Almost like she was apologising, when we woke up Mount Fuji was completely visible! This is so unlikely in the summer, but I was so hopeful we’d get at least one morning when the waether was clear. I got ready in absolute record time and was out of the house on the way to Oishi Park. I know how quickly visibility can be lost, so we went to the closest place with a good view, and easy parking.

It was absolutely worth it. The clear sky was also still, and the lake was calm. There were a few people around, but we were easily able to walk along the edge of the lake and take some photos of Fuji and the reflection. We only stayed at Oishi Park for around 10 minutes before we were on the road again, our aim, the secret spot!

On the road up to the secret spot, we stopped off at the Mount Fuji viewing platform, a layby on the 137. Here there is a good amount of space for parking, as well as a wooden platform you climb up to to take photos. I think this is a great spot, definitely stop over if you are driving past. Back on the road we drove right down from Mitsutogeyamaguchi and rushed our way to the secret spot.

That morning was another photographer already there, sat on a camping chair with a heavy-duty tripod. We said good morning in Japanese and were promptly ignored. We stayed here for quite some time, watching the sunlight move across the mountains until the whole area was bright. Wanting to make the most of the good weather, we drove back up the sketchy mountain road and parked opposite Tenka Chaya, one of our all-time favourite spots.

I have taken photos here many times before, in winter and autumn, but the summer trees really made it such a bright spot to shoot from. With four amazing photo spots visited in two hours, we decided to quickly stop back at our home to pick up some food before heading out again. This is when our luck ran out, and Mount Fuji promptly disappeared from the sky. Not to be ungrateful, we were so lucky to get a few clear hours and to have had some great opportunities to see summer Fuji.

As Fuji was off the menu we decided to visit a local tourist spot that we had somehow never visited in our 7 times in the area: Iyashi no Sato Nemba. Iyashi no Sato is on the western edge of Lake Sai, and is a reconstructed traditional Japanese village full of thatched houses. We arrived just as they opened for the day, so there were only a handful of other people making their way around.

With so much history in Japan I rarely make time to visit reconstructions, and after seeing a number of cultural hertige properties such as Shirakawago I didn’t have high expectations for a rebuilt village. The village also has a rich, and sad, history. In 1966 following a bad year of typhoons, a landslide came down from the mountain, destroying the village. Instead of rebuilding, those who survived all moved together and set up a new settlement on the southern shore of Shoji.

Many people visit to be able to wear traditional dress and get beautiful photos with Mount Fuji and the thatched villages. What I really enjoyed about the place was the number of different craft stores in each building, with some incredible artisans displaying their work. One real stand out is a rock sculptor, if you buy a piece it comes with a QR code that links you to the exact origin of the stone! We spent about two hours wandering around, before setting off again, to find a instagram spot.

We drove to Motosuko, the western most of the Fuji 5 lakes. I’ve never visited this side of the lake before, and it was water sports central. So many converted vans, SUP boards, and inflatables filled the car park. What I was looking for was a spot I had seen on Instagram that seemed to be a train track going into the lake, very Studio Ghibli! The reality was a little different, although it certainy seems like train tracks, it is some sort of boat lauching set up, and definitely nothing to do with a train haha, still looks good in photos though!

Our next stop was to revisit the stunning Aokigahara, the sea of trees. Unfortunately, this place has a negative image internationally, but is an absolutely fascinating ecosystem. A forest of evergreen trees grown on 800+ year old lava beds, the floor undulates and is alive with nature. We parked up the Wind Cave shop a did a short circular route through the forest, I’d strongly recommend a visit, there is nothing else like it.

By this point in the day we were running out of energy, and it was such a hot and sunny day, we decided to head to the supermarket for supplies and get back to our home. We watched a lot of TV and did some laundry, and just before the sun set Mount Fuji was suddenly clear again.

I never understood how quickly clouds formed until I spent so much time around Fuji, I set up a time lapse to capture this phenomenon.

As the sky was clear, after dark we decided to head out to Oishi Park to try and get some night shots. Unsurprisingly this usually bustling tourist spot was completely empty after dark, so we parked up, got the tripod out… and Mount Fuji completely disappeared haha! So as we waited to see if the sky cleared, by torchlight, we started chasing each other around the car park. Why? No idea haha, perhaps some remnant of the altitude sickness had rotted our brains, but it was hilarious trying to run when our legs were so stiff! Well, it was hilarious until the Police turned up! Luckily, once they drove up to us and saw the tripod that everything was fine, they drove off again. It must have looked quite odd to see two torches chasing each other through the darkness! Suspicious too!

Once we were back home Mount Fuji popped back out again, and we could see all of the huts that we had passed the day before, while cozy in our house.