So today it was an early start to go and visit the area around Mount Fuji. As it's not climbing season there isn't much point going to the mountain itself, but there are plenty of the surrounding areas that are worth a visit. I decided to head out to the Fuji Five Lakes area; specifically Kawaguchiko.
This involved catching an early limited express service for Otsuki (the 'u' is silent, it appears) and then a local service on one of the private lines to Kawaguchiko. The limited express is pretty much what a rail traveller would expect. The journey itself seems to spend the first half hour trying to escape the suburbs of Tokyo; but suddenly you find yourself climbing into more rural areas. There was quite a bit of low cloud this morning, so we were passing valleys with whisps of cloud sat in them. Probably the best view on the train is enjoyed by the one person who should be looking at it least - the driver. The Azuso trains are one of a number in Japan where the driver's cab is mounted in a pod on the roof. This means he has a good view of what's coming ahead and probably a full 180 degrees from left to right; but he probably also gets to see the best view (its probably a bit like airline pilots and sunrise/set over cities when they're coming in to land - a thought I had on my flight in as we were approaching Tokyo just as the sun was finally setting.) I don't think you can see Mt Fuji from the train, but nonetheless it is a wonderfully picturesque bit of railway line.
From Otsuki I had to transfer to the Fujikyu Line. As this is a private line (i.e. not owned by JR) my rail pass is not valid so I have to pay to use. It's only a 24-ish km line, but they charge a staggering 1110 yen EACH WAY! (Approx £10 at the moment.) I do wonder if there is a record for the most expensive private line per km - this is proabably a contender! They have quite a mix of rolling stock including scenic cars (again driver's head above the roof, but this time there are seats in the nose with big panoramic windows,) "heritage" units, modern commuter trains, older commuter trains; and they even have one of their older commuter trains advertising Thomas Land - a theme park somewhere (I assume) dedicated to Thomas the Tank Engine. I'm please, or embarrassed, I'm not sure which, to say that my return journey was done on Thomas Land!
So when you get to Kawaguchiko there are 2 "retro" bus lines. Retro is a bit of a fake term - they seem to be normal minibuses which have had body kits added to make them look old. They are also quite small which means there was a bit of a crush on the bus I did use, or there were long queues waiting for the next bus; which was not a good thing given one line only ran every hour! The system is also a bit confusing. Most websites tell you you can get a pass which covers either one or both of the routes and you can then just hop on and off for 2 days. However, when I boarded the bus the driver just told me that you paid a fare as you got off. In the end this worked out for the best as I only used the one bus, and it didn't cost as much as a pass would have done. So I took the bus around to the northern shore of Lake Kawaguchiko and had a leisurely walk back to the town. This shore gives you views of Mt Fuji overlooking the town. Unfortunately, shortly after I arrived the weather decided to turn and most of the mountain was enveloped in cloud except for the odd moment when it became visible, so quick photos were taken. Because it was also quite windy the water on the lake was fairly choppy so no good reflections.
One of the best things about visiting at this time of year is the variety of colours in the trees. They range from deep green through various lighter shades into yellow and finally into a deep red. In places the contrast is quite striking, and if you have the right light would make some lovely photos. I did take a few but in the light I had it was difficult to tell from the camera's LCD how they turned out. Will see what I can do with them once I get back to the Secret Location.
I had also wanted to visit a couple of the caves that had been created by the lava flows when Mt Fuji had erupted in the past. Unfortunately, the bus situation didn't really give me confidence I'd be able to get there and back before the last bus (around 4pm). As a word of advice, I would advise that the best way to tackle this area may well be to get the train from Tokyo (assuming that's where you're starting) to Otsuki and then hire a car to cover the area yourself. The road seem fairly decent with major roads being the norm. Only downside is that any walking you did you'd have to retrace your steps to get back to your car.
Anyway, given the 2 early starts (alarm this morning went off at 5am) I think tomorrow may well be a very quiet day, so don't expect much in the way of an update. Then it's off to Kyoto!