Helping Parents Succeed
Day 4 of our Japan trip.
At 9am, the tour guide made a phone call to somebody. And the call determined if we could go all the way up to 5th Station of Mount Fuji (Mt Fuji has a total of 10 stations, right up to the peak).
This is only possible if the weather is excellent. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to go to Station 1, standing at 1,291m. [Read more…]
Since we were not able to go up to Mount Fuji’s 5th Station, as an alternative, we went to Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海).
From the time the snow on the peak of Mt Fuji melts to the time it flows and comes out in the ponds as spring water, it takes 80 years or longer. When flowing down, the water is filtered by underground layers of Mt Fuji. By the time it reaches the ponds, the water is extremely pure and you can drink directly from the source.
There are altogether 8 ponds in Oshino Hakkai.
Over here, it is also a great place to see Mt Fuji. If the weather permits, a clear, beautiful Mt Fuji can be seen.
Also, if you have not seen one, traditional Japanese houses are still available here.
Of course, there are restaurants and shops selling snacks and souvenirs in Oshino Hakkai.
We had a quick sightseeing (I mean a real quick one) at Kawaguchi-ko (Lake Kawaguchi 河口湖) – a lake at the foot of Mount Fuji in Hakone. You can actually take a boat ride on the lake if you have time.
Later we had lunch at a restaurant nearby. Again the lunch was excellent.
Note: This article is part of Our Japan Trip series.
Peace Park (平和公園) Hakone is another famous place to capture the breathtaking view of Mount Fuji. Also it is a crowded place during sakura season. Both sides of the road leading up to the peak of a small hill are full of sakura trees. You can imagine how beauty this Japanese style park is during the blooming season – it is said to be around March. [Read more…]
Gotemba Premium Outlets is not far away from Peace Park. But it took us more than half an hour to reach. The reason: traffic jam.
We were told that this happens mainly on weekends. Many people from Tokyo will just drive all the way to Gotemba to do their shopping there. [Read more…]
Yasukuni Jinja (靖國神社) or Yasukuni Shrine was not part of the tour itinerary.
Since the hotel we stayed in is not far from the shinto shrine, we made a quick visit to the Japanese shrine after an early breakfast. [Read more…]