Time to go back to Japan! After experiencing Japan in the depths of winter in February we wanted to visit in the height of summer. Not just for the fun of it, but in celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary and to relive our honeymoon back in 2013. We were flying from Heathrow in England … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 1: Arriving in Japan
We had an early flight, 9:35am, out of Haneda airport, and stayed nearby at Hotel JAL City Haneda as they have a free shuttled service that will get you to the airport in the early hours. Before sitting on a plane for 14 hours we explored the area around the hotel, and visited the nearby … Continue reading Japan Winter 2023 Day 22: Flying home
After the cloudy day yesterday the weather report said the morning would be cloudy too, but when I woke up the sky was completely clear, and Mount Fuji was covered in snow! I was so happy!!! I practically ran to the lake with my camera and tripod as I didn't want to miss it. It … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 21: Surprise snow & Mount Fuji for sunrise
It was another day of some peculiar clouds, Mount Fuji really does cause the weather around Kawaguchiko to be so interesting. Instead of heading up the mountain we went for a walk along the lake shore, and enjoyed the fresh morning. We also got to see the local cats playing along the canals, they are … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 20: Attempting to climb Mount Fuji
It was a rather underwhelming sunrise and so we didn't venture out of the house until after the sun rose, quite unusual for our time in Kawaguchiko historically. Once Fuji was clear and the sun was up the sky was very interesting, with lenticular clouds having been swept from Fuji to the east. It was … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 19: Interesting clouds & fireworks
We agreed that if the weather was clear again we would head off and try to summit Mitsutoge early, and so we made it and parked the car by 6:30am, not long after sunrise. In the warmer months, there is a car park further up the mountain road, but this is closed from when the … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 18: Climbing Mitsutoge
One thing I was keen to experience on our winter trip was red Fuji, which I knew was common in winter. Supposedly one of the best spots for red Fuji, and mirror Fuji, is on the northern shore of Yamanakako, the largest of the five lakes. We arrived at Nagaike Water Park by 6 a.m. … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 17: An icy ascent to Fuji Twin Terrace
We left our cozy shipping container just after 5:30am in order to drive back up the mountain to the same spot as yesterday, Tenka Chaya. This morning we were in luck, Fuji was completely clear, and got to experience some red (pink perhaps) Fuji as well! After watching the sunrise we decided to explore and … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 16: Mount Fuji says hello
It was a cloudy start to the day when we woke up at 5am, but were hopeful that if we gained altitude we would be able to see views of Fuji with a sea of clouds covering Kawaguchiko. We drove up to Tenka Chaya, one of my favourite spots in the mountains with views of … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 15: Clouds & Fireworks in Kawaguchiko
We had a 200-mile journey to our final destination of the day, Kawaguchiko, but we didn't want to leave Inuyama without getting a proper look at the castle and the grounds. We left the moldy hotel as soon as we could, headed out towards the castle park, and waited for it to open at 9 … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 14: Aichi to Kawaguchiko
My Nihon 