November 29, 2014
Today is first day of 3-day Tour of Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and
Nara. I’m picked up at my hotel in Tokyo
at the exact time of 7:55AM, not one minute earlier and not one minute later.
As I make my way outside, its obvious that this is going to be a rainy day. Umbrella caddies take us out to our buses as
I get on with two other tourists. When I
get on board I find that there are about thirty women/children and just two of
us fellows. We are being taken to a centralized
bus depot in central Tokyo, that once we arrived I find it’s a jumping off
point for other tours. While it was
crowded everything seemed to be in order with tables set up for check-in. I received my instructions to board through
gate 3, so I sashayed over and was politely greeted by my driver. He took my red gym bag and stored it neatly
underneath the bus.
Once on board, the mixture of male/female charged a bit more
to 30/70% (m/f). We were to take a drive
of about 2 ½ hours north of Tokyo toward Mt. Fuji. Since it is still raining and the clouds have
a low ceiling, it seems that Mt. Fuji may not be seen. Our guide is a twenty something Japanese lady. The tour information said this particular
tour would be in English. But, there was
to be a problem. She was using a
portable speaker unit at the front of the bus, and she was so soft spoken we
couldn’t hear her heavy Japanese accented English. So, the patrons in the back just enjoyed the
scenery on our way up the mountain. The last hour of the bus trip was up the
very curvy Mt. Fuji mountain roads that had snow along its banks. Several times we had slowed down to maybe
20MPH for the sharp turns and a couple of slick spots.
The scenery was a very beautiful green terrain filled with
what looked like red, green, yellow and gold colored leafed aspen, maple and
ginkgo trees. Also among the trees was the always-present green pine of various
species. The roads were perfectly landscaped as well; with what looked like the
grass leading up to the road was edged.
We finally arrived at our destination, which is the last
outpost called Number 7 on the mountain.
We get off the bus with an expected look at the Mt. Fuji skyline, like
we see in the pictures…nada… too foggy and it is starting now to sleet. We all scurry into the information lodge where
there is the usual tourist trap café and souvenir shop. I find a wing that shows information on the
history and geological make-up of Japan’s signature tourist snap shot. Mt. Fuji is a volcano that is still somewhat
active though there have been no serious eruptions of note in several hundred
years. There are also very old shrines
that still exist on this mountaintop, some as old as 400 years. But, they are about a 5-minute walk from the
information building. But instead, all
the bus patrons are scurrying to get back on the bus since it is now snowing
with sleet and its very windy. We travel another 20 minutes back down the
mountain and stop for lunch at a restaurant that is advertised to view Mt. Fuji
whilst having lunch. Nada, no, no way.
We are lucky to see across the parking lot due to the increase fog,
along with now it’s raining.
After our Japanese based lunch, we continue down the
mountain. The clouds are actually
breaking up enough that one can see blue skies. We continue down the mountain to a place
called Lake Ashi which is part of the Hakone National Park, where we are to
ride on a pirate ship around the lake.
Nada, no, no way. The pirates
apparently do not like the sleeting cold rain, so we take a mini hydrofoil with
with just regular sea worthy uniformed mates.
The cruise is actually pretty nice with the low clouds in and out of the
mountaintops and along the river banks.
All of the suddenly people start scurrying to the right side of the
boat, is that the stern or the bow? What has appeared is a partial view of Mt.
Fuji as cameras/videos are working feverishly to get pictures in before the
clouds move back in. Well the clouds
came back and no more Fuji looks. We
disembark at the other end of the lake at a resort area, that looks like
something right out of the Catskills in New York.
From there we take up with the Hakone Ropeway. This could also be referred to as a ski lift
tram. The enclosed structure keeps us
high and dry as we move up the mountain again.
This was to be another vista for seeing Ft. Fuji and the lake below
us. Nada, no, no way. The fog is really thick at the top along with
an odor that reminded me the paper mills we use to drive by in Ohio. On the side of this mountain are geysers,
like the ones you would see in Yellowstone National Park. Except in this case they are spewing a strong
sulfur smell that is exasperated by the low clouds that are keeping the toxic
smell at the top of the mountain vista point.
Luckily we are behind schedule so we spend very little time on this
mountaintop. We now have a ride back
down the mountain on our ropeway. Nada,
no, no way. The tour bus has actually
ventured up the mountain and is ready to pick us up on our trek back down the
mountain.
The trip back down obviously doesn’t take as long as the way
up. We arrive at a quaint town, Odawara,
where we are to pick up the bullet train to Nagoya and transfer on to Kyoto.
Before we get to the train station the bus makes an unannounced stop. When we
get outside, there is a nice clear look at Mt. Fuji, though it is at a greater
distance that being right at its base.
At this point, I’ll take this view.
It is only ten more minutes to the train station, but we are
running a bit behind, maybe ten minutes, but our guide is in a panic, though
the train doesn’t leave for another 30 minutes.
It is if she gets paid a bonus for on time arrivals. We are at the station and we are literally
hurried through the entrance gates and are standing on the train platform with
ten minutes to spare.
Up the tracks comes in view a vehicle that looks like
something out of a Star Wars movie. This
is my first experience seeing a bullet train and it is quite a sight seeing
this shiny white tubular shaped object come rolling up to our platform. All aboard.
We are hurried escorted on the train by our guide who is apparently
handing us off to the next guide that will meet us in Nagoya, about two-thirds
the way to Kyoto. The train has only
stopped for no more than 2 minutes and we are off and running. I notice my sinuses tightening up, since the
bullet trains pressurize the cars to make it a smoother ride for the
passengers. Man, this thing really moves
out. I was hoping to film the speed like
I did on my trip to Paris from Amsterdam, but it has gotten dark. We arrive, on time, to Nagoya where another
of the tour’s guides meets us, who simply takes us to the next gate where 15
minutes later the bullet train to Kyoto arrives. The same sleek look but this one is a light
beige. The guide makes sure we are all
aboard, since the train only stops for 2 minutes. He does tell us someone will meet us on the
other end of the line, which Kyoto is the end of the line for this train. We arrive in Kyoto at about 10PM and the
station is a monstrous building with a grey glass and steel design. I’m too tired and still a bit under the
weather to check out the place, maybe later.
A friendly gentleman meets us at the train platform that
gives up a smile and a bow then has us walking briskly across the street to our
hotel, The New Miyako. We check-in and
the desk clerk has everything in line and it takes us no more that 60 seconds
to get on my way up the elevator to room 758.
The room has two beds and they are small. My feet kept sticking out the end of the
thick down comforter during the night. The bathroom is another one of those
toilet seats with a bunch of whistles and bells. Except this one is different. I go to have a seat on my royal throne and as
soon as my skin his the seat its warm.
Seems these gizmos have a heater as well. “Isn’t that special”. Another full day of travel, but I think I
seriously have bronchitis.
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