Even if you don't want to (or can't!) climb, there are other ways to access and/or view Mt Fuji:
1) The most convenient way is enroute on the Tokaido shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka;
2) Go on a guided coach tour of Mt Fuji and its surrounds;
3) For the adventurous, Mt Fuji may be accessed by two train rides from Shinjuku Station coupled with a stay-over at one of the surrounding onsen resorts or Fujigoko ("Fuji Five Lakes") hotels;
4) Or if you're feeling rich, charter a helicopter tour for an unparalled aerial view of Mt Fuji.
One of the local nicknames for Mt Fuji is "warui ko" (or "bad boy"). This reflects the fact that the visibility of its summit is often impeded by clouds or inclement weather, and so seeming as if it is "hidding" from view. In all my trips to Japan, I've managed to catch sight of the summit only twice. In my last trip there, however, I was able to catch sight of a rare phenomenon - the summit was clearly visible whilst the rest of the mountain was covered in clouds. I'll be sharing the photos of this last trip where I took Option 2 and went on a Mt Fuji-Hakone guided coach tour.
Visiting Mt Fuji
The tour guide was very good at what she did - humorous and knowledgeable. She even played local games with us on the some of the longer rides between destinations.
In the first part of the journey, we're constantly trying to take a good shot of Mt Fuji's summit on a moving bus - to little success, of course.
Taken from Mt Fuji Visitors Centre, the magnificent summit was in full view whilst the rest of the mountain was surrounded by clouds.
The tour bus' number plate was "san-kyu" ("39"), or the Japanese slang pronunciation of "Thank you".
Next was Kawaguchiko 5th Station, halfway up Mt Fuji - lots of tourists & souvenir shops there.
Entrance to a small shrine at the back, this Torii gate was nostalgic for my first ever visit to Mt Fuji.
Sadly, the clouds got there first. Also, the summit is snow-capped nearly all year round as it's very cold.
One of the more unusual souvenirs on sale at Kawaguchiko 5th Station.
The dreamy Southern Alps as viewed from Kawaguchiko 5th Station.
You can see Mt Kita (2nd tallest mountain in Japan after Mt Fuji) at the right side of the photo, and a sea of clouds to the left.
Interesting to find an obanyaki (a Kyoto drum-styled custard-filled dessert) on Mt Fuji. Delicious though.
Lake Ashinoko Cruise
The next leg of the journey saw us at Lake Ashi, one of the volcanic lakes at the foot of Mt Fuji.
Time to test out my camera's panoramic setting as we waited for the cruise to start.
Goose-shaped love boats for rent.
The pier building and souvenirs shop.
Lots of fishes in the lake.
As we boarded the cruise ship, I headed up to the top level and took this shot of the beautiful lake.
Good to see there're lifeboats onboard.
Lake Ashi boasted idyllic surrounds.
Clouds gathered and it became quite cold.
A lone ranger out on the lake
A stowaway onboard the ship
An impromptu shot of the boatman standing outside the ship as we headed towards the pier.
Another cruise ship coming from the opposite direction.
Komagatake Ropeway
Lastly we took a ride on the Komagatake Ropeway.
Final briefing before we headed to the ropeway station.
This ropeway was located next to Lake Ashi and so was easily accessible after the cruise.
The view from the bottom of the mountain - looked pretty cloudy up there.
And off we went...
The ropeway ride was very smooth and fairly quick, even with about 100 passengers onboard.
Up the summit, we saw a lot of "nothing" due to the clouds. Lol. Still it was a enjoyable day trip overall.
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