Dave and I took an ITT Mt. Fuji sightseeing excursion on Sunday. During the trip, we visited five different locations around the base of Mt. Fuji. Each location gave us spectacular views of the mountain. We enjoyed plenty of sunshine and Mt. Fuji views. Even at the rest stop!
Our first stop on the tour was at Fuji Peace Park.
The Fuji Peace Park has a large white pagoda known as a Buddha Sarīra Stūpa. The Stūpa was built with the prayers of peace and happiness for Japan and World Peace. Within the pagoda are preserved and enshrined sacred relics of Buddha.
Mt. Fuji looked spectacular in the early morning sunlight.
The gardens around the park were beautiful. They were perfectly manicured and maintained.
Our second stop was at Oshino Hakkai Springs. The springs are fed by the water that runs off Mt. Fuji. According to our tour guide, water takes between 20 and 80 years to go from the top of Mt. Fuji to the Oshino Hakkai Springs. As the water moves through the Earth, it is filtered and purified. The spring water was incredibly clear. Check out the fish! The dots in the water are coins at the bottom of the pond. The fountain was available to fill your water bottle. The water was cool and delicious.
There was also a specific fountain where you could hold your hand in the water for 30 seconds to purify your soul. I expected the water to be a lot colder. It wasn’t difficult to leave my hand in the water for the full 30 seconds. My purification was completed without much difficulty.
While at the springs, we were able to visit another beautiful garden and see other ponds.
Our third stop of the trip was a visit to Lake Kawaguchi. Lake Kawaguchi is one of the Fuji Five Lakes. During the stop, we enjoyed a hot pot of noodle soup. It was delicious! The small flame kept the soup hot while we ate.
The Lake was so beautiful. The fleet of swan paddle boats had me giggling. We will definitely need to return when we have more time and the weather is a bit warmer. I need to take a ride in a swan boat!
After lunch, we returned to the bus and went to the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center. The center has a plethora of information about Mt. Fuji. It was fun to learn a little bit more about the mountain we have climbed and the one we are always excited to see.
The final stop was at the Sengen Shrine. The Sengen Shrine is at the base of Mt. Fuji. It was built to protect the people of the area from Mt. Fuji eruptions. Also, if you want to climb Mt. Fuji from the very bottom, you can access the trailhead from the Shrine. It will make your climb about five hours longer!
This hiker statue and the Torii mark the trailhead for the Subaru Trail to the top of Mt. Fuji.
It was a great trip and the weather was perfect. It wasn’t too cold, lots of sunshine and mostly clear skies allowing us to have so many opportunities to see Mt. Fuji. I saved the places we visited on Google Maps. So, when you visit and on a clear day, we can take a day to drive over and see the mountain up close!
