Thursday, April 29, 2010

Kawaguchiko



We reached Kawaguchiko around 2.30 pm and it was drizzling.......I tried to see if there was a glimpse of Fuji-san at the train station but there was none....so is it another superimposed picture of Fuji San or it is due to the rain!?......am I going to be lucky enough to see it???? aaaa too many questions and no answers.....but first thing first.....food....^^ and true enough....there it was...the Houtou restaurant....!

When inside, had a big bowl of houtou noodles and when we went out.....it still raining. As we are so full, we decided to walk to the hostel.
Early the next morning, the sun was up, the weather was perfect....I had my finger crossed....mieru ka na!??

Stepped out from the hostel....which side is Fuji San??? Mieru ka na???.....Internet no jyoho ga hontou ka na?!

We walked in the direction of the train station....and suddenly....voila....there it is....as big as a mountain (which is of course it is).....FUJI SAN.....^^......SUGOI! Our camera started clicking.....and here's Fuji san from every angle...they said whoever saw Fuji san is lucky and I guess we were ^^












Reflection of Fuji san !!














I wanted to see whether what they says in the internet is true or not....that you can see Fuji San clearly at the train station....and we slowly made our ways there.....a few more snaps along the way...














A unique symbol that we found on the way...there seems to be some story behind it.

Reached Kawaguchiko Station.....and there it is...in its splendor....Fuji San....exactlylike all the review said....I WAS HAPPY ^^














Kawaguchiko seems to be symbolic with fairies...here's one.....

After buying our highway bus ticket for the next day journey to Shinjuku and purchasing our package ticket (tourist bus + boat ride + Mt kachi kachi ropeway), off we go to enjoy the day!

First stop was the ropeway......there's a story about a rabbit and a badger for the ropeway....














I think we were among the first few groups that used the ropeway that day...once we reached the top.....waaaaa.....the view is totally awesome! Its indescribable....lake kawaguchi is sooooo beautiful.....















By the time we reached the top...dark clouds has moved in and block Fuji San from views.... aaa...zannen desuga shoganain da!

We with other tourists waited for the cloud to moved but it doesn't seems to listen to our wishes....:(

So I snapped a few pictures of the rabbit and the badger......

They cute, aren't they????? Here's my sis and eija....it was windy and cold.

After waiting for more than an hour, we decided we had enough.....and descended the mt....
An area maps of kawaguchi lake......next destination in our agenda was the boat ride....








Again we were dissapointed because we can't see Fuji san due to the big clouds.....as everybody were hungry...we decided to take our branch at this restaurant.....
Once we had our stomach full....and a little time spend for souvenir hunting....we waited for the bus to go to our next viewing point....and yet again...we were let down by Fuji san.....:(

There was a walking trail to Oishi Park but my hime sama doesn't seems keen to go on this trail....so we decided to wait for the next bus......

While waiting, suddenly a few cars stopped at the opposite side of the street and a few ojisan with their tripode spilled out from these cars.....oh dear...don't make us the reason for their dissapointment!? You know, with us being there might gave them the wrong impression that Fuji San was going to show itself...me and my fantasy .....hahahaha....these people seems to be local folks there and were more expert about the weather than us!? Hahahahaha.......

A tunnel leading to further up to the surrounding areas of kawaguchi lake......





Finally, the bus was there and off we go for the next destination that is Oishi Park......
Oishi Park is famous for its raspberry....my hime sama had raspberry ice-cream while I had ice-coffee....^^












A few people were already there waiting to catch a glimpse of Fuji San...so we decided to join the waiting game again....hehehehe ^^






Fuji san still acting shy ....keeping the cloud at the top level...only the lower part was slightly visible...
























After playing the waiting game again and got dissapointed again...at around 3.30 pm, all of us decided to go back to the hostel...my hime sama decided to take bus back while me and my sis decided to try the walking trails.....so off we go.. separately......I was actually felt relief....now I can slowly enjoy the walk ^^











Here's some of the pictures that we took while on the walking trail and I was glad I took the trail....I got to see Fuji san in all its grandeur once again...and got to capture a few snaps just like the ones we saw on postcard....^^

































































Sunset over kawaguchi lake!






It was a long walk but a worthy one..and I had fun......by the time we got back to the hostel, it was already dark....had our dinner, shower and then its time for our rest ....:)

For kawaguchiko, I would suggest that walking trail more than the bus ride...you can either walk or rent a bicycle...the trail is perfectly path for both medium.....and the sceneries are totally awesome! You got to truly enjoyed the splendour and grandeur of Fuji San.....I know I did ^^

Early the next morning, with a few hours to spare, me and my sis went for a short walk near the lake area.......












When back to the hostel....took our luggage to the van and off we go to kawaguchiko station to catch the bus to Shinjuku....our departing day was cloudy and we can hardly see Fuji san...luckily we saw it the day before ^^ so we left with a good memories of Fuji San.....
I like here better than Hakone...and hope to be back sometime soon!!!