Mt Fuji

In Mid-August we went to Fujikawaguchiko, which is a little town below Mt. Fuji, in the five lakes area.  Carol really wanted to stay near Mt. Fuji so we found a house that would hold all nine of us and stayed in the area for a few days.  It worked out well for us because Eli was allowed to start putting weight on his foot the day before our trip, which meant he also was able to bend his knee.  I had worried that if he wasn't able to bend his knee yet we wouldn't be able to go because there wasn't enough room in the van for him to have his leg straight with all of us and our bags.  It worked out well and he was able to sit in the van for the drive without too much discomfort.  Isaac sprained his ankle the week before so we were a pretty sad group but we decided to go anyway.  Our first stop was Hakone, a ski town to the East of Mt. Fuji.  We found an Onsen that allowed us to wear swim suits and was kind of like a water park.  We met Steve and Carol there and ate a picnic lunch outside before going inside.  Again, I worried about the boys and their crutches but they were such good sports.  There were different areas with one big pool like onsen which was quite crowded.  Inside they also had a foot onsen with fish that ate the dead skin off your feet and then a few little ones with sake, coffee, green tea, and wine.  They also had a little aroma room that was kind of like a sauna but not as hot and had essential oils perfuming the room.  We figured that since we weren't drinking the sake, tea, coffee, or wine, it wasn't a big deal if we sat in it.  Outside they had a little water play area, some slides, a little cave onsen with some aquariums, and a real onsen overlooking the mountains.  That was my favorite part.  It was quiet and beautiful and not as crowded.  The boys stayed in that area for most of the day and then I convinced them to go into the fish onsen.  This first day was hard on the boys.  Their poor bodies were exhausted when we finally left to find the rental.

The place we rented had a view of Mt. Fuji out of the windows, something Carol loved.  Mt. Fuji is often hard to see.  It rains so much here and there is a lot of haze from all the humidity so you have to wait for really clear days to see it.  We were lucky that the first day was clear and the following morning as well.  By the second day clouds rolled in and covered much of Mt. Fuji and then the third day it was rainy so you couldn't see it at all.  I was really grateful that it stayed clear enough for Carol to get to see Mt. Fuji.

The second day we headed up on a gondola lift to see both Fuji and the lakes surrounding.  It was a long line but the line went fairly quickly.  We had Isaac and Eli wait in the van until we got up to the stairs and then had them join us.  They had to go up the three flights of stairs after that and then when the lift got us to the top they just sat on some benches while the rest of us went exploring a little ways higher on the mountain.  When we joined them again we got everyone an ice cream cone before heading back down.  We ate lunch at the rental house and then left the boys at the rest of us went to find the Suicide Forest.  It was beautiful and quiet and we hardly passed anyone on our short hike.  None of the pictures I took did it justice.  The Suicide Forest is, sadly, known as the suicide forest because so many people come there to commit suicide.  I thought it would creep us all out but actually, it just felt really peaceful and oddly, I guess it felt kind of sacred to me thinking of all the tormented people coming to this forest.  I guess I felt like there was sacredness in the suffering.  On the way back to the van after our hike we decided that we needed to try more ice cream because they were selling corn ice cream and that seemed like something we shouldn't pass up.  It was so gross.  It tasted exactly like creamed corn in frozen form and they even provided a salt shaker to salt your corn ice cream.  Between the seven us we couldn't finish the one ice cream cone.

On the final day we decided to go to Oishi Park.  Oishi Park was at one of of the lake in the area, I can't remember which one.  It had a little park area for Felicity to play at and some benches for Isaac and Eli.  The rest of us went for a little walk along the water and then walked around the flower gardens.  It was stunning (the Japanese do gardens so well)!  Just as we were finishing up the gardens it started to pour so I had to run back to the park and grab the rest of the kids and help them get to the van.  We drove around to find Moose Burgers but they were completely full with an hour wait so we did a quick google search and found another diner that thankfully was completely empty.  It was really quirky but the food wasn't bad.  Most hamburgers we have tried here are a meatloaf texture.  I don't mind it but it is different than what we are used to. The diner was decorated in American posters and American trinkets.  It was interesting to see America through their eyes.  After lunch we gave hugs and said our goodbyes to Steve and Carol and headed home.  It was a quick trip and I know it wasn't easy for the two boys but I'm really glad we didn't cancel it.