Fujisan! Fujisan!

We did it! We finally saw Mt. Fuji yesterday. It was spectacular. We took a bus up to 5th station at 3000 meters. There are a series of 10 stations along the route ascending Fuji. We think 5th station is about 700 meters from the summit.



The bus ride up was hair raising. But at some point, we turned a bend and had a great view down the side of the mountain and, for the first time, realized we were above the clouds. Not long after, we looked up and were finally able to see the summit of Fuji for the first time. It was beautiful.



It was damn cold at the 5th station but we had a great view and took loads of photos. We stayed for about an hour, had a cup of coffee and then boarded the bus back down.

When we arrived back at the bus stop, I looked in the direction of Fuji, and there it was! It was the first time we had seen it from the ground. Our stay at Fuji had been plagued by clouds and fog. But now, there it was towering over us. It was only visible for about half an hour.



This has been the highlight of the trip for me so far. I am really regretting not having the chance to climb to the summit however. After having been up there, we could have done it yesterday but just didn't have our act together in time. We are considering extending our stay in Japan so perhaps I will have another shot.