Hiking, eating, and finding the elusive Mount Fuji

After a whirlwind trip through Tokyo, we slowed down the pace and spent several days in three different mountainous areas a couple of hours from the city. We steeped ourselves in the Japanese art of forest bathing, went to actual hot baths (onsen) and took in some impressive views. Before I explain where we went and what we saw, I have to mention how amazed I am by Japan’s rail system. Although it takes some time to understand and navigate, it’s so impressive to me how you can get on a train that looks like a subway in Tokyo, ride it for two hours and get off in a small town in the mountains. You likely have to change lines a couple of times, but you can do it and you use the same payment system everywhere. You can also take high speed trains for longer distances, which are direct and very fast. And then you can get up the next day and go even further into more remote areas from the very same station. Plus some of the tracks are shared between the slower subway-like cars and the fast inter-city trains. It’s as if you’re in a Metro station in Montreal and a Via train goes by 🤯. They are run by different companies, but they share the lines. I don’t fully understand how it works, but it’s remarkable. And it makes getting around without a car so easy and fun. Taking transit is all part of the adventure here… you just have to learn how to read the signs and maps!

We visited Nikko, Fujikawaguchiko and Hakone (but stayed in Odawara).

In Nikko, we went on a river boat ride, saw beautiful waterfalls and skipped stones in a lovely lake surrounded by mountains steeped in low clouds.

We were on the lookout for bears, which we didn’t see, but we did see a baboon in the distance, drinking from the lake. It’s hard to see in this picture, but it’s right by the water.

We went to Fujikawaguchiko for the impressive views of Mount Fuji. The first two days we were there were so cloudy, you would never know there was a volcano visible from the town, except for all the tourists stopping to take pictures with an invisible backdrop, like in this lovely garden:

And in front of this famous convenience store:

On the first day, we got a tiny glimpse of its peak when the clouds parted for a few moments. Can you see it peeking through the clouds? The kids did!

On the second day, we hiked along the start of the path that leads to the very top. Still no view of Mt Fuji, but we were closer.

And on Day 3, we woke up to a bright blue sky and there waiting for us, was the elusive volcano. We are so lucky to have had several days there and for one to be perfectly cloudless.

We understood (sort of) what the hype was all about at the Lawsons with the view:

But the best part was actually swinging toward it.

In Hakone, we rode a train, cable car and gondola up some mountains, went on a lovely hike where we could see Tokyo 80km in the distance, and went to an onsen, which is a thermal bath where men and women bathe separately. (No photos allowed on account of the nudity!)

We stayed in a small city on the outskirts of Tokyo called Odawara and saw a beautiful castle lit up at night, with decorated lanterns all around it.

In Odawara we ate some amazing sushi and discovered the market below the train station, where you can get beautiful meals to go for your train ride. Apparently these markets are common in Japan and it took us way too long to discover them!

The food options are endless here. We have tried such an amazing variety of foods, from ramen to Wagyu beef, to fried ham, sashimi, tempura omelette … even the salads are delicious and beautifully presented. If you need a meal in a pinch, you can get good prepared foods at convenience stores that they warm up for you in the microwaves. Also, I have started having matcha, which is ubiquitous here and I’m thoroughly enjoying all the different ways to eat/drink it.

We’ve stayed in some lovely Airbnbs that are decorated with traditional Japanese art, and where you sit on the floor for your meals or even sleep on mats on the floor.

In short (just kidding, this post is getting really long!), Japan is wonderful and has exceeded my expectations in every way. And everyone who has been here and is reading this is now saying, “I told you so, Sabrina!”