Fuji-San, We Dominated Your 3776 Meters!!

So, one of my main goals while I was in Japan was always to somehow, someway, make it to Mt. Fuji and climb it. As the end of climbing season was fast approaching, and all of my willing friends were slowly dropping like flies, I almost gave up hope that this dream of mine would happen. You see, the mountain has to close for most climbers the last week in August through next summer because the Mountain gets very cold and is covered in snow, which is really dangerous for the climbing conditions that you encounter on this beast.

Anyway, I was at dinner with some friends while my mom and brother were visiting (blog to follow this one soon), and my friend Aaron told me that he was going to be climbing the next weekend. I asked him how much it was going to be, and the price was reasonable.

So I basically invited myself since he was going to be climbing alone, and he said I could come. I was exhausted from my mom and brother's visit to Japan, but I knew if I slept enough during the week I should be okay to brave the mt by the weekend.

As Saturday night rolled around I headed to Osaka where we caught the Kitetsu overnight bus to Kawaguchi-ko (lake). The bus ride was a brutal 10 hours (two of which were spent in a parking lot while the bus driver took a nap...we were quite agitated with this). At least we got blankets on this one and the seats reclined. When we arrived at Kawaguchi it was about 8am and the air was dry and cool. Perfect. We had decided that instead of doing the traditional sunrise climb, starting at night and then resting and climbing the rest to see the sunrise, that we would do it all on Monday and spend Sunday 'relaxing' and exploring the Fuji-san area.

We found a sketchy youth hostel nearby that was run by a very tiny Japanese man and his wife. It was not so great, and was dorm style, not to mention that there were no other females staying there and the female room was completely void of life. Also, the set times for showering were strange and at one point I was even woken up from a nap by the man and told to shower right then. Haha. Strange experience.

We rented bicycles from our hostel, which were less than adequate in more ways than one. Our seats were like sitting on wires with a leather cover...no padding. My bike also only had a front break, which, when you stopped, jolts you forward in such a way that you fear for your life. We took the bikes down by the lake side and rode around the lake. We had said we wanted to have a relaxing day, but we cycled about 15 km. It was a nice ride though with lots of good weather. Many people were out on the lake and we finished out cycle with a nice local Fuji beer. Quite tasty, I highly recommend. We then proceeded to go to the supermarket and pick up everything we would need to eat while climbing the next day and our last minute essentials, ate dinner, and headed to bead early to be up for the first bus.

When we awoke, Fuji was more visible than the day before, but was very covered in clouds. Aaron said he thought they would burn off, and I figured it would be a little cloudy, but as long as it wasn't raining we would be okay. We waited for the 7:20 bus which would put us at the 5th station about 8 to start our climb.

We arrived at the fifth station and we were just on time. I went to the bathroom before we started, which cost me a nice 50 yen. I got a kick out of the fact that they actually charge for using the bathroom, but I guess it makes sense for maintaining facilities especially since the higher altitudes have no running water.

We started off our climb through the lush vegetation towards the next station. We were some of the first out of the gate from our bus and we could see the firsts of the morning sunrise climbers coming down and finishing their hike. They looked tired and miserable, no smiles, no laughter. I was not too pumped but Aaron was saying jokes to them to try to get them to laugh, even though it was in English and he knew most of them had no idea what he was saying.

Soon enough we were through the beautiful greenery and we began the real climb, zig-zags of rock. Rock Rock and more Rock. It was like hiking on gravel for hours, which is really not pleasant at such a steep angle. The zig-zags seemed to go all the way into the sky and even though we could see the top of the Mountain, we had no idea how long it was going to take to actually reach it. We were blessed with a cooler, but dry day, as climbing fuji is horrible in the rain from what I have heard.

We didn't stop for a rest break at all while climbing and even though it felt very difficult at times, my legs were not sore, it was my lungs that hurt from the altitude. So every zig or zag I would stop for maybe 5 seconds, catch breath and push on. This method proved to be good because we made it to the top in about 3.5 hours, which, for most people, takes 5-7 hours. We spent an hour at the top eating and taking photos of the amazing crater that lies in the center of this once very active volcano. The top was a chilling -1 degree C and there were flakes of snow. During the climb each cloud that had moved upon us had brought an even bigger chill. I am adding a short video so you can see the speed of the clouds as they blew by. Almost like a bad horror movie!

We then started our descent which was more steep than the way up and was all loose dirt, rock and gravel. The impact on our knees, not to mention the massive amount of rocks that were in out shoes, was crazy and after about 45 minutes of walking we decided to job the rest to the end. We made it down the mountain in about 1.5 hours, which should have taken us double the time or more. All in all, we were tired, but we conquered the highest Mountain in Japan.

We finished it all off with a huge Indian Curry dinner and hopped back on our 10 hour bus to work the next morning... PHEW... this was one long weekend!

And the Wheels Keep Turning

Last weekend was quite an adventure. My boyfriend and I decided we wanted to get some exercise so we rode our bicycles to Akashi to take the Taco Ferry (octopus ferry) across to Awajishima (island). As we approached the ferry terminal I began to get very excited and to my surprise there was a very unique vending machine there that deserves a mention. It was a machine that dispenses fried foods. Everything from french fries and fried chicken, to fried rice and onigiri (rice balls). I have been looking for vending machines that were out of the ordinary since I arrived in Japan, and this one absolutely fit the bill. Gordon promised me that I could get something at the other side of the ferry or on the way back, so I was pumped.

You see, the main reason we were going to Awaji Island was not just to cycle, but also because I discovered the most ridiculous amusement park ever online that we were dying to go to. It is named Onokoro ( which translates to some island place that was created by Isanagi (a hero) when he put his spear into a big ball of clouds and water). But what it is is an amusement park like any other with children's rides, and a giant ferris wheel. However, they also have an around the world section with models of famous monuments from around the world at 1:25 to scale!

If this sounds ridiculous to you, especially on a small island in Japan, you are absolutely correct.

There is a ferris wheel that is in view from Akashi which Gordon and I assumed was the ferris wheel at Onokoro Amusement park. We hopped off the ferry and started our cycle up the very steep mountain to the top. This place was like a maze and the roads were all highways that wrapped around the hill we needed to reach, but none of them led to the summit. When we finally found a small path through an industrial parking lot we reached the top, and to our disappointment, Onokoro was nowhere in sight. We went into the welcome center and took some photos at the look out (especially of the fattest Welsh Corgi I have ever seen.) In the welcome center we grabbed some food, a map, and some ridiculous stickers of what must have been the mascot of Awaji Island.

Upon examining the map, we realized that Onokoro was much further down the island. We asked at the counter and she said that the park was a little less than twenty Kilometers. We decided to try to stick out the ride and go halfway, leaving our bikes at a bus station further down and taking a bus the second leg.

Unfortunately, we passed many many bus stops. Just a little further we kept saying, let's just keep going a little more. We passed a giant abandoned Buddah, a confused restaurant named "America", hundreds of rice paddies, and about 10 produce stands selling the prized Awaji Onions for only 200 yen a bag. We finally stopped at a Family Mart convenience store and asked how far to Onokoro. To our disappointment, she said about 11 KM left. We had already been cycling for about an hour, on our bikes with no gears (well mine has no gears), up and down hills like you can't imagine. I was exhausted, but we were determined and angry so we decided to let our stubbornness get the best of us and keep on peddling.

We finally could see the ferris wheel in the distance and kept it as our goal. Along the coastline we rode with utter disbelief that not only we rode this far, but also that we knew we were going to have to ride back all this way. (I was honestly considering abandoning my bicycle and taking a bus back).

*Side note; Awaji is not a place that people bring bicycles to ride often. It is actually so strange and inconvenient that there is not even bike parking, which is very unusual for Japan. Trains don't even run on this island.

On the approach to the park, we passed a slaughterhouse for the award winning Awaji Beef. Luckily, it was a holiday. Nothing gets me in the mood for a fun filled day at the amusement park like hearing the cows NEXT DOOR crying their way to meat packing plant. From the ferris wheel I am sure you get a nice view right inside.

When we got there it was an hour and a half before closing time and there were the occasional scattered families, but not many people. It is the strangest experience, straight out of a horror movie, when you are at an amusement park with kiddie music in the background and no children. It was deserted. Quite scary.

Finally, we headed back to what we were there for. Monuments. It was as ridiculous as I had hoped and dreamed. Some of the models were amazing, but others needed new paint jobs and some serious renovation. I guess it might be difficult to renovate on a limited budget, since admission was only 800 Yen.

We took our photos and headed back on the long horrible bike ride, in the dark and the rain, with only the small stream of light from our bicycle headlights. In total, we figured it out that we had cycled 60km in one day. It is a wonder I didn't die. Needless to say, we won't be going out again in search of a mystery place with no directions! But at least those vending machine french fries on the ferry back made it all worth it :).