lake
Sunset at Kawaguchiko Lake While the Cherry Blossoms hadn't bloomed (Kawaguchiko is much colder than Tokyo and hence blossoms come about 2 weeks later), the walk was lovely and I did get to see some mustard flowers.
Later in the day, I headed to Oishi Park at Kawaguchiko, one of the nicer spots for Mount Fuji viewing, but due to the clouds, it wasn't clearly visible. Lesson is when you plan to see Mount Fuji, see the weather first, pick sunny days.
Next day, I moved to a different hotel and the owner told me about the Asama Shrine and Tenku No Torii, the later is a good spot to view Mount Fuji.
Japan has about 1,300 shrines named as "Asama", they are all dedicated to Mount Fuji to appease the mountain and it's volcano. Dedicated to (cherry blossom princess), the goddess of volcanoes and Mount Fuji, the Asama Shrine in Kawaguchiko was built around mid 9th century. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the shrine gates have 7 Japanese Cedar Trees, which are over 1200 years old. At over 40 meters height, they grow straight to the sky and are a majestic site to hold. They are older than any generation
Shiraito Falls
Approach to Shiraito Falls anyone remembers and gave me the sense that trees will outlast us humans always.
About a 30 minutes climb up from the Asama Shrine is Tenku No Torii (means gates in the sky), a Torii Gate made to appease Mount Fuji. The hike itself is through a beautiful cedar forest and even though a climb up, it is a lovely walk.
At Tenku No Torii, I had my first clear sitting of Mount Fuji and it was a stunning site. This venerated volcano and mountain, which has existed for over 100,000 years, erupted last in 1707-08, is chiseled to perfection. Watching it through the Torii gates was a special experience.
Back in the town of Kawaguchiko, I headed again to Oishi Park and got some lovely views of Mount Fuji against the Kawaguchiko Lake.
The next day, I had a long travel from Kawaguchiko to Nara. I used multiple transports, a local bus, an express bus, a Shinkansen (bullet train, my first time) and a local train. Efficient as they were, doing multiple transfers is a usual thing in Japan travel and it's important to read up instructions (e.g. printing a Shinkansen QR code helps). It
Shiraito Falls
Shiraito Falls was a good learning experience for me.
To me, Fujikawaguchiko and Mount Fuji were a great experience. I begin to understand why locals worship and respect the mountain and nature and seek it's blessings. It's something we can all learn from and appreciate that nature is much older and much more powerful than humans, we are just a part of it.
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