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
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 made a very early start that morning in Takayama in hopes of getting clear shots of the old district. We certainly achieved a lack of people, but prior to 9 a.m. cars are allowed on the streets, which took away from the traditional look of things. To make up for it we stumbled upon … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 13: Takayama to Inuyama
It was possibly the coldest morning of our whole trip, at -10°C and our little car was completely frozen up. The doors wouldn't open, and the windows were covered in thick frost. The previous cars we rented in Hokkaido and Tohoku came with snow and ice tools, but the Tokyo office provided no such thing. … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter day 12: Shirakawago & Hida Folk Village
We woke up early to a snow-dusted Nagano City as we wanted to get a good start on our hour drive to one of the places I was most looking forward to on our winter trip. Before heading off we had a walk around Nagano and found a series of very intriguing statues along the … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 11: Togakushi Shrine Nagano, the snowiest hike
It was time to get back on the road and we had rented from Nippon Rent a Car for the first time. We were staying near Tokyo station so I booked from the Tokyo Station Yaesu South Exit branch, which was in the basement parking structure underneath the station. The Google reviews had said it … Continue reading Japan 2023 Winter Day 10: Tokyo to Nagano – Daruma & Snow
My Nihon 