Mount Fuji – Anne Goes to Places

Japan, Day 6: Nabana no Sato

From Nagashima Spa Land, a flower park called Nabana no Sato can be visited – bus ride only takes 15 minutes. But more than the flowers, the main reason why I wanted to visit this place was to see the winter illumination in the evening. Just looking at the pictures online, I was already fascinated with the thousands of lights of varying colors.

From Nagashima Spa Land, a flower park called NABANA NO SATO can be visited – bus ride only takes 15 minutes. But more than the flowers, the main reason why I wanted to visit this place was to see the winter illumination in the evening. Just looking at the pictures online, I was already fascinated with the thousands of lights of varying colors.

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

After a short walk in the first garden area, I saw the ticket booth then bought an entrance ticket (¥2,100), which included a 1000-yen coupon that I can use in the park’s shops. There was still a bit of sunlight when I entered so the autumn colors of the trees were still visible.

I was not sure if there was any order on how to explore the place but I saw this sign going to the Corridor of Light, which is a 200-meter long pathway surrounded by flower petal-shaped light bulbs. When you search for winter illumination in Nabana no Sato, most of the images that you will see show this pathway.

It was a few minutes before 5PM and apparently, the Corridor of Light would be open by 5PM. There were a lot of locals already waiting outside and one of the staff was entertaining them – games, hosting, etc. A minute before 5PM, he told us to participate in the countdown and rehearsed counting from 10 to 0 (in Japanese). When the staff allowed the people to enter, there was clapping and sounds of awe all around.

Even I was amazed with the amount of lights and the beautiful pathway it created. I could not help but ask for a picture here even if there was a big crowd everywhere.

Upon exiting the Corridor of Light and following the locals, there was a lights show with Mount Fuji as the main highlight. I am not sure what the story was about but it showed changing seasons and changing landscapes. This lasted for a few minutes and while I was not able to sit down, it was a sight worth the ngawit.

The next attraction I visited was the Lavender Road, which is similar to the Corridor of Light – pathway was a bit shorter and it was surrounded by leaf-shaped light bulbs instead. The colors of the light bulbs changed every few seconds.

I was back to the large garden area with pond, but this time, it showed The Great River of Light. It is said that the long lines of lights over the pond resemble shooting stars.

A little bit of walking again and I found myself in this place with trees reflected on the pond’s surface. The pond was so still that it gave a mirror-like effect.

Ironically, even if it was a flower park, I didn’t get to see much flowers because: 1) it was already in the evening and; 2) I was so focused on looking at the illuminated lights.

My last stop was the Sea of Light Clouds, which was the only place where I noticed a lot of flowers. It must be a popular place among couples because I saw a lot of them taking pictures under the arches.

After going around, I went back to bus stop outside Nabana no Sato. Going back to Nagoya was easy because the bus stopping there took me directly to Kintetsu-Nagoya. From Nagoya Station, I went to SEKAI NO YAMACHAN (SAKAE). Quick funny story: I only found out that there was a branch a few hundred meters near our hotel while walking back after this dinner. LOL.

Back to the food – the place is well-known for serving tebasaki (deep-fried chicken wings), one of Nagoya’s famous dishes. Ordered a plate of this and karaage with tartar sauce. No visit to an izakaya will be complete without me ordering Chu-hi. I was surprised though that their Chu-hi was at 9% so my allergy attacked later on.

Karaage tasted good but damn, the tebasaki took the crown for this dinner. It was peppery, salty, and highly addictive. It was no wonder why other tables had a lot of chicken bones already in their bucket. Ordered another plate because it was just that good!

This was the best way to end my last night in Japan before going back home to PH. Cannot wait to eat tebasaki again since I read that Sekai no Yamachan has branches in other Japan regions. 😊

Japan, Day 6: Mount Gozaisho

At the Summit Park Station of Mount Gozaisho, a big map of the hiking trail and places to visit helped in guiding me where to locate the sightseeing lift.

When I got there, I got really scared of riding the lift. I already knew that there was no belt because I saw the picture in their official website but I was not prepared that it was a steep downhill ride, at least from my POV.

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

At the SUMMIT PARK STATION of Mount Gozaisho, a big map of the hiking trail and places to visit helped in guiding me where to locate the sightseeing lift.

Then again, I was already there so why not ride it then see what will happen. I bought a roundtrip ticket for ¥600 then saw a group of obaasan and ojiisan (grandma & grandpa) in front of me, waiting for their turn to ride the lift. While waiting for my turn, one of the ojiisan turned around and told me “Kowai!!! Kowai!” while laughing. Thank you to all the anime I have watched because I understood what he said – it was scary. I laughed then replied to him in Japanese that I was also scared. When it was his turn to ride, I told him “Ganbatte!” (good luck) and he smiled at me.

Now, it was my turn and when the lift was about to follow the downhill trail, I held on tightly to the single bar at my left side and braced myself… only to feel nothing. There was no sinking feeling from my stomach! It was just slow and steady which made me understand why even kids are allowed to ride this.

It was a chill ride and I eventually found myself taking pictures without holding the bar.

Me during the first 10 seconds of the ride 😐

At the first sightseeing lift stop, you can choose to go down there or just pass by. I was already set that I would just pass by here so I waved to the ojiisans staff and greeted them with “Ohayouuu!”

Upon reaching the last stop, I walked briskly to the summit marker (1,282 MASL) that I saw online. I asked a local hiker, who just finished smoking his cigarette, to take a picture of me.

Conquered another mountain but without much effort, lol

I was reviewing the pictures he took when he told me (in English) that there was another marker. He pointed to the trail near us and told me that that was where I should go to reach it. I said my thanks then he offered to accompany me. I accepted because I wanted to talk to locals, anyway.

While walking, he asked where I was from so I said PH then asked if it was my first time in Japan. I told him it was my 3^rd visit but I have visited a lot of places already. I enumerated all the cities and towns I have been to, including the ones in this autumn trip. He said that he was amazed and called me a “Japan master”. LOL.

When we reached the place (Boukodai Lookout), he pointed to spots where it was best to take pictures of me. It was a bit of a challenge because there were parts where I had to use my hands to climb. I had to make sure that I wouldn’t slip since the cliff was just around the corner. Anyway – he took good pictures of me!!! T_T

He then pointed to a direction where he said that we could have seen Lake Biwa if it wasn’t for the cloudy weather. He pointed to a mountain range but I forgot the name he mentioned – all I could remember was he said that it was a well-known area.

When we were about to go back to the main area, he asked if it was okay to take a picture. I said okay and I asked if we could do the same using my phone. It felt weird though because we did not know each other’s names so I asked him.

His name is Sato and he told me that it was a common name in Japan. I told him that he has the same name as this Japanese actor that I liked: Sato Takeru. He was impressed that I know someone from the entertainment industry. I told him about the first J-drama where I saw Sato Takeru up to him being the main lead in Rurouni Kenshin live action films.

While we were walking, he showed me pictures from his phone – trees and other areas in Mount Gozaisho fully covered in snow. He told me that it was taken just a week ago when he hiked with his friends. I showed him the snow pictures I took earlier, and I told him that I thought it was just starting to form. It turned out to be remnants of the winter moment that happened recently.

Remnants of snow + Sightseeing lift without any belt

When we returned to the main area, we bowed to each other and said our goodbyes. He told me that going up the summit takes 2-3 hours, depending on your pace, and that was also the same amount of time needed to go down. I wished him luck for his hike going back to the base.

I continued my exploration but I kinda felt lost. All signs and arrows were in kanji so I already knew that I had to rely on my instinct when it comes to directions.

I picked a trail based on my gut feel and I eventually arrived at Suzuka National Park Monument. Near the marker, there was a small wooden bench for resting.

From afar, I could already see the Ontake Daigongen Shrine – the one which looks like a house – so I knew that my adventure was far from over. An ojiisan passed by and I was amazed how he could jog around the area, especially with the uneven trail and steps.

On the other hand, I was cautious with every step because if I stumble and roll down the steps, no one would save me and take care of my wounds. Haha! After following the next trail, I reached a rest area with a stone monument. It was inscribed with haiku but I only found out about it after the trip.

I walked some more and spotted a silver torii with a trail leading downhill. I followed it then saw a small pool of water so I knew that I was in Chouja Pond. There was no one else in the area so it was very quiet a bit eerie with all the trees.

The story related to Chouja Pond dates back to the Meiji Era when a man named Jintarou Yada became famous and rich for his touch which could completely cure any sick person.

I continued my adventure and there were a lot of uphill trails. Some of them looked straight from a fairy tale story, with a creepy forest in the plot.

Then after about 10 minutes of walking, I finally reached Ontake Daigongen Shrine (dedicated to the same deity as the one in Kiso-Ontake Shrine). I paid respect to the shrine then as I was about to leave, a family reached the place so finally, I was not alone. But only for a few seconds.

I was on a bit of tight schedule so when I saw that it was 10:40, I started to make my way back to the main area. The problem though was that I did not know how and I could already see fork roads ahead of me…

No choice but to trust my instincts which path to take for every fork road. I chose trails that seem to be nearer to the main area.

Cannot understand anything but this was the sign near the uphill trail going back to the main area

Gotta pat myself on the back because I was able to successfully reach my destination! Had I followed the paths I ignored, I would have taken the long trail going back to the Summit Park Station… which would take 30-45 minutes of walking. I took a last round of taking in the sights at the summit before heading back to the sightseeing lift station.

At the Summit Park Station, I went for a quick lunch before heading back to the base. I ordered curry udon as recommended in Restaurant Nature. The free ocha was the perfect pair for the curry udon’s rich flavor.

When I reached the cable car station, it was a surprise because the staff put 3 different groups in one cable car. I wish I could speak in somehow fluent Japanese so that I can converse with the obaasans and ojiisans in the cable car. ☹

Here are some more views from the cable car to wrap up this post:

Tokyo, Day 3: Mount Fuji, Komagatake, Lake Ashi (Kanagawa)

After a few hours of bus ride, we were able to reach LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO where we got to see a full view of Mount Fuji. We were lucky because it was not yet cloudy so we were able to admire its beauty. It kind of reminded me of Mount Mayon, except Fuji has snow at the top part.

JANUARY 26, 2016

We started our 3rd day early as we had to leave Tokyo and head for the Hakone area to view Mount Fuji.

After a few hours of bus ride, we were able to reach LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO where we got to see a full view of Mount Fuji. We were lucky because it was not yet cloudy so we were able to admire its beauty. It kind of reminded me of Mount Mayon, except Fuji has snow at the top part.

Toshi-san, our tour guide, gave us some time for picture taking. I was too engrossed with looking at Mount Fuji and snapping photos here and there that I did not know there was a shop in the area that sells local delicacy. Toshi-san bought us a box of mochi (matcha and strawberry flavors) and I could only chose one — strawberry won and it was sooooo good.

Apparently, this was only available in the area so yeah, I really regretted not being able to buy this one. I saw a similar box in the shop near Komagatake Ropeway but it was too expensive.

When we arrived in Hakone Komagatake Ropeway, we had lunch first.

After lunch, we had time to go around the area before going to the ropeway. We entered the shop where I first tried a gachapon (Hello Kitty keychain). There were all sorts of food and local delicacy which you can buy as souvenir.

I went near the shore of Lake Ashi afterwards to admire the view and take some shots of trees and a few locals…

When our call time for the ropeway activity drew near, we headed to the main area of HAKONE KOMAGATAKE ROPEWAY. Riding this would take you above Mount Komagatake where you can have a better view of Mount Fuji.

The cabin we rode was full of people but luckily, a senior office mate called me to a good spot near her side where I could step on an elevated floor and have a better view of the surroundings. The ride to the top was about 7 minutes and if you are acrophobic, better stay in the middle of the cabin space.

When we reached our destination, we only had 20 minutes to explore the area since we already had a schedule for the Lake Ashi cruise. Some of us ran right away and made our way to a higher, elevated area to check out Mount Fuji.

Ran all the way from this spot (where I took this picture) up to the top, near the house

Unfortunately, it was already cloudy and we could only see the tip of Mount Fuji. 😦

We maximized the remaining time by exploring the other parts of the area and of course, took pictures here and there…

After our 20 minutes of free time, we rode the cabin again to go back to LAKE ASHI and wait for our cruise ship…

Upon boarding, some of us went on the topmost deck of the ship. Brrrr, it was very windy up there plus winter season so it was really a double cold combo. Good thing I was wearing my long padded coat which has a neck cover and hoodie. Best Uniqlo winter wear investment ever!

Despite me freezing due to the temperature and wind, I still managed to capture some good sights during the cruise. Toshi-san also shared legends and other cultural stories about Lake Ashi.

©Nicole – Company photo during Lake Ashi cruise

After the cruise, we rode our bus to head back to Tokyo. Caught some z’s during the trip so that I would be energized that night.

Upon reaching Tokyo, our bus headed for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building which is located in Shinjuku area. I think there is no entrance fee for this but be prepared for the long line of visitors at night. We went up to the 45th floor where we enjoyed looking at Tokyo at night. There was also a purikura booth there — my female colleagues and I tried it, and it was fun!

©Nicole – While waiting for our turn to ride the elevator going to 45th floor

We went to a restaurant in Shinjuku afterwards, and had another round of hotpot. There was also a buffet which had Korean and Japanese cuisine. I was so thrilled to see Japanese curry and kimchi there so even if these did not seem to be fit to pair with hotpot, I still grabbed a few servings.

A few of us decided to stay behind after dinner so that we could do some late night shopping in the area. Shops visited were BIC Camera, Uniqlo, and MatsuKiyo (famous drugstore Matsumoto Kiyoshi). I splurged at MatsuKiyo and bought items like Shiseido Perfect Whip Facial Foam, Sahada Shizuku Pack Gel, CURE Natural Aqua Gel, Liese Bubble Hair Color, Curel Intensive Moisture Cream, Shiseido Eyelash Curler, Hada Labo Gokujyun Light Lotion (which is actually their term for ‘toner’).

Called it a night after MatsuKiyo shopping as the next day would start early.