first day
Martine and I met at around (;-) … martine) 730 at some Starbucks near Shinjuku station.
After some hot chocolate we went to the highway-bus-terminal, where we bot on the bus to Kawaguchiko, some town near a lake belwo Mt. Fuji. The day before we had booked a hostel there at the tourist information, who also helped us with the busses.
After a short walk we checked in at the hostel, a small, flat building, run by a grandpa in his 70ies-80ies. Seemed like an older english couple where the only ones at that place.
Looking for some place to have lunch at the lake, most restaurants were closed, as we were out of season. After some japanese lunch we had a nice walk around a part of the lake and across a bridge. As it had stopped raining right when we went out for lunch, and the cloud had risen, we had an really interesting view over the lake. With the coulds hanging in he hills around it’s been a really interesting athmosphere!
To some japanese ppl we must have looked like aliens, as they were greating us as they’d never seen redheaded girl and a tall man before!
In the evening the friendly old man running the hostel, helped us heating the burritos we’d bought before for dinner. With a bottle of Sake (I think it was, as we couldnt read the label, but it was standing beween other sake bottles) we had a nice movie on the notebook.
second day
Getting awake with loud classical music at the floor and some announcement throu some really loud loudspeaker a really nice day started. The clouds had disappeared, and the sun was shining from a blue sky!
Together with the english couple we had a kinda mixed japanese/western breakfast, wich gave us the power we’d need later that day! Leaving my bags in some locker at the station, we got on the bus to 5th station on Mt. Fuji, arriving about one hour later.
When we got to the 5th station, there where clouds all around us. But jut this mad a really amazing atmosphere!!! getinng a walk up the Fuji in these foggy forests was just amazing, sometimes supenly sun was shinig, as some free spot in the clouds opened. hiking further up the mountain, trees got few and disappeared. as Martine really loves hiking in mountains (as there are so few in Holland 😉 ) she made me climbing up to 7th station with her! she ‘s in a really good condition, unlike me ;-)… but i made it. arriving there, getting really cold, having some snowballing, the clouds opened just for us and gave us an amazing view on the top of Mt. Fuji, the sun right above it! (there are quite few fotos in the gallery, as i took most pics with the good old analog cam). After a shorter walk back down to 5th, we had some hot coffe waring us, waiting for the bus back to Kawaguchiko. Back there we had dinner in some nice japanese restaurant with an beatuiful view on Mt. Fiju with sunset right aside it. After another bustrip back to Tokyo, we divided and i went to my new hostel.
vague but exciting …