The day after our Tokyo Disney adventure, we were on the road again. This time headed in a completely different direction. This would be our last road trip, but also the most relaxed, as we were all incredibly exhausted from the past week's activities. We headed toward the Tomei Expressway to make our way to Mt. Fuji. Our plan was to visit the 5th station on the side of the mountain and then head to Hakone or Odawara. Our first stop at the bottom of Fuji was Lake Yamanaka, which is the biggest of the Fuji five lakes (the lakes at the base of Mt. Fuji). Lake Yamanaka is also the highest of these lakes and was formed by a previous eruption of Mt. Fuji. It was not as pretty as usual due to the changing seasons, but I can't wait to come back in spring. Here are Mom and I at the end of a very questionable dock.
Every lake in Japan has these little boats...now I just need to find someone who is brave enough to ride in one with me.
And here's the Mother Goose. I've never seen one this big before. I think I could take a dinner cruise on this one...I'll have to look into it. How cute are the Japanese?!
As we were headed through town and up to Fuji, I noticed this Shrine and felt compelled to stop. This is Fuji Sengen Jinja, which is the spiritual and ancient starting point for the trek up Fuji. Before stopping, I had no idea, but really this is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever been. This Shrine is dedicated to the Shinto Goddess of Mt. Fuji. Since at least the 1300's and possibly before that, this Shrine has been frequented by monks, hikers, locals, and others.
This Torii gate is over 18 meters tall and is one of the largest gates in Japan. It is rumored to be rebuilt slightly taller every six decades, but no one can confirm. Near the top is a sign which reads, Sangoko Daiichizan, which means "the highest mountain among the three countries" (China, India, and Japan).
Here I am at the entrance to the Shrine. I could tell it was special before I even entered, as the walk up to the gate was lined with moss covered stone lanterns, just adding to the mystery and spirit of the Shrine.
This was the center of the compound. Right outside of these doors were tons of humongous trees. There is a sacred grove here made up of Goshinboku, or sacred trees. Only three of the original sacred trees remain and are more than 23 meters around. These trees serve as protectors of the Shrine and are over 1000 years old.
Can you see everyone standing next to this one? This is one of the original sacred trees.
Here are some of the prayer boards from this Shrine. Each Shrine or Temple has it's own design. You buy one and write a wish on the back and hang on the wall, hoping that the God or Goddess of that particular place takes that board as an offering and helps your wish to come true. This year, I decided (toward the end of our trip) that I was going to collect many different ones and decorate my tree with them. So, now that I decided that, I will have to go back to many other places to buy the ones that I have missed. Once this wall fills up, they will take them and burn them as an offering.
Here I am navigating the open road. This was a common theme for the majority of our trip...especially because Mom couldn't pronounce the words to most places, which just made me irritable. Now that I'm not in a stressful situation (such as driving a carload of guests around) I completely understand.
Here is a roadside view of Mt. Fuji. Seriously, every time that I see it, I just think it's so beautiful. It's captivating not only to visitors, but to the locals as well.
We winded up the roads to the 4th station, which was the highest that we were allowed to drive that particular day. Here, you can see that we were above the clouds. It was like a fantasy.
Here's the sign that tells my elevation. It was freezing here!
This is me with the summit in the background. It didn't look real snowy up close, but from far away, the top looks snow covered.
And this concludes our road trips. We never did make it to Hakone or to Odawara. But, we were too tired to care. We packed in the car and headed home. This here is a magic shot which includes all of us adults, plus all of their luggage. Magic, I tell you, Magic!
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