Mount Fuji in the Rain

No visit to Japan is complete without catching at least a glimpse of Mount Fuji. At 3,776 merres, Mt. Fuji is Japan's tallest mountain and is an active but dormant volcano last erupting in 1707. Late last night we decided to abandon our carefully made plans for today, throw caution to the winds and see how near we could get to Mt. Fuji and still be back in time for tea. The answer is 10 miles.

We travelled through Shinjuku and on to the Fuji  Excursion Limited Express like seasoned professionals. Navigating Shinjuku station and buying the right tickets was a breeze. Although available online and at the many automated ticket machines, my preference in Japan is to buy rail tickets from a real person.  Partly because a conversation with a Japanese person is always nice and partly because you have the reassurance you are getting it right. The express train comprised of 10 coaches, but only the first 3 went to our destination, Kawaguchiko, the other 7 heading off in the other direction. There were no seats left in the 3 tourist coaches so we changed about halfway and caught the local train. All perfectly explained on advance by our ticket agent.

It has been a wet afternoon with low cloud and Mt. Fuji has been playing hide and seek, but we still got to see enough justify a photo or two. My initial reaction was "that hill looks a bit like Mt. Fuji, but it is too small and has no snow on top". It was Mt. Fuji, which I now know is always snow free in summer and early autumn. And it's not small, just far away (about 10 miles). 

The rain started meaning business just after lunch and we retreated back towards the station for shelter. We were intercepted en route by a street tout wanting us to visit his 'free' rooftop view of Mt. Fuji. I'd normally avoid such invites as there is always a catch, but the rain was getting heavier and we are in Japan so we ventured upstairs. And so, for the price of a cup of coffee we got to sit in a dry, comfortable upstairs lounge for over an hour. The staff were so welcoming and friendly and one even played a couple of Scottish tunes on a piano just for us. Just a normal day in Japan and one of the many reasons why I love it here.

The journey back was easier as we had been able to book seats on the Fuji Express right from Kawaguchiko. There was a short delay at Otsuki while both sections of the train were reunited and thereafter the speed significantly increased. Things to note about trains in Japan, they are very clean, very punctual and very quiet. It is frowned upon to talk loudly on board and if you want to make a phonecall you have to go outside the seating area to the spaces at the doors. It almost makes you long for ScotRail.Read more