March 2025
March 2025 |
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See Just pictures of the Japanese Alps
We spent one night in Lake Kawaguchi and another in Takayama.
That morning in Tokyo we headed to Lake Kawaguchiko (2 hrs away). For lunch we stopped at Fujiyama amusement park (check out the insane roller coaster!) But, after standing in line for about 20 minutes, we realized that, although we may be able to order, we would probably not have time to eat the meal. So we found a shorter line and ordered a box of flavored sweet potato fries. They were pretty good!
Note: Many of the places that serve food to lots of people requires that your order and pay at a machine close by and then pickup your order at a counter or window. It's pretty efficient once you figure out how to order and pay.
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Fuji-Q roller coaster Mt. Fuji in the background |
From here, we drove up to Mt Fuji 1st station, as opposed to 5th station way higher on the mountain. We didn't get a very good view of the lake below or the mountain above, so it was a bust.
We then visited Oishi Park on the north side of Lake Kawaguchi where we took pictures of Mt. Fuji like we were never going to see it again. As it turns out, we were very lucky as Mt. Fuji is visible only about 56% of the time. We were right on the edge of being a good time of year to see it.
We then checked into the Tominoko Hotel where we had a nice buffet dinner. Some or most of the folks on our tour wore their hotel kimono to dinner. I did not, and did not regret it a bit.
But I did take an 'Onsen' bath that evening which is the Japanese word for 'Giant Public Hot Tub'. You must go into pool room naked, so one room is for men and another for women. Also, the only thing you can bring into the pool room with you is a small towel for setting on your head in the pool. You leave your towel, robe, slippers, and everything else in a basket outside the pool room. Another oddity I read about, and confirmed, is that most Onsen require you to cover any tattoos on your body with a patch. Tattoos are taboo from a time back when the Japanese mafia wore tattoos. This hotel said tattoos are okay.
On the way to Onsen, while waiting for the elevator, I was chatting with Jean, a fellow tour patron. I caught the elevator door closing out the corner of my eye, so I reached between the doors to reopen them. But these doors did not reverse course and scraped a small patch of skin off the back of my hand. I started to bleed pretty badly, so I went back to the room to put on a bandage. I eventually did make it back to the bath, but only lasted about 10 minutes as the temperature was easily 104 degrees, a bit too hot for me.
I woke up and went outside to start taking pictures of Mt Fuji!
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Mt Fuji about 5:30 AM |
After breakfast we piled back in the bus and drove to the city of
Takayama (3 hrs), still home to many Edo-period buildings. Along the way
we visited Matsumoto
Castle, also known as the Crow Castle due to its dramatic black
exterior. It was completed around 1593 AD and is listed as a National
Treasure of Japan. We toured the interior of the castle, which had no
furniture, but artifacts and lots of very steep stairs.
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Next, we rode on the bus for about 2 hours before touring Takayama Jinya, the former government headquarters under the Tokugawa Shogunate from 1692-1871. This was my first close-call with finding a bathroom. I have since considered the possibility of dairy being in the bowl of corn chowder for breakfast that morning.Not good since I am lactose intolerant.
Note: A typical breakfast that is served in a Japanese Hotel is NOT what you would expect. Check it out.
And speaking of bathrooms, ALL of the
bathrooms that I used in Japan were easy to use bidets!
I am a BIG fan!
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Inside the Takayama Jinya |
Next, we walked through Takayama old town, nestled deep in the Hida
mountains. This city still retains a traditional feel, especially in its
beautifully preserved old town (Sanmachi Suji). Afterwards we continued on
to our hotel near the more rustic JR train station in Takayama.
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Old-town Takayama |
That evening, David and I opted to have dinner in the hotel and were treated to a delicious surprise: we got to cook our own meal at our table! We were a bit confused when they brought us a plate of bite-sized appetizers. Later, they brought a small burner for each of us, then a plate of beef and vegetables was brought for each. Apparently that was all that was on the menu for that night. It was delicious!
After breakfast I took a short walk from the hotel. I was immediately struck with a very cold blast of air close to freezing temps. I clicked a few pictures as again I was taken by how clean the streets are everywhere we go.
Note: Although the clean streets are part of the Japanese culture, they also don't have garbage cans out on the streets. This seems counter-intuitive, but eating on the streets and on public transportation is also a taboo. You either eat in the restaurant or in parks. And you pack your garbage out. Also, paper towels or garbage cans are not kept inside public bathrooms.
We then headed to Kyoto, which is a total of 5 hours of driving. But
first we stopped at Shirakawa-go
Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has more than 100
'Gassho-style' houses. Built many hundreds of years ago, these historic
steep-pitched, thatched-roof houses sit among gorgeous mountain scenery.
For some stupid reason I didn't bring my good camera. Thankfully, David
took a lot of good pictures!
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Shirakawa-go
Village |
From about this point on during our bus ride, there were several
sightings of monkeys in large gangs just off the shoulder of the highway.
It was always too fast to see them and take a picture. But someone did
spot a lone monkey crossing the road out the front window. I managed to
get a poor picture of it, and David identified it as a Macaque monkey.
Click 'More Pictures' below to see it.
We later checked in at the Hotel Keihan in Kyoto and stayed for 3 nights! Yay!! It's a very modern hotel, right across the street from a GIANT JR Train station!