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Mt. Fuji and Garra Rufa (Doctor Fish) - Hakone Yumoto, Japan

October 17, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

Our first day in Hakone Yumoto we did quite a bit of exploring. Instead of doing the whole circle with the buses, boats, etc. we ventured straight for a view of Mt. Fuji. Today we only had to go Bus -> Cable Car -> Ropeway (what we call cable car).

When we got to the top of the Ropeway Mt. Fuji was in full glory, super neat! The funniest part of the whole thing was we took a ropeway (cable car) up to the top. Right when you get to the top Mt. Fuji LITERALLY pops out of nowhere. You seriously can't see the mountain then BOOM Mt. Fuji. Anyway, when we went up this morning we were looking backwards and then suddenly we hear about 15 excited japanese ladies all saying Fujisan, Fujisan, Fujisan.... Which, obviously, means Mt. Fuji and is the respectable way of speaking about the mountain. Anyway, I wish we would have made a video of it because it was so awesome.

The highlight of the day though was the fish eating thing I think they're called Garra Rufa fish or Doctor Fish. Basically, you sit down and put your feet in the water then tons of fish come swimming to your feet and start knawing, eating, devouring your feet, specifically, at the dead skin cells. For those of you who have seen my feet will know that I was definitely a popular man at this pool. Let's just say I could probably feed an entire lake of these Garra Rufa. Anyway, it was definitely an experience not to be missed! I'll make another post about it when I have the picture scanned.

We then headed back down the mountain and off to Kyoto. Be warned that if you're trying to leave Hakone Yumoto around 3pm by bus (on a Sunday) that traffic can be quite heavy. We sat in the bus for about an hour when the bus ride is normally about 15-20 minutes. The solution would be to transfer to the Gora - Hakone Yumoto train ASAP. It was a good time for a much needed nap, however, it did mean we ended up in Kyoto around 8:30pm.

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The Best Time to See Mt. Fuji

October 6, 2008 by Jeff · 1 Comment 

Today we were lucky enough to see Mt. Fuji. Sure it wasn't as clear as we would have liked, but it was still surreal to see Fujisan, as the Japanese call the revered mountain.

Based on our limited knowledge we've determined that the morning is the best time to see Mt. Fuji. We were able to get up to the Owakudani viewing area around 10:30 am and were able to have a clear view of Mt. Fuji. When we were leaving at around 11 the haze and cloud were starting to block the view of the mountain.

If you're looking to get an early start the earliest the Ropeway opens (which we call a cable car) is at 8:45am. However, you'll probably need to take the cable car up the mountain from Gora to Sounzan first. The first cable car is also at 8:45 am. If you're looking to be on the Ropeway at 8:45 then ask information which bus to take up to Sounzan.

As a side note from our experience... the mountain is VERY symmetrical which makes picture taking terrific. We took over 100 photos of the beautiful mountain and took some not centered in the middle. Although, these were neat shots the natural symmetry of Mt. Fuji makes taking a centered picture very simple and easy.

All in all seeing Mt. Fuji is one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. If you have a chance to visit Hakone it's worth venturing out just for a chance to see the wonderful mountain. The view that you have at the Owakudani Viewing Area is so close and clear that you'll truly be amazed!

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