ROAD TRIP TO MOUNT FUJI

Road trip to Mount Fuji

I find myself looking back at all the wonderful trips that I got to experience in the last few years and reliving it through my content. Gosh, how I miss traveling! I have never taken it for granted, but I know my next best trip will be different in a positive way.

My most recent big trip was to Japan. We spent a lot of time in Tokyo, which is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Yet, with all the sensation of the city in combination with my jet lag, I was exhausted every single day.
A road trip out of the buzzing city was what I needed after a few days. Since the Fuji mountain was high on my list, we decided to rent a car for a mini road trip.

We didn’t literally hike up on the mount Fuji, but we stayed in the area around it, where we had the perfect view of the almighty mountain!

Our itinerary was as followed:
1. We drove from Tokyo to Sengen Park.
2. We stayed at Kawaguchi.
3. And the next day we went Iyashinosato
4. Finally a quick visit to Hakone

Watch my video material of this trip on my IGTV videos below.

*If you don’t want to drive yourself, there are plenty of day trips that you can book with a touring bus.

MT FUJI FACTS

– It’s the tallest peak of Japan, at 3,776 meters
– Is an active volcano, the last time it erupted was in 1707
– It’s actually not one volcano, but three! It’s separated by three volcanoes placed on top of one another. The bottom layer is the Komitake volcano, then the Kofuji volcano, then Fuji, which is the youngest.
– The Mount Fuji climbing season is from 1 July to 14 September.

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Een bericht gedeeld door Lily Fung-A-Loi Tjon 張紫迎 (@hashtagbylily)

1. Arakurayama Sengen Park

Araruyama Sengen Park is very popular during cherry blossom season, but look at how pretty fall suits this place?! This spot is one of the world-famous viewing spots of Mount Fuji.
The pagoda was added to Arakura Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine in 1963 as a memorial to peace. You have to climb 398 steps to reach that viewpoint.

It felt so surreal to be here, as I had a photo from this spot as my desktop background for the longest time. A true pinch yourself moment!

Location: Japan, 〒403-0011 Yamanashi, Fujiyoshida, Arakura, 浅間２ー３３５３

2. Hakone Shrine

The Hakone area is known for its beautiful volcanic landscape. The Hakone Shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine on the shores of Lake Ashi, also known as the Hakone Gongen. Don’t let this empty photo fool you, there was a big line of at least 20 minutes to have about 1 minute to take the picture. BUT it’s worth it 🙂

3. Hakone Open Air Museum

In Hakone you can visit this awesome open-air museum. No matter the age, you will appreciate the creative art pieces. It is an outdoor sculpture park that plays with nature. There are creations from Picasso, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Rokuzan Ogiwara, and more!

Location: 1121 Ninotaira, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0407, Japan
https://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/
Price: ￥1600

4. Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban

Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban is located in Fuji Kawaguchiko. We stayed in a cottage with an outdoor BBQ and access to an onsen (hot water spring). From the balcony, you have a great view of Mount Fuji. Wake up early for a beautiful sunrise, while watching the mountain in front of you, the ultimate zen experience.

Location: 2092 Kawaguchi, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0304, Japan
http://www.c-ban.com/

5. Lake Kawaguchi

Lake Kawaguchi is located on the border of the town, at the foot of Mt. Fuji. You can park the car in a little town called Fujikawaguchiko. Here you have a little food market too. From here it’s a 3-5 minute walk to a boulevard at the lake. Here you can take amazing pictures, especially during sunrise and sunset.

6. Kobe Yakiniku Yoritomo

Craving Kobe beef? Kobe Yakiniku Yoritomo has a variety of quality beef on the menu like the very popular Yakiniku beef. You put it on the BBQ yourself. It’s a Japanese restaurant, so you’re sitting on the floor and you have to take your shoes off at the entrance.

Kobe Yakiniku Yoritomo

Location: Japan, 〒401-0301 Yamanashi, Minamitsuru District, Fujikawaguchiko, Funatsu, 996-21 ヨウサンプラザ 7
https://wagyu-yoritomo.com/

7. Saiko Iyashi no sato Nenba village

Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba is a charming traditional Japanese village at one of the Fuji Five Lakes. It used to be a small farming community that was destroyed by a typhoon in 1966. They rebuild it into an open-air museum, where you can see the traditional thatched roof houses, see how they grow fresh wasabi, learn more about Japanese crafts, and have a taste of the local food.

We walked around a bit and I bought some signed paintings from a local artist.

Location: 2710 Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0332, Japan

Cathay Pacific lounge

I flew with Cathay Pacific to Tokyo. They fly to many more destinations in Japan: Osaka, Okinawa, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Niigata en Tokushima.

I got the opportunity to spend quite some time in their business lounge at Hong Kong airport, which was one of the finest lounges I have visited. The food was delicious (i.e. fresh-made wontons), there was an area for yoga or to pray, and a rest area where you can lay down for a nap.