When we were planning this trip Wilf was asking me what things I wanted to see. There was a museum that I had always wanted to go to, but it never quite fit in. Technically it is a day trip from Tokyo but a long day, so at least overnight seemed like a good idea. After some investigation Wilf found a hotel in the town nearby and got us booked in there.
The next step was figuring out how to get there and this consumed much of our winter. We would by flying back to Tokyo from Fukuoka, landing at Haneda airport. Trains and buses for the lake area leave from Shinjuku station. Only the most complicated train station in the world that handles 1 million people per day…We usually try to avoid it. There were fewer options for the train so we settled on the bus. But we could only make reservations one month in advance, so we were checking checking checking and we did get a reservation for the bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station. We figured we would be able to get the Highway bus from from Haneda to Shinjuku on the day of, as it ran several times an hour and we were not sure of our exact timing at the airport.
At this point I’ll step out for minute to discuss the weather in Japan. More particularly the weather forecasting. What the heck, people? We’ll look at our weather app for a few days forward and it will show expected rain 100mm on Saturday. Yikes – that’s not good. Then the next day we’ll look and the forecast for the same place on Saturday – 5mm. The next time we look – 50mm. How does anyone plan anything? Fukuoka, Tokyo and Kawaguchiko were all calling for rain on our travel day, and quite a bit so we figured there was no avoiding it.
No rain in Fukuoka and we didn’t have to go outside to get to the airport. Raining in Tokyo. The Haneda airport has managed to create a bus platform that, while enclosed, somehow tunnels all the wind in the city through that spot, and the rain. We bought our tickets, got a snack and then went to the platform. Which is covered and yet somehow everyone was getting wind blown and wet. By the time we got to the city it was sheeting down and people on the street were losing the battle between the wind and their umbrellas.
The ride to Kawaguchiko was pleasant and the closer we got the better it got – the sun even came out.
Now, perhaps the name Kawaguchiko rings a faint bell for you? It is a lake and town on the north side of Mt Fuji. Very popular destination – lots of parks and hotels. Passed an amusement park with a truly horrifiying looking roller coaster on the way.
Last year someone posted a picture of a Lawson convenience store with Mt Fuji in the background – a perfect picture. Suddenly the whole world wanted to go and take That Picture. That led to chaos and people standing in the middle of the busy street and blocking the sidewalks and general unhappiness in town, Here is the story – Lawson Picture. They even tried putting up a screen but people just poked holes in it. So we were going to that town!
Also – this winter we watched a Japanese series on Netflix called The Hot Spot, which was set in Kawaguchiko and the neighbouring town. It was a charming and offbeat story and set in the area! The Hot Spot
So – back to our journey. Having left our hotel at 8:15 we arrived at Kawaguchiko Station (having passed the famous Lawson) around 4:00. The station is heaving with tourists. But lo! The shuttle to our hotel is there and we hop on board. A quick scoot and we are up a scary little road to our lovely hotel perched above the lake.
The rain has stopped but the clouds have not lifted, so no mountain to see. But in the morning…..
I opened the drapes at 07:00 and there it was. I threw on my hotel yukata and rushed out onto our deck. Wilf captured me taking photos – so excited I don’t even have my glasses on! But look!!!
Where I'm At 