Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji. The day did not start auspiciously. Rain, rain, and more rain. But it would stop.

The first stop was the visitor center. Mt. Fuji as we know it today is the result of several volcanoes erupting and combining over hundreds of years. No mention was made of the current pressure under the dome being sixteen times higher than it was at the time of the last eruption.

From there to the Fifth Station, the spot where most modern climbers begin the six hour hike to the top. Not today. Climbing season was over, and while the rain had stopped, the wind, which causes the trees to only grow branches on one side, was brutal which made standing difficult and caused the temperature to drop. We walked far enough to get three volcanic rocks from Mt. Fuji, take a few pictures, and hustle back to the comfort of the bus. The gloves we bought in Seoul look smarter and smarter all the time.

First view? of Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji hidden by clouds.

Trees with growth only on one side due to the constant winds.

The Hakone Ropeway took us to our best views of Mt. Fuji and an almost complete view of the summit. One dang cloud refused to move. We also saw volcanic activity as several vents were spewing steam and sulfurous odor. It smelled a lot like the flats in Cleveland when steel was still made there. My age is showing.

The steam at the bottom is escaping from vents in the volcano.

We also crossed Lake Ashi on a fake HMS Victory. Lake Ashi was caused by one of the many eruptions. It was cold but there were great views of fall in Japan.

Lake Ashi

For the first time, the bus did not return us to the hotel but dropped us off by Ginza Station. 980 Yen later we were back at the hotel and then went walking, eventually settling for Mos Burger, a Japanese chain for dinner. It was okay. We did catch this view of the Tokyo Tower at night. Once back at the hotel we searched in vain for election results but with a fourteen hour time difference, it was not to be.