Japan 2019

Friday22November

First wake-up call at the Hatago Tsubakiya hotel in the small village of Yamakako, located near Mount Fuji, whose view is completely obscured by thick clouds totally filled with rain...  ... The weather reports predict rain for today and tomorrow is still uncertain... It's unthinkable to go to Japan without seeing its iconic volcano Fuji! Even if only for a few seconds!   Courage, we abandon hope of seeing it today and place all our hopes on tomorrow... We will dedicate this day to visiting the caves of the region, a perfect activity for rainy weather... This activity will also allow us to take a complete tour around Mount Fuji! Without seeing it even once, of course...

The bay windows of the hotel's dining room.

And its lounge...

First cave of the day, Narusawa, the ice cave. We are in the Aokigahara forest. Under the roots of the trees, there is a cave created by Mount Fuji itself, more than 11 centuries ago when it poured its magma on its northern flank.

The cave formed in a lava flow. As the magma flowed, the outer walls cooled faster, allowing the interior to empty, forming the tunnel.

Small temples to enjoy the good telluric waves. Photo on the right, the curiosity that gives the cave its name... Ice! The temperatures reached in the cave are low enough to keep the water in its solid state. Alas, at this time, icy stalactites or stalagmites are very few and only this block of ice behind its grate was visible...

The next cave, Fugaku the wind cave, located 2 minutes away by car, has nothing to envy its neighbor as it also houses ice.

Except that we won't see a single shadow of it... It's not very cold inside, so the show must be nice only in winter...

But it's still nice to walk inside a lava flow...

The cave, benefiting from cool temperatures all year round, was between 1955 and 1965, the storage place for cedar, cypress, oak, red pine, and larch seeds from all over Japan. Here are some examples from that time.

The magma vault with all its small cooled peaks from thousands of years ago.

The forest alone is worth the detour. The moss-covered roots perfectly match the rain that has invited itself...  

Here we are a little further, near Lake Saiko at the site of the bat cave.

It's normal to meet Batman himself here, or at least in plastic...  

The cave is reached quickly via a wood chip path. Then a staircase provides access to the interior.

Helmets are provided, no problem for heads too close to the magma vault!

The houses of the bats???  

And here is the last cave of the day. If the previous three were not very large, this one is even smaller since only its entrance is accessible.

Inside, a small makeshift temple...

Return to the car via paths with impeccable vegetal and natural scenery.

The weather is not improving and diminishes our hopes of ever seeing Mount Fuji... We head to the village of Saiko Iyashinosato Nemba, a reconstruction of an old traditional village, recreated in 2006. We won't see much of it, the weather dissuades us from visiting it and we only drive through it...  
But to console us, the clouds descend to the level of the beautiful mountains with autumn colors.  

We try to get as close as possible to the slopes of Mount Fuji, but the roads are closed! The sign indicates that access is blocked from November to April.

A brief digression with this tunnel. Indeed, we have crossed many of them here in Japan. Sometimes, they exceed 15 km!

No need to prolong the suspense on this second day... We saw it, this shy Mount Fuji! And yet, the day had started badly, because upon waking, the sky was as covered as the day before... Scanning the various weather sites, some indicated that the southwest slope could potentially clear up... Without hesitation, we set off in search of the Sun in our rental Nissan, circling the volcano clockwise... The stakes were simple: to reach the areas of blue sky that we glimpsed in the distance as quickly as possible, before the clouds covered the majestic relief of the country whose nickname we blessed: "the land of the Rising Sun"!   And the challenge was met! Fuji finally showed itself! Timidly, certainly, but proudly. It unveiled its snow-capped summit as if out of nowhere, with, as a bonus, to salute our effort, a rainbow as a standard!  

We continue our journey, reassured by the persistent clear sky, and spot on the map a point near Lake Tanuki that seems promising in terms of a viewpoint on the white relief. Our arrival does not contradict this...

We are 16 kilometers from Japan's highest peak at 3,776 meters.

The volcano, inactive since 1708, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013.

Let's zoom in on this impressive peak...

a little more...

And presto, a building as white as the snow surrounding it appears! It's a meteorological station whose first stones were laid in 1932.

The ascent of the volcano is entirely possible but only in July and August when the paths to reach the summit are clearest. During these summer months, simple hikers will then meet pilgrims of various religions who have come to tread the paths of the mountain, which became sacred in the 7th century.

And meanwhile, Japanese cryptomerias lining the lake try to compete with the heights of Fuji...

Last photo in front of Lake Tanuki before continuing the tour of the volcano.

The blue sky continues to win its battle against the clouds, and we are not the only ones enjoying it...

Newlyweds take advantage of the unexpected blue window that opened on this rainy day. The stakes are high: to get the most beautiful photo that best highlights the two protagonists and the sacred mountain.

The "Western-style" wedding is gaining popularity in Japan and easily coexists with the Shinto weddings we have regularly encountered and will continue to encounter in our future visits.

The pose is not easy because the rain has given way to an unyielding wind. But in the photos, the displaced air knows how to be discreet...

However, on video, it requires effort to ignore it...

We leave the newlyweds for another area where Chinese reeds (Miscanthus sinensis) struggle against the wind, yet humbly bend before the great white cone.

We must enjoy these last moments with Mount Fuji because the sky will soon lose its battle against the clouds and we will never again see the sacred emblem of the country...   We leave the region without regret to reach Tokyo.

Before leaving, we pass by Lake Motosu where the Beatles' yellow submarine plunges us back into the mists of the sixties...  

A rainbow on the right shows us the direction to take to reach our next destination: Tokyo!

We deviate a little from the direct route to the capital to pass through the city of Odawara, where its castle is well worth a visit. Before that, we eat right next door at the restaurant "Ajiichi Hojo" where we try a dish whose untranslated menu doesn't give us many clues about its ingredients. But the waiter reassures us about the risk, and indeed, the dish is excellent: they are "wontons", grilled dumplings and fried onions!  

Access to the castle is via the Gakubashi bridge, which spans the old moats.

And here is the "small" castle, reminiscent of the larger one in Himeji. Umbrellas are out, giving us a foretaste of what awaits us in Tokyo...

The first stones were laid in 1447, but the castle was destroyed during the 1923 earthquake and rebuilt in concrete in 1960...

The 4 floors house a museum on the history of the city. The top floor allows access to the balcony to enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

Here we are inside the museum where drawings and prints of scenes from daily life in the medieval era (ukiyo-e) are exhibited.
"Ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") is a Japanese art movement from the Edo period (1603-1868) comprising not only original popular and narrative painting, but also and above all Japanese woodblock prints." © Wikipedia

Samurai families succeed one another to govern the Odawara region.

Ōkubo Tadayo (1532-1594)

Inaba Masakatsu (1597-1634)

Ōkubo Tadazane (1782-1837)

Model of the castle and its enclosure

Some Samurai armors including the helmet (kabuto), the mask (menpō), and the gorget (yodarekake) which protects the throat.

Top floor of the castle with a view of Odawara and Sagami Bay.

Back at the foot of the castle before heading back to Tokyo.

1 hour drive later, we arrive in the impressive Japanese megalopolis. We have to return our rental car the next evening, so we'll have to face the impressive Tokyo traffic...  

First step, find a place to put the car! We find this one near our hotel. It's a parking tower where you just leave the car on a robotic platform that will take care of "parking" the vehicle in an available spot somewhere on the building's floors...  

And here is our hotel at "Ueno Station Hostel Oriental", one of the famous "capsule hotels" where the room is limited to a compartment installed among fifty others...

And here is my room seen from the outside and from the inside! The door is a simple blue curtain. Suitcases are left in locked lockers in a changing room on the same floor. We will stay there for 3 nights! It's not the most practical, but you sleep very well there! And it's especially the most affordable financially speaking!

The hotel street: Okachimachi Central Street. One of the images I will remember from Tokyo: Tokyoites and their inseparable umbrella! Indeed, this equipment proves to be inseparable from the city where skyscrapers seem to pierce the clouds which thus empty their water... Our three days will often be humid but the sun will still sometimes show its face!

The hotel facade.

The Chuo Dori Avenue district.