Mt. Fuji, 02.05.24
Mt. Fuji still in the clouds. But no rain and a bit warmer. Today was going to be sightseeing! That is what tourists do! Lots of tourists. We walked along the lake to the village right into the middle of it. The best thing it seemed to us to buy a local bus pass and then just travel around the lakes, there were several of them, and see what comes along.
The first stop we got out of the bus was a cave. An ice cave called the Fugaku Wind Cave. At the entrance were souvenir shops and food outlets and then a path led into the forest to a gate where we had to pay an admission fee. From there it was not far to the entrance of the cave. It was indeed full of ice blocks apparently put there to impress the visitors. In the winter for sure the whole cave would have been full of ice.
The average temperature in the cave is around three degrees Celsius. There were still some icicles hanging from the ceiling and they can grow up to 50cm in diameter. This cave was also used before the invention of refrigeration as a storage facility for the eggs of silkworms. The cold prevented the eggs from hatching and enabled several silk production cycles over a year.
We hopped onto the bus again and had the idea to do a little walk at the terminal station because the bus was supposed to park there for a while. However it was late and there was no stop. So we just enjoyed the scenery of forest and lakes. The bus took us around Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Saiko, Lake Shoji and Lake Motosu. It was an enjoyable sightseeing bus tour at very little cost.
In the afternoon I wanted to climb a mountain as one does, and I found on a map, mind you it was not a good map, an object worth exploring. Mt. Kenashi. I had to get off the bus a few stops before the town of Kawaguchiko and told Christine to expect me at 6.30 at the restaurant we wanted to have dinner.
Highest point of my climb, Mt. Kaneshi
Standing there at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere in Japan was a bit bewildering especially so as the sign did say Kenashi Walk but there was no beginning of a track to be seen. There was a steep stone wall and up the wall a ladder. Surely not. I walked a bit further along the road and found a track leading up the hill but it ended in a cemetery.
Back to the bus stop and up the ladder! I walked through forest and followed a small ridge leading upwards. After all I wanted to get up a mountain. How could I go wrong. After maybe twenty minutes I reached a little bump on the ridge and looking down I saw a stone monument. Very surprising and I went down to finally find my walking track. It was quite well defined but nobody to be seen. How lovely to walk among the tall trees just by myself. Unfortunately, I had to watch the time allowing enough to get back to town. It took about two hours to reach a kind of peak before turning back. From there I could just see the top but too far away and below through the trees I could see the lake and Mt. Fuji almost out of the clouds.
On the way down I passed the monument again and from there a proper track leading down to the road which I reached in good time but on the other side of the ladder! I crossed over to wait for the bus and amazingly enough it turned up within two minutes. How lucky.
Christine was at the restaurant but it was closed! We chose another one, rather big and busy and had to wait for a while. Time to look at the menu. It offered tempura vegetables! Sitting at the bar we ordered two beers as usual and the tempura vegetables. But on the menu I also saw Fugu, the famous poison fish of Japan. Now that is an adventure! Naturally I had to try Fugu. It was also done in tempura and tasted deliciously of fish! Nothing happened. What a day. I survived an adventurous walk and Fugu!
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