The shy goddess

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Geo: 35.4973, 138.755 - Kawaguchiko

So of course coming to Fuji Five Lakes is all about seeing Mount Fuji. That iconic image we all have. We want to see the real thing for ourselves and see if it really is a perfect as the photos. For me though it was also about the lakes and the forests and being able to chill out and not do all that much before we plunge ourselves into the chaos that is Tokyo and then fly home.

Fortunately luck was on our side and the fire goddess was ready and waiting for us when we arrived in Kawaguchiko. I booked a place on the other side of the lake to the main part of town by the waters edge and with views of the mountain should she choose to show herself. As we drove into town down a winding mountain road, there she was, no question. We had seen what we had come to see.

Our villa was true to the advertising and we did have a nice lake outlook and a pleasant outdoor area which was again another nice change and a chance to just relax and take in the views. We didn't see the mountain again though until the following morning but woke up to perfect views and had the pleasure of picture postcard scenes until we hit the road and set off to check out the other lakes in the area. After all there are five lakes so we wanted to see the other four.

Its a very pretty area and there are alot of tourists that come here to see the mountain. Its very close to Tokyo which makes it especially popular as an overnight trip. Despite this its relatively easy to escape the throng if you have a car. A couple of the lakes that we visited there was barely a soul around. Although we did notice that fishing was a popular pastime. It seems you can rent a small boat that doesn't actually go anywhere. You just use it to sit in just out from the lake shore and catch fish.

So there is a whole range of options here ranging from commercial and gaudy tourist attractions all the way down to pristine forests and low key lakeshore parks. We drove past a massive roller coaster theme park which is apparently the best in Japan. We were keen in theory to give it a go but couldn't find the entrance. Not sure if we would have actually committed. I was happy to watch!

Just when we thought we were not going to see the shy goddess again the cloud cleared and we had perfect views of the mountain for the last few hours of the afternoon. Such a nice way to end a very relaxed day. I tend to think that the motivation behind the quest to see Fuji-san is simply because she is not always visible. Not sure if she will show her face again before we leave tomorrow but not to worry if she doesn't. We have certainly had the pleasure of her company.

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