I go to a very awesome university here in Japan. Why is it awesome? They arranged a trip to go see Mt. Fuji! A group of about fifteen students, most of them fellow foreigners but a few Japanese students as well, and one faculty member went this February to go see the most famous landmark of Japan. It was a two day, one night trip, and we got there by bus. A very nice bus, by the way.
We left Thursday morning from the train station where we all met up and in about an hour, Mt. Fuji was right in front of us. And it’s not until you see in person that you realize just how beautiful and BIG it is. As we traveled further north, there was actually a tiny bit of snow on the ground. (I do say “tiny” because I’m used to my Michigan standards of waist-deep snow.) Some of my friends were overjoyed to see the snow; I was more or less indifferent. I did kind of miss walking in it, though.
We stopped at this town near the bottom of the mountain. It was probably the nadir of tourist season, since Mt. Fuji is only climbable in the summer, and there was lots of construction going on. But even in the cold, dirty February weather, the scenery was beautiful. It really makes me want to go visit during warmer weather. There were a number of lakes and springs, and they marvelous thing about them was how clean they were. It was absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking to look into a pool, eight meters deep, and be able to see all the way to the bottom.
We had a delicious Japanese lunch, where we all sat around an open grill in the floor where we were able to roast our food on sticks. It was toasty warm, and the food was excellent. I was able to try several new foods, like houtou, a Japanese stew with noodles and vegetables, a kind of roasted fish, and konjac. The fish was different as I do not usually eat foods where I can still see the head of the creature. It also reminded me of the time in high school when I had to dissect a fish, and I shared the story about how I found something that was either the heart, the stomach or the gall bladder. I was asked to not continue with said story. After navigating how to eat the fish off the bones (it’s kind of like sliding it off) I found it to be very delicious and salty.
As for the konjac, it took a while to even identify what it was. The Japanese students knew what it was, but didn’t know what it was called in English. I had never even seen it before, and was baffled as to whether it was a plant, beast, fish or alien. Thankfully, my phone has internet capabilities and I was able to do a quick search for identification. It turns out it’s also called, “snake palm,” and, “elephant yam,” and my favorite, “devil’s tongue.”
It tasted awful, by the way. But I’m happy to have tried it!
Another thing we were able to see was a museum of Itchiku Kuboku’s landscape kimonos. These beautiful works of art are silk kimonos with amazing scenes of nature painted on their backs. They were absolutely gorgeous and I recommend Googling for them, as they are just gorgeous.
When we got to our hotel, many of us went to the onsen, or hot spring. In Japan, they have public baths fed by hot spring water. Being able to relax in hot water is seen as being good for your health, and let me tell you, it sure felt amazing. Now with the name public bath, that does imply some communal nudity will be happening. The baths were separated by sex, though, and after the initial disrobing and slight rush to get to your little shower stall (you wash yourself before you go share the communal baths) the embarrassment kind of went away. Really, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, you know?
After soaking and enjoying the wonderful water and view of Mt. Fuji from the open air bath, we dressed in comfy yukata, lightweight kimonos, and went to dinner. Dinner was again delicious Japanese cuisine, and we were able to entertain each other with karaoke. I surprised myself by actually singing two songs, and one duet with a friend. (A Whole New World was the song, by the way. I was Jasmine.)
After dinner we took another dip in the baths. Afterwards, I was starting to feel the exhaustion from the day’s activities set in, so I headed back to my room with the other girls. The hotel was Japanese ryokan style, and we slept on the floor in futons set up by the maids. I was surprised by how comfy it was, and slept pretty well.
It was really the chance of a lifetime, and I’m ever grateful to my school for giving us the opportunity to go. Mt. Fuji is a beautiful place, and I will hopefully always remember the awe I felt when I got to see it for the first time, up close and in person.
Editor: Katelyn Kivel