Mt Fuji, Bullet Train & Kyoto

We spent 2 days visiting a few areas around Mt Fuji.  After arriving by bus, we took a ‘pirate ship’ ferry across Lake Ashi to the Hankone Ropeway. Lake Ashi is surrounded by mountains which created stunning views.   The ferry was anything but pirate-esce with its gorgeous woodwork, decor and formality.  I’ve included a few pictures.  This was also the location where we were intended to have our first views of Mt Fuji but Mother Nature had other plans with some very dense cloud cover.  We consoled ourselves with some cherry blossom ice cream that was fabulous. 🍒 🌸

Owakudani Valley

Once across the lake we took the Ropeway, or 18 person cable car, further up the mountain to enjoy panoramic views of volcanic peaks, dense forests, and active geothermal landscapes.  Some of the hot springs had a very strong sulfur smell.  This area is also known for the famous ‘black egg’, or kurotamago.  These are regular chicken eggs boiled in the natural, sulfur rich hot springs.  A chemical reaction with the sulfur turns the eggs shell black.  Consuming a black egg is said to add 7 years to your life.  Lisa and I each ate 2! 🤞

Hankone Open-Air Museum

This was a beautiful museum set in the mountainside with lush landscapes in addition to beautiful sculptures, art and exhibits including a building of art from Pablo Picasso.  We have many fun pics from the museum.

Oshino Hakki

This was a “traditional” village at the base of Mt Fuji.  It has 8 lakes, beautiful trees, historical buildings and a TON of tourists.  There were times we were shoulder to shoulder trying to walk through areas.

We did find a restaurant where we ate Houtou noodles.  This is a traditional dish from this region and is served in a good size, super hot cast iron pot.  The noodles, vegetables and rich broth were amazing.  Wish we could have lingered here longer to truly savor the meal but we were a bit rushed.  Nonetheless, it was wonderful and ranks up there as one of our favorite meals.

Arakurayama Sengen Park

This park has the iconic Chureito Pagoda seen in many photos of Japan.  If Mother Nature cooperates you can get a great picture of the pagoda and Mt Fuji in the same shot. We were told that the area has increased in popularity and tourists due in large part to Instagramers and bloggers.

We climbed 400 steps to reach the top. Unfortunately, our view of Mt Fuji was obscured by thick clouds.  The pagoda was beautiful and I’m glad we tackled the 400 steps for the great view even without Mt Fuji.

As we were driving back to our hotel the sun popped out for a bit and we were able to see Mt Fuji.  The bus pulled into a parking lot for us to snap a few pics. The whole group was thrilled!  Mountains 🏔️

Our next travel day began with an exciting bullet train ride to Kyoto.  This was my first bullet train experience and it was quite thrilling for me.  While waiting on the platform for our train, a train zipped by so fast I shrieked.  The wind and speed were so surprising.  The train was gone before I could really even focus on it.

The first Bullet train, Shinkansen, was created in 1964 before Tokyo Olympics.  It was the first high-speed train in the world. It is famous for its speed, punctuality, and exceptional safety record. It operates at speeds up to 200 miles per hours.  WOW!

Kyoto

Beautiful Kyoto is so fabulous and deserving of its own blog entry but I’m way behind so I’m including it here. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan from 794 to 1868.  As such, it is known as the heart of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and beautiful gardens.  It is also quite famous for its Geisha districts such as Gion, traditional arts, natural beauty including gardens and an exceptional display of cherry blossoms in the spring.

Temples & Shrines

We visited many temples and shrines.  It would be too difficult to say which are my favorites as they were each unique and special in their own way.  I was particularly drawn to to those where nature was a prominent feature. Some were distant or nestled in the forest with ponds or water fall and I found those to be among some of my favorites.  Others had the city built around them and while beautiful, were heavy with tourists.  I’ve included pictures of some of the many temples and shrines we saw.

Philosophers Path

This is a beautiful stone lined pedestrian path that follows a tree lined canal from Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji temples. There are little shops, cafes, temples and shrines along the route. The path is named after philosopher Nishida Kitaro who used it for daily meditation.  In the spring, the cherry blossoms are said to be abundant.  We were there a little too early to see them in their full glory but is was beautiful nonetheless

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

This is a beautiful, though conge by sted, area know for its amazing bamboo forest.  The tall bamboo reach their peak height in just 2 months.  We took a rickshaw tour through part of the forest which enabled us to see a less crowded area. You could imagine how magical it is without the crowds.  Our guide doubled as our photographer. He was quite skilled and we joked it was like taking our pictures. Speaking of which, th number of people who dress up in yukatas and kimonos and walk the popular streets is impressive.  So many patient boyfriends and partners taking a multitude of pictures.

Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street

As the name states, this is a preserved street – from the Meiji period. It is lined with traditional machiya (town houses) which are now converted into shops and restaurants.  There are fewer crowds here and it’s quite beautiful.  Newer homes in the area are required to be built using ‘colors of nature’ with gray slate-ish tile roofs.  This is a  quaint area with much charm.

They are also notable temples, gardens and statues close by. One temple was the model for a scene in The Last Samurai.

Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji

This is a temple in the hills outside Arashiyama with over 1,200 unique and whimsical moss covered little statues that are said to be disciples of Buddha. We learned that each statue was created by different amateur artists.  It was a fun place to visit after a substantial uphill walk.

We also did a foodie tour here through the Gion district that was both delicious and informative.  We ate some different foods and 3 different traditional Japanese restaurants.  One restaurant had a sunken table with heated floors.  It was all quite lovely.