Rise of the Siblings - Part XVIII: Mt Fuji Private Tour

Day 10: Thursday, April 17th

Luke and I were able to see Mt Fuji briefly as we were flying into Tokyo from Shanghai. Mt Fuji has a reputation for being shy and cloud covered, so I knew there was a chance that we could go all the way out there and not see her. But we had to take that chance! And I'm glad we did!

We were picked up at Ryan and Luke's hotel by our private tour guide and driver. During the 1.5 hour drive to Mt Fuji our tour guide told us about the mountain and the surrounding area. As we drove through the mountains and tunnels our driver warned us that we would be seeing a glimpse of Mt Fuji soon. He turned a corner and there she was! I was so excited that it was a clear day (just a bit of haze) and we were going to see her!

Our first stop was the Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine where we got amazing view of Mt Fuji, the cherry blossoms, and the surrounding landscape. 

We hiked to the pagoda and view point and we got a lot of amazing views along the way.

I was nervous about all the stairs after what happened in Hong Kong, but the elevation change wasn't too drastic so I was fine!

After getting all of our pictures we hiked down to the main shrine. This shrine dates back to the 8th century and is dedicated to goddess Konohanasakuya, who is the goddess of Mt Fuji (and all volcanoes in Japan).

We then jumped back in the van and drove through the Kanadorii, which is a large bronze torii gate. At that point we entered the spiritual world/sacred realm of Mt Fuji. 

[*Not my picture - it's hard to take pictures from the van]

We then stopped at the remains of the Oshi House. This is where pilgrims would stay before their trek up Mt Fuji.

[Part of the foundation that still remains]

After resting at the Oshi House, the pilgrims would head up the road to the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine. So that's what we did.

The Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine is a large shrine that was started over 1900 years ago. The path from the torii to the main shrine is lined with beautiful statues within a large forest.

Close to the main shrine are two large 1000 year old Cedar trees. They are huge!

[Statue of a pilgrim with his backpack]

[Stella for all the different groups that hiked Mt Fuji]

While we were walking the grounds I found some pottery! I guess I still look at the ground a lot while walking. That's the good ole Archaeologist in me! I took a picture and put it back (I was well trained).

After exploring the shrine we walked over to a Hoto noodle restaurant, Sengenchaya Honten, for lunch. 

Of course, everything was delicious!

For dessert we had this:

It's a rice ball filled with red bean paste and wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf. I didn't think it would be good (I don't really like beans), but I took a bite to be polite and I was hooked! Red bean paste is super sweet and delicious! I had no idea!

We left the restaurant and headed towards Yagizaki Park, which is located on Lake Kawaguchi. On the way we stopped in the Aokigahara Forest to take a few more pictures of Mt Fuji. I can't get enough of her!

We were dropped off at Yagizaki Park with our tour guide. He lead us out to a small island that had a tiny shrine.

[Gorgeous, hug swan!]

[Isn't she beautiful?!]

We were then driven around Lake Kawaguchi to Oishi Park. This is a pretty touristy area that has a lot of shops, restaurants, and a great view of Mt Fuji.

We walked around and I was able to get a pin and some sunglasses (I was dying ALL DAY without my sunglasses)! We then got some delicious lavender ice cream. We sat outside by the lake and ate our tasty treats. It was a great way to end the tour!

Our driver and tour guide then took us back to Tokyo and dropped us off at a Harry Potter store. AND our tour guide bought me some local strawberries. They were small, but had such a rich flavor 😋

We explored the Harry Potter Cafe, grabbed some dinner, and then headed back to our hotels to rest up for our first day of Star Wars Celebration!