If there’s one thing that Japan is famous for it’s Mount Fuji¹, which, despite its name, is actually a volcano. That meant that it had to be on the itinerary when on my first trip to Japan.

In order to get the best view I went to Kawaguchiko, which sits between Kawaguchiko lake to its north and Fuji-san to its south. When I first arrived I couldn’t see the mountain as it was covered in mist. I quickly found the lake instead.

October is out of climbing season so I couldn’t very easily get to the top of Mount Fuji, so I decided instead to cycle around the nearby lake.

The last two images show views either side of a busy road bridge that bisects the lake. I’ve seen uglier bridges but I didn’t have a huge urge to take many pictures of it…

The Japanese obsession with cute extends even to the boats, many of which were shaped like furry animals including a panda. I’m not sure how many of those animals are either native to Japan or, more importantly, good in water.

You’ll note that I’ve been talking a lot about the lake and not very much about the mountain I came to see. There’s a reason for that. This is the best view of Mount Fuji that I got the whole time I was in the area.

Not as spectacular as some of the more famous pictures of the area but clear enough that I now believe that there’s a mountain there! Until a few minutes before that I thought the five lakes were on a vast, flat plain…

Almost as a consolation there was a very beautiful sunset. When the lighting can make a supermarket look attractive you know you’re onto a winner.

After Mount Fuji I headed inland to the Japanese Alps, to a city called Matsomoto. That’s what I’ll be writing about next.