I had an extra 3-4 days i had not planned to have ... thinking my trip was only going to be for 4 weeks...so on a whim i decided to climb Mt Fuji.  I hopped onto a bus from Shinjuku in the morning and a few hours latter, i realized that i had only brought Teva sandals as i hit the forest trail leading from the 5th station of Fuji.  The first station starts at the very base of the mountain, at the Sengen Shrine, although most people, as i did, start from the 5th station, which looks a lot like a small sky village.  5th station is where most tourists come when visiting Fujisan for the day, with no intentions of climbing.

No journal entry for today, as i was too busy having a heart attack every 5 minutes.  The entire assent is switch backs from the 5th station onward.  I ended up walking up a "switch," having a heart attack, then walking up the "back," having a heart attack.  Rinse, repeat.

Luckily i ran into a group of 8 people, 5 of whom were also from the Bay Area (the world gets VERY small as you venture outward), and they incorporated me into their ranks.  My position in the group was the anchor hahaha.  Hand in hand, arm in arm, and 12770 feet later ... we hit the top.

The entire face of Mt Fuji is lined by small huts offering tea, rest, and other amenities for climbers as they go up.  Today, on July 3rd, we stayed at a rest hut along the 9.5th station area.  The starting point for most people is the 5th station (i took a bus from Shinjuku in the morning).  The ride took a few hours.  I started at about 2:30pm, and hit the hut for the night at about 10:00pm.  After a modest dinner of curry rice and a few sips from a bottle of wine one of the members had brought with him, we laid down for the night for a short rest...getting back up at 1:00am to continue the climb.  The entire goal of doing the Mt Fuji climb, is to see the sunrise at 4:00am-4:30am over the summit.

It is said that it is the duty of every Japanese person to see the sun rise over the summit of Mt Fuji once before they die.  As is all things in life, most people wait until the last minute.  The entire route is littered with people of all ages, young and old, fulfilling their duty to "emperor and country."  The elderly are not to be underestimated.  On my way down, i ran into a 67 year old woman, who was on her way up.  By the time i hit the halfway mark coming down, she came down and lapped me.  I went 100 feet at a time, resting for a few minutes each time, but the older crowd would trudge up at a slow and steady pace, passing me up every time i rested...their determination and patience are pretty scary.

2007.07.07

Reflections on having spent a night in Aokigahara...do i have anymore now, than when i went in?  I doublt that very much.  But i asked the forest to remember me.  i did however ask it to care.

- as i lay there, my back against a tree, sitting on 400 years of rocks, and wood, and mold, i thought of Dead Man: how you can feel as though you were sitting perfectly still, and it is the world that moves by you, and not you though it.  that you do not propagate thru the ether...it propagates about you, as though you were a giant stone in the river...life rushing by all around you...sometimes you interact, sometimes you observe.

i sat there, looking up at the patches of sky thru the canopy, small windows to the outside world and i thought about all the people climbing Mt Fuji, all the people on the subways, all the people getting up to go to work, going to sleep...and one would never really notice, sitting there in the heart of a suicide forest.  sitting in the middle of such still life all around, pondering the moving life outside hundreds of thousands of miles away.  The forest is like a little time capsule...time stops when you set foot into it...and this whole world just keeps on spinning.

i realized, that going to Japan to get away from it all was not enough, climbing an epic mountain, was not enuff...i actually had to hoof it to the belly of the trees, to take a time out, to take some time and space to myself.  The only thing between myself and the outside world: the trees.  And the only thing between the trees and i?  Only 3 cotton sweaters, two pairs of socks, a rain shell, a Slovakian wool blanket, and all my own fears.  The fear, kept my heart pounding in my ears, all night long.  The fear, keptmy sweat running down my spine all night long, kept me clutching to my blanket for dear life.  But the forest did not take away my fears, but neither did it take my life.

- as i watch the proprietors of the Lava Cave store prepare to open, i realize that yet another day is flowering.  i only sat outside for 2.5 hours while the day covered me with a lite morning mist.  "Start the day clean," i suppose it was trying to tell me.  Perhaps it was a small cleansing from the night before.  Perhaps it was "sheding slow dirty tears"...the ones i didnt shed the night before.  Trauma has such a delayed effect on me.  I suppose i built up too much of a defense sytem over the years.  "It feels great to be alive, Bankson.  It feels great to be alive."

- on the tought of the workd advancing as the forest stands still.  what if, we reversed our scope, and looked at the forest as ever changing and dynamic too, simply at its own pace.  It has taken centuries, and stretched them out, down to years.  then taken years, and stretched it wide, to the span of a day.  and there i am.  having spent just one day in the bosom of "the sea," and today, it gets perhaps, another distant visitor upon her shores.  times a day.  times a month.  times a year, times a hundred years, and so forth.  one visitor per day over a century, would seem as busy as the ants on the ground, busy every second, to a forrest that was 400 years old...only 400 hahaha.  A child herself.  And today, one of her sprouts, has stood up, sprouted legs, and walked out into the world, beyond the boundaries of her shores, free to roam the land.  He will always carry you in his heart, mother, so you will see the rest of the world thru his eyes.  Aokigahara, is now "jet set."  Hail to the winds....except this sprout has a horn...hahaha.

- soon a small yellow bus will take him down the hill to Kawaguchiko.  Then a bigger bus will take him to Shinjuku, Tokyo.  Then a fast train will take him to Kansai...then a giant airplane will take him across the sea.  And each time her canopy takes a breath, he will be one step farther away.  And each time her canopy heaves to take a breath, he will be one step closer, to home/return.  <Bob Dylan: put a candle in the window>  Time to return to the anthill, that is Tokyo.

[X] Mt Fuji, summit sunrise
[X] Aokigahara, one night under the stars...

- we imbue, inanimate objects, places...things, with our own strengths and weaknesses, with out own reflections of the world.  They become, the physical manefestation of our souls.  Bread crumbs to the center, bread crumbs to the being.

- another great blessing:  returning to Kawaguchiko pn the first Retrobus, and get there in time for the Shinjuku bus; it left one minute after i boarded it.  a bit of running involved hahaha.  good thing i stretch my legs in Aokigahara...

- the bus rolls away, and once again the past few days seem to melt away with each passing mile.  the blisters on my feet will heal, the pain in the soles of my feet will fade.  and eventually all traces of this adventure will be gone, except fot the fire in my eyes, and the burning in my chest, and the dreams...yume wo...i will always remember.

Aoki ga Hara - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara

The canopy of trees here pretty much covers up the sky, with small pinholes and pockets of sky opening up as the leaves sway in the constant breeze of the forrest.  There isnt so much a ground to walk on, than it is a valley of small boulders that have been covered up by 400 years of dead trees.  Its hard to walk as there are holes everywhere and one never knows if one's next step will give way to dead wood into another hole.  As i sat on the ground for a few minutes, i suddenly realized that 99% of the forrest floor was alive, crawling with activity.  Ants, beetles, spiders, and an assortment of bugs and insects make the ground come alive, moving like ripples on a lake.

For the Night, i found a tree on the top of a boulder mound, put my back against the tree, covered myself with a wool blanket, and hung on for dear life.  As the sun set, the rich and vivrant colors of the lush green forrest slowly dulled, and died into a malais of grey, and then finally into pitch black.  I spent the entire night sweating in my boots so to speak, trying my hardest not to lose consciousness, waking up in a blind panic everytime that i did fall asleep.  At 3:00am, a crow (i think) began to scream just 10 feet away from me, and didnt stop for a few minutes...quite a rude awakening.  I didnt know whether to panic or not, because if the crow was just squawking in the night, then no problem.  But if something was killing the crow, then maybe i'd have a BIG problem hahaha.  But i woke up quite alive in the morning, and ran as fast as  i could out of the forrest, hahaha.

Woke up at 1:00am to continue the last assent to the top.  The 9.5th station hut we slept in the night before was at about 3200 meters, and we needs to go the rest of the way to the top at 3776 meters (12,388 feet).  Following along in the darkness, even with the head lamps you can only see a few steps ahead of yourself.  The person ahead of you and the person behind you pretty much become you entire lifeline to the mountain as you trudge up, one step at a time.  At one point, soaking with sweat, gasping for air, "Archur" passed out a few chocolate covered almonds to each person.  Ill tell ya, two chocolate covered almonds never meant so much or went so far until this morning.

In the cold and wet darkness of the morning, one can simply follow the long trail of lights.  When you look up for a moment, you can see hundreds of other people walking along with you, like a daisy chain of fireflies leading into the dark.  This particular morning, and during the entire night in fact, chanting and conch shells could be heard from the summit. When we finally arrived at the summit at 4:30am, the sun finally broke the cloud line and revealed a spectacle only ever seen on TV:  an entire landscape of just clouds.  The top also revealed the source of the chanting and honking:  hundreds of monks were already at the top chanting throughout the night, in full travel regalia.  The head monk had a staff with metal rings, clanging as he walked.

By about 3:00am, it became light enough to simply use the ambient light to see, although it was still many shades of grey and quite dark.  When you can finally see around you, you realize that you are thousands of feet above the cloud level.  The air at the top my friends, is clear and crispy.  There is no need for oxygen tanks.  Although as we made out way by some of the huts above our's, i noticed a lot of people suffering from the altitude.  So a piece of advice here.  A lot of people make the trip in one fell swoop, eleven hours to the top all at once so that they dont have to pay the hut fees for the overnight.  This is mainly the cause of the altitude sickness, and staying the night gives you a much needed rest, as well as time to acclimate.  You will feel much better in the morning with dinner in your tummy and breakfast in your pack for the later at the top.  Having any food in your stomach in the early morning is not recommended.

Another piece of advice.  Bring adaquate SHOES!  I did this entire climb with Teva's on (and socks).  It is freezing above 3200 meters, and there is still snow everywhere in the middle of July.  At the very top, your extremities lose feeling after about 5 minutes of exposure.  On my way down, i finally got feeling back into my finger tips after about 2 hours.  There was in fact so much snow, that the half of the party that walked around the crater to the weather station (the real top of the mountain) had to turn around halfway as the trail to the station was completely snowed in.

Journal Entry:

2007.07.04

[Mt. Fuji, K’s House]

Twethuyvy (taking Fuji From Shingen Shrine)

Michael & Vivki - Mt. Fuji Aussie Couple

One thing i’ve just noticed, when you’ve got it in your head to do something stupid, and you go to do it, you tend to meet other people who also have it in their head to do the same stupid thing.  There’s not so much a comradery that developes, but there’s something there.  You’re all there together doing it.  and looking in each other’s eyes in the darkness is the only thing keeping you going.  [and] then ur done, and all you can do is laugh, cause you have [all] just done a stupid thing, but you have done it together.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I took a two day trip with the Sophia Walking Circle to 山梨 (Yamanshi). One of the many events put on by the walking circle, this trip to the Chubu region of Japan (about an hour and a half west of Tokyo) was an autumn picnic/retreat. It was nice to be able to see 富士山 (Mt. Fuji), eat some good food, and spend time walking and touring the sites around Yamanashi. It was cold, but we were fortunate to have clear weather.

We took a bus from Shinjuku to Yamanashi and arrived at lunch time. Lunch took place at a restaurant that served the region's famous noodles called ほうとう(houtou). Similar to udon, but slightly thicker, the soup was nice and hearty, a meal to prepare us for the adventures ahead. After lunch we split up into smaller groups and our group took a bus up near 河口湖 (Lake Kawaguchi) where we got off to walk to a lava cave. The walk was nice, but because our bus was late, we didn't have much time to tour the area. We made it to the cave which was surprisingly a short course (literally a trip down into the cave and back in 15 minutes) and not as cold as I had anticipated it to be (the sign at the entrance said that it was 0 degrees celsius inside the cave, although it felt much warmer). There wasn't much to see inside either. We were slightly disappointed in the cave, but it was still a nice walk through a forest to get there. We were all anticipating eating some soft cream back at the gift shop, but in the 15 minutes we had been at the cave, the shop had closed. We left empty handed.

We took the bus back to meet the other groups, which was a surprisingly fatiguing 45 minute ride back. Being that it was the last bus (which also happened to be very small) and everyone was trying to get on it, many of us had to stand and were packed in like it was the rush hour train back in Tokyo. After meeting up with the other groups, we all headed to our 旅館 (ryokan) where we were staying for the night. We checked in, had a nice Japanese dinner and bath, and ended the day with a drinking party.

The next day, after checking out, we split up into our groups and went to different tourist sites. Our group headed up to カチカチ山 (Kachi-kachi Mountain) and rode the ropeway to the top. Kachi-kachi is Japanese onomatopoeia for fire crackling. This mountain is famous because there's a legend behind it (for a brief summary, check out wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachi-kachi_Yama/). The top of the mountain was beautiful with spectacular views of Mt. Fuji and Kawaguchi-ko. We had a picnic lunch up at the top.

Our next stop was the 猿まわし (monkey show). This was perhaps one of the stranger things I've seen while in Japan. Essentially set up sort of like a circus, there are performers on stage who bring out monkeys and do tricks with them. I felt kind of sad for the monkeys, but it was an experience nonetheless. Check out the video.

After the show, we had to head back and meet up with everyone else to head back home to Shinjuku. Our bus was late leaving the monkey show and we had to walk half the way back to the main bus station. We were the last ones on, but made it in time and took a sleepy 2 hour ride home. I enjoyed the trip; it was a nice getaway and I loved seeing the beautiful fall of Yamanashi.

We moved on from Tokyo, heading off to Mt. Fuji; we were both really excited to begin our tour of Japan. Our schedule has been so tight since we left the UK that today was our first real day to down tools and just relax with each other.

We had a really enjoyable coach journey to Kawaguchiko at the base of Mt. Fuji. We are staying at a place called K's Hostel which is awesome. See our seperate review. Anyone heading this way, definately consider staying here, we guarantee you won't be disappointed. Check in wasn't supposed to be until three and we arrived at 11.30 but the nice staff allowed us into the room anyway as it was ready. We decided to use the rest of the day to catch up with our chores and just relax and enjoy each others company without rushing around. So we cracked on with laundry, photo uploading and blog writing using the free internet at the hostel.

The other huge advantage for us is the well equiped kitchen at the hostel. We headed off to the local supermarket and must have spent an hour or so wandering around looking at the food. We loved that fact that a supermarket can be such a reflection of a country's culture. We bought enough for a feast and a few beers too and headed back to the hostel.

Were rented a couple of bikes and headed out early this morning to explore Kawaguchiko. First stop was the cable car up a nearby peak to get a decent look at Mount Fuji. The views were breathtaking. We decided that the thing that makes the view of Fuji so special is its isolation. Most other mountains have got other peaks in the background or are part of a range but Fuji stands alone with its perfect slopes. We have been extremely fortunate with the weather in Japan but especially so today as the sky was crystal clear and Mt Fuji was spectacular. Rather than take the cable car back down we opted to walk the 30 minute trail down which was really beautiful and peaceful as we were the only ones who took it on.

Back on flatter ground we cycled around the lake enjoying the views and the fresh air. Lots of opportunities for photo ops and it was hard not to take photos of Fuji every time we saw it. We have the luxury of the kitchen at the hostel and so we stopped at the supermarket for provisions to take back and cook.  Fed and refreshed we decided on a long walk around the lake; picking up where we left off on the bikes. Along the way we took in the oldest shrine around Mt Fuji as well as ringing a huge bell at the lake's edge. After about two and a half hours of walking we finally made it back to the hostel.

Figuring we'd earnt it, we indulged in a few beers and games of backgammon to round off our stay and enjoy the comfortable surroundings of this excellant hostel before going through the packing ritual that we are now getting used to.

Our stay at K's House has been the best hostel experience for us yet. They have a free pick-up service from Kawaguchiko Station (they arrived in under five minutes from us calling them)and their staff are friendly, courteous and speak english. The hostel itself is exceptionally clean, spacious and really lovely decorated. They have a common lounging area, a dining room and an additional dining/lounging/games area where they have tables and tatami mats. Other facilities include; a very large modern kitchen complete with appliances, dishes/utensils, etc (as well as plenty of cupboard, fridge and freezer space); free internet access with USB ports (good for uploading your photos!); laundry facilities 200 yen for the washer and 100 yen for the dryer. We were especially please with our room itself. It was very large and bright, due mainly to the floor to ceiling screens leading to our small balcony (which looks onto the Onsen next door). We were provided with futons to lay on our tatami mats to sleep on which were very comfortable and their duvets were nice and warm.

I  went here because I wanted to see Mt. Fuji.  It's a good thing I got more out of it than I expected and thats even considering I just scratched the surface of this place.

I was only able to stay here for 1 night and its definitely not enough even if you do just want a glimpse of Mt. Fuji.  I was able to stay at a hotel (costed me about $50/night which I find very reasonable) which was located right by the lake infront of Mt. Fuji.  You'd have to make sure you get there on a sunny day though because when it gets foggy you wont be able to see the mountain.  Although when the sun is out and no fog in sight the view is just majestic.  I practically spent an hour sitting by the lake taking pictures of the mountain and the surrounding scenery.

I also remember taking a loooong walk because I wanted to experience the hot spring in the town.  It was quite a popular thing to do and since I was exhausted from my travels then I wanted to relax a bit.  Coming from a culture though where nudity (especially among other guys) isnt exactly a comfortable situation I was sorta lucky being the only person in the outdoor hot spring so that made the experience all better.  Cold winds and hot steaming water, the perfect recipe for relaxation.

There's a lot to do in this town apart form just viewing the mountain.  I've heard that there are caves to explore and the other lakes to look at.  Next time I head over I think I'd need to spend 4-5 days in the place.