Day tour to Mt. Fuji! Yea, but had to wake up early so as to catch the transport from designated pick-up point and Hanzomon Hotel is not one of those. So had to go to Akasaka Excel, one subway station away...
It's quite unsettling for me 'coz I had diarrhoae that morning.. so, it's quite a worry to go on a long bus journey with the thought of the stomach acting up anytime. Anyway, to Mt Fuji we MUST go! Haha!
At Nagatacho, and on the way to Akasaka Excel hotel, here was what we saw:
So we waited at the pick-up hotel.. and soon, a Japanese lady came by and asked if we're on the Mt Fuji tour. So hai, hai.. we went with her, and there's a pick-up bus waiting to ferry us to the tour starting point, which was Dai-ichi Hotel at Shimbashi.
striking red bus, but its not our tour bus.. just used to ferry from hotel to start point
So, while waiting for our bus (bus #3) to come to the starting point, I snapped a few more pics while waiting...
Daiichi Hotel
can you see the bullet train?
Finally, our bus #3 came and off we went! Start your engine!
our tour bus
inside the bus, seats are quite comfy
And soon, after leaving Shimbashi, the journey began as the bus pulled into the Tomei Expressway. Interesting to note that we need to fasten our seatbelts (yes, in the bus we have seatbelts) while on the expressway. For safety.
Here's a video of a snippet of our Expressway ride.
At one point, the bus will turn into a parking/resting area for passengers to dissembark. There're washrooms there and its best if we do our business asap as we were warned that the restrooms at Mt Fuji is not as good as the one we find at this stop. Anyway, restroom I need!
At this stop, we can see Mt Fuji! Hooray! It's a happy mood to be able to see Mt Fuji.
here's a closer view of Mt Fuji using zoom
Actually, this resting area is quite well-equiped. It not only have the all important things like restrooms but it also have Starbucks and convenience stores (that sells food like onigiri!) as well. Cool!
what also have!
Next stop, we're heading towards Mt Fuji's 2nd station. 5th Station is a no-no as the weather condition did not permit the vehicles to be up there. So, we're on our way again, as the journey to second station from our pit stop is another half hour.
go go go!
Along the way, we passed by some stores and Japanese style houses..
japanese homes.. but obscured..
Japanese style homes have tatami floors and most doors can be conveniently opened without any key/lock. And usually, during the daytime the living room can be used but at night, the same room is then turned into sleeping area. Our tour guide, Ms Izumi said that it is very very convenient! Haha
Every now and then, we were able to catch Mt Fuji appearing at the horizon. Depending, sometimes it appeared on the right side, sometimes on the left.. think we travelled along a winding road :P
glimpse of Mt Fuji, from the bus window
We also passed by some plots of vegetable farms.. But most has already harvested the vegetable as it was winter time...
empty land..
Then, we also passed by the US army barracks. At its opposite side, would be the Japanese army camp.
US army barracks
After that, our view were mainly of trees.
forrested area
Ms Izumi explained that the road towards Mt Fuji is surrounded by cherry blossom (sakura) trees. And at the base of the mountain, the forest is called Aokigahara and is very dense. It is also a very popular choice for people who chose to commit suicide. According to Wikipedia, Aokigahara is the 2nd most popular suicide spot after the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. Hmm... morbid...
As we climb higher, we began to see more and more white snow on the ground..
snow on ground.. yippee!
And soon, we reached the 2nd station.
Mt. Fuji, as seen from 2nd station parking lot
It is indeed a breathtaking moment for me, to experience mountain highlands, snow all for the very first time...
snow, ice everywhere
Some sights of the second station:
all wrapped up, well insulated haha!
Snow is really soft :)
There's a souvenir shop but had to make it quick as we only had 30 mins there at the second station.
hurry, to the souvenir shop...
But, the melted ice on ground sure made it hard to walk.. very slippery.. so had to take baby steps. There's a caucasian man carrying his toddler.. and he is about 1.8-1.9m, so had to be careful!
slippery!
Next up, of course is to have lunch. The tour will bring everyone to a restaurant at Hakone and today's menu is western style set lunch with grilled chicken as main dish.
So off we went onto the bus again.
more Japanese house and farm
We passed by a lake, which Ms Izumi said is popular with people who likes fishing.
can you see people fishing.. the windmill thingy is not a windmill.. its a restaurant housed in a windmill shaped building
The restaurant is actually at a hot spring resort. Nice place and surroundings.. feels classy.
nice hor?
mountain view greets you outside the restaurant building
After lunch, we're off to take the ropeway. Prior to this, I actually thought the ropeway was something like Sentosa skyride. Haha! It's more like a cable car ride.
at Sounzan
Ms Izumi said this thingy is very secure, and can withstand the strong winds..
up up and away
nice clouds
sulphur mines
Alighted at Owakudani, and boy, was the wind strong or what!
hold on tight!
The view from Owakudani was superb.
But of course, the touristy thing to do here, is to get more souvenirs!
to the souvenir shops!
Next, is to catch the last boat ride to cruise Lake Ashi. So we hurriedly, went back to our trusty bus.
boat journey starts here at Togendai-ko
our pirate boat!
cruising along... but brrr.. it sure is cold!
Some sights while on board:
everyone having fun
And soon, after 15 mins. we reached the other side..
With some reluctance, we dissembarked and we know, our tour is now coming to an end...
one last look of the lake
back to our buses
Odawara station is the last stop for the tour.
landmark at Odawara station.. a statue of a folklore
Those who are returning via shinkansen are dropped off here, while the rest of us are dropped off from our pick-up point.
On our way back to our pick-up hotel, here's a snippet of the ride (with blair witch ride effect, but can glimpse abit of Tokyo Tower)
The tour was enjoyable and our guide, Ms Izumi, is humorous. Thank you Ms Izumi and Mr Watanabe for the safe and fun journey!
If you're interested to know more about the tour, here's a
link to their website.
