Mount Fuji - 6th August, 2016

On our very first weekend in Japan, Dominik and Momoko hired a car and took us to see Mount Fuji.
Traffic out of Yokohama was very heavy, but once we got outside the city the drive was smooth and picturesque through undulating hills and forests punctuated with small towns. On arrival at the foothills
of the volcano we had a pleasant lunch and then a stroll round Lake Kawaguchiko.

Unfortunately, the cablecar by the lake seen in the photos was too busy, and we couldn't be bothered
to wait 45m in the hot sun, so we finished the tour with a visit to the nearby ice-cave of Narusawa.

I never thought I would actually see Mount Fuji in my lifetime, and it was very kind of Momoko and Dominik to give up their Saturday to take us out.

PHOTOS
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INFORMATION ABOUT MOUNT FUJI (more from Wikipedia here)

Mount Fuji (富士山 Fujisan?, IPA: [ɸɯᵝꜜdʑisaɴ]), located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain peak in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (60 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Mount Fuji is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" (三霊山 Sanreizan?) along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013. As per UNESCO, Mount Fuji has “inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries”. UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mt. Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain itself, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Shrine and six other Sengen shrines, two lodging houses, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchi, the eight Oshino Hakkai hot springs, two lava tree molds, the remains of the Fuji-kō cult in the Hitoana cave, Shiraito Falls, and Miho no Matsubara pine tree grove; while on the low alps of Mount Fuji lies the Taisekiji temple complex, where the central base headquarters of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism is located.