Today is all about Mt. Fuji.

Everyone who comes to visit Japan will always, without doubt, include in their itinerary a trip to this iconic mountain! In reality, it can be tricky, as sometimes Mt. Fuji can be very elusive!

But spring seems more promising, as temperatures turn milder—maybe a bit chilly but not shivering cold. The weather has actually finally improved towards mid-April, letting the skies clear up and allowing Haring Araw to smile at the sleepy Sakura. At last, the hills and plains all over the country are abounding in cherry blossoms in lovely, varying hues of pink.

This trip is particularly and personally of interest to me and my niece. Who am I to deny a dreamy girl’s wish to see it, even if it means not seeing other popular tourist attractions within her short sojourn?! It’s her first visit to Japan, and it has got to be special!

There are many modes and many roads to Mt. Fuji. But our purpose was not to climb it but to admire it from a distance, possibly the whole of it, with the promised vision of the snow-capped summit. And it has got to be picture-perfect and Instagrammable!

We decided on taking our chance to view it from the 2nd most favored spot: Oshino Hakkai 忍野八海.

I must admit, despite my being a long-time resident in Japan, I didn’t know about this village and that it offers one of the best views of Mt. Fuji!!

The trip by train on the Fuji Kyuko Line up to Fujisan Station and then by bus to Oshino Hakkai took about 2 hours altogether. Excitement started to build up inside the train from about a station away as Mt. Fuji appeared on the horizon! As we approached our destination and stepped out onto the platform, we all let out a full gasp of "Wow, beautiful!" There it was so clearly visible: majestic, mesmerizing Mt. Fuji!

We rushed out to the bus stop for the 20-minute ride to Oshino Hakkai. We got there at noon, so I was somewhat expecting it to be crowded. And what a crowd it was! Shall we say about 95% were non-Japanese tourists?

We were hungry, as our first meal was hours away. Just a quick lunch of their famed Soba and Tempura, and we were on our way. There was so much to explore in Oshino Hakkai; as the name implies, there are 8 ponds and natural springs from which water flows from Mt. Fuji. Were it not for the huge crowd of tourists, I would imagine it a perfect place to find a bench to relax and quietly gaze at this wonderful nature for as long as possible!

Time goes by really fast, as quick as our clicks on our phone cameras. You know, you would want to capture all of this beauty for posterity and for the folks back home to gawk at and allow them to dream of visiting it too!

For now, Mt. Fuji is Tintin’s and mine to keep in our memories! We enjoyed a very special bonding time, and Mt. Fuji was a part of it!

Put together, we achieved an awesome count of almost 24,000 on the pedometer! Well done!

Hasta la vista, Mt. Fuji!

For sure that Saturday started perfectly! While this bubbly group of young-at-heart ladies mumbled about Shinjuku Station being too crowded and dizzying, we made it on time for the 10:20 a.m. departure on the Odakyu Line Express bound for Hakone Yumoto.

Now settled on our reserved seats and discussing our itinerary, not too long, the drama started to unfold. Soon our coach was abuzz with gasps and sighs…and there it was, the reason for all that!  Amidst the clear blue sky, majestic Mount Fuji revealed itself! Snow-capped, high and proud, commanding everyone’s attention. So happy to see it again, in all its glory!

Now settled on our reserved seats and discussing our itinerary, not too long, the drama started to unfold. Soon our coach was abuzz with gasps and sighs…and there it was, the reason for all that!  Amidst the clear blue sky, majestic Mount Fuji revealed itself! Snow-capped, high and proud, commanding everyone’s attention. So happy to see it again, in all its glory!

After checking in, with the long day still ahead of us, we ventured out into Gora, which is on the Tozan Tetsudo’s line and is one of Hakone’s most popular destinations. From Gora Station, we took the bus for this route for a 20-minute ride to Hakone Venetian Glass Museum, also called the Hakone Glass Forest.

This facility houses a museum, a garden, a café/restaurant and a museum shop. From strategic places one can see on the horizon the mountains of Hakone, which at the time of our visit was sprinkled with snow.

It’s amazing to find so many precious artefacts and artworks all in glass!  Even the garden had bushes and shrubs of flowers made of glass!  Spots here and there perfect for picture-taking!

For an avid fan of glass artworks, I wanted so much to stay longer and view each piece at a more leisurely pace.  The Venetian glass pieces were just mesmerizing!

I just know, anyway, that I should like to come again and explore this glass museum even more in detail.

As the sun started to set and let out a saffron glow at the horizon, we knew it was time to go home – well, our home for the weekend, Sanrakuso.

Imagine the 10-12 course traditional Japanese dinner spread that awaits your return!

Well, imagine too the same enticing spread at breakfast the next day!

Imagine the hot springs bath that’s there for the asking to soothe your tired legs after a long and exciting day!

Yes, exactly what we enjoyed on the weekend at Sanrakuso.

I’ll be back!!

To all the gentle peeps and followers of Jeepney Press, Happy New Year!

Time for new beginnings, and new adventures for a senior citizen who has become restless and daring, like me!

I have never been to Kawagoe but have heard about it, and from what my dear old friend told me, it is a very charming place and totally worth a day trip.

Known by its nickname Koedo or Little Edo, Kawagoe is accessible through three major train lines; but as we eventually discovered, the Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Seibu Shinjuku line is the closest to the main attractions of the area.

The first order of the day was to check the Hon-Kawagoe Station Tourist Information Center for tips on how to plan our tour the best way. Eager to get hold of English maps and brochures, although a Japanese version would be great as well, of course, the kind ladies compiled a whole set for us that included curious-looking maps featuring products that are just a few of the many prides of Kawagoe: Unagi Map, Soba & Udon Map, and Washoku Lunch Map.

This is what I find truly endearing in Japan – local governments are fully supportive of local businesses. And that, in many ways, translates into an effective marketing that propels them into the national consciousness.

Kawagoe was part of the ancient Musashi Province and in the 1450s – 1550s was controlled interchangeably by two warring families, the Uesugi and Hojo clans. Eventually, the Later Hojo clan prevailed, and from that victory, Kawagoe served for another 45 years as a satellite town defending Edo, now Tokyo.

It was created as a town when the modern municipality system was established on April 1, 1889, but suffered major damages from a fire in 1893 and was rebuilt through the use of the traditional Kura warehouse construction technique. In 1922, it merged with the neighboring Senba village and became the first municipality in Saitama Prefecture to receive city status.

It was almost noon when we set foot on the very corner of the main street of this old historic town.  With eyes ahead on that long stretch, we however immediately spotted the Noren (welcome curtain with shop’s name) of Unagi Kohinata. No questions asked!  We were hungry and couldn’t think of anything else but Unagi Kabayaki! A full hour spent leisurely enjoying our lunch of delicious, delicate broiled eel – it was so worth the price of JPY2,500!

Now ready for our tour…and as we approached the Kurazukuri No Machinami, or Kura no Machi, I was, Wow, it’s true, it’s Koedo! If everyone promenading on that street, that very day, were all in Kimono, you would have felt being transported to the Edo Period! 

Not to be missed, primarily because it towers over all the structures in the area, is the Toki no Kane (Time Bell Tower). It has gone through four reconstructions, the fourth and last being what we see now, rebuilt immediately after the Great Fire of Kawagoe in 1893.  One regret, though, we missed the ringing of the bell at the specified times at 12:00 noon, 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

The Koedo Kawagoe map showed several shrines and temples. While it was way far away North from our starting point, we thought it would be fulfilling to complete our tour with a visit to Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. It was built about 1,500 years ago, and is accented by a 15-meter torii gate!