Fujikawaguchiko – this part of the trip was an insurance to increase our chance of seeing Mount Fuji. As we set off the weather was absolutely dreadful. We caught the Kodama Shinkansen (this equates to a slower train that stops at every station) to Mishima and had booked a bus to take us to the Fuji Lakeland area. Arriving in a wet, wild and busy Fujikawaguchiko, we then had to queue for over an hour for a taxi. Hotel was a little further away from the town than we had hoped for but we’d chosen it for it’s large room and view of Fuji – if the cloud and rain cleared.
The next morning we set our alarm for 6am as the weather forecast showed clear conditions first thing, before the rain and clouds rolled in. Saw absolutely nothing, so went back to sleep. After waking, we were just getting organised when we felt trembling! We were experiencing an earthquake – the epicentre being over 100 miles away. In the drizzling rain we walked through the town to the lake and enjoyed a cuppa and cake. Made our way back and found a shopping centre, so we browsed the shops, found an arcade with a lovely selection of “grabbing machines”
On our final full day, we checked the forecast and all our hopes were pinned on a window of opportunity in the afternoon. We had a relaxing morning, waiting for the rain to blow over. Walked towards the town and we stopped for lunch at a food truck serving Wagu burgers, thoroughly enjoyed it. We walked past the famous “Lawsons” which has Fuji as the backdrop – when it’s clear! Nothing, it was still shrouded in cloud. Come on – reveal yourself. Headed towards the lakeside to catch the panoramic ropeway. It was really busy and we expected the wait to be around an hour, so we took the opportunity to use the combo ticket and take a 20 minute pleasure boat cruise. As we set sail, we held our breath. Would we see Fuji? There he/she was, there was a slight band of cloud covering however we had seen the elusive Mount. After landing we walked back to the ropeway to the top, where we saw different views of Fuji and a birds eye view of the lake below. We were so lucky and another bucket list item ticked off. To celebrate we found a small bar and sampled the local beers.
