12.04.2008 MOUNT FUJI
After a quick visit at the re-built village, it was time to go up the highest mountain in Japan; the Mount Fuji.
Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, 3776 meters) is Japan's highest mountain and the focal point of the sprawling Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is located to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu.
A perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji.
The Japanese always refer to Mt. Fuji as Fuji-san, but the -san (山) here simply means "mountain", and has nothing to do with the honorific san (さん) for people's names. "Fujiyama" is a misreading of the name, and is never used by the Japanese themselves — except in the set phrase Fujiyama geisha, a lament at how Japan is misunderstood in the West.
For merely seeing Mt. Fuji, it's better to maintain some distance. The most popular places for sightseeing tours of Fuji and surroundings are Hakone, to the east of Mt. Fuji towards Tokyo, and the Fuji Five Lakes, located just north of the mountain.
The Fuji Five Lakes (富士五湖 Fuji-goko) are a group of five small lakes in Yamanashi, on the north side of Mount Fuji. From east to west, they are Lake Yamanaka (山中湖), Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖), Lake Sai (西湖 Sai-ko), Lake Motosu-ko (本栖湖) and Lake Shojiko (精進湖).
(Source: Wikitravel)
Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, 3776 meters) is Japan's highest mountain and the focal point of the sprawling Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is located to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu.
A perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji.
The Japanese always refer to Mt. Fuji as Fuji-san, but the -san (山) here simply means "mountain", and has nothing to do with the honorific san (さん) for people's names. "Fujiyama" is a misreading of the name, and is never used by the Japanese themselves — except in the set phrase Fujiyama geisha, a lament at how Japan is misunderstood in the West.
For merely seeing Mt. Fuji, it's better to maintain some distance. The most popular places for sightseeing tours of Fuji and surroundings are Hakone, to the east of Mt. Fuji towards Tokyo, and the Fuji Five Lakes, located just north of the mountain.
The Fuji Five Lakes (富士五湖 Fuji-goko) are a group of five small lakes in Yamanashi, on the north side of Mount Fuji. From east to west, they are Lake Yamanaka (山中湖), Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖), Lake Sai (西湖 Sai-ko), Lake Motosu-ko (本栖湖) and Lake Shojiko (精進湖).
(Source: Wikitravel)
Alas, we did not get to the 5th station, which will give the best view of the mountain; because it was snowing at the peak of Mount Fuji! So we only managed to go 4th station and played with the snow. The thickness of the fallen snow was about 1m!! It was a really beautiful sight!!
And yes, it was so cold, this make-shift stall was actually selling barbequed food. HEAVEN! The BBQ squid tasted really good in this cold weather. Heehee.
SELF MADE CRAZY VIDEOYes, I had this video(in Mandarin..haha) where we can see ‘smoke’ coming out of our mouths when we we go ‘haaah’. Imagine how cold it was!!! But playing with snow was really fun. Too bad there’s none in Singapore!
Labels: Mount Fuji
