Ninja time

Today was our one-and-only booked tour while in Tokyo - a day trip out to Mt Fuji and the Hakone region. It meant setting an alarm so we could make our 8am meeting point.

We braved the train system again but with a little more confidence following yesterday’s outing to Shibuya. Having successfully reached the rendezvous point and checked in with the tour operator we allocated to ‘orange team’ and boarded our coach.

Kairi got a lollipop that lit up. Excitement plus.

Our tour guide was Tsubasa and our coach driver Ichi San. Tsubasa gave us a rundown of the day as we began the 1.5-hour drive to Mt Fuji. Weather and safety would determine whether we could make the fifth station of Mt Fuji as planned but we would know closer to arrival.

We hit our first hiccup of the day a short time later - a car crash on the highway had provided a traffic jam that wasn’t there originally and that meant our schedule was being pushed out. After adding an extra 30 minutes to the drive we made it to the Mt Fuji turn-off where we were told the fifth station was open. Success!

Mt Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan at 3776m tall. It is only climbable two months of the year during summer when it is not snow-capped. The fifth station where we were heading is just over halfway at 2300m. Mt Fuji is an active volcano that erupts around every 300 years. Tsubasa told us the last eruption was in 1707. We all did some quick maths. Tsubasa said there was only one thing we could I’m the event of an overdue eruption: Nothing. Thanks Tsubasa.

We wound our way up the mountain until we eventually reached the fifth station where we were given 45 minutes to explore the nearby Shinto Shrine, souvenir shops and take photos of the peak. At that height it was a brisk 12C, a slight reduction on the humid 30C we’d been walking through in downtown Tokyo. Here is my photo of Mt Fuji:

Mt Fuji… glorious. Or not.

Yep, cloud and fog meant we got nothing. We retired to the shops and the shrine in defeat. We headed back to the coach a short time later where we were able to get a brief glimpse of the peak as the cloud cleared for about 60 seconds. Once on the bus we descended Mt Fuji to our lunch spot at a Ninja restaurant called Shinobi No Sato.

The peak emerges.

We enjoyed a quick buffet lunch and explored the grounds of the ninja restaurant where, you guess it, ninjas wander around looking very serious and ninja-like. The kids had a go at throwing some ninja stars and then we ran like crazy to be back in the bus in time lest we sadden Tsubasa.

From lunch we ventured into the Hakone region where we took a cable car over Owakudani Valley. It is an interesting place on the shores of Lake Ashi, a caldera lake formed long ago by the eruption of two separate volcanoes. Owakudani Valley allows you to see volcanic activity up close because sulphur gases from deep in the earth find their way to the surface through natural vents. On an overcast day it would look out of place as the slopes of Mt Doom. Yellow sulphur stains the rocks, gas vapours pour from the ground, and you can smell it.

The Hakone region is also meant have great views of Mt Fuji. We could see where Mt Fuji was meant to be but continued cloud cover obscured the peak. Sigh.

After completing the cable car ride and getting back down to Lake Ashi we jumped on a cruise ship that took us across the lake. It would have been quite the serene journey except for gaggle of retired Chinese woman who became so fascinated with Kairi’s hair they kept trying to pose next to her for photos. Kairi happily posed for a couple but quickly became uncomfortable, triggering Emily to begin shielding her younger sister with her body.

Ichi San and the bus were meant to be waiting for us when we disembarked the ship on the other side of the lake but, alas, Tsubasa informed us a car had collided with the bus and Ichi San had to await police clearance to leave. We wandered around the immediate area for about 30 minutes until our chariot arrived. A quick walk around the coach revealed no damage so we were all unsure how bad the accident could have been.

From Hakone we were deposited at a nearby station where we hopped aboard our first bullet train to head back to Tokyo at 360kmh. The coach drive to Mt Fuji took about two hours. The bullet train back was just 30 minutes. Amazing.

Orange team represent.

We found somewhere to eat at Tokyo station and then walked back to the apartment. I say ‘walked’ but Kairi and I ran because she suddenly decided she needed to use the bathroom despite telling us she was fine as we exited the station.

Anime district tomorrow but no schedule so the kids (and Teneille) can have a sleep-in.