11/7/06 ~ Mt. Fuji

On the Rio: Phil Lesh & Friends ~ Below Radar, 2/12/05 Bill Graham Civic Center, San Francisco

I got picked up from the hotel and taken to the bus depot where I boarded a tour bus for the 2 hour drive to Mt. Fuji. Here is a picture of the bus, which is the same as the airport route buses.

Our first stop was the Visitor Center of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. This gives a nice layout of the area.

Inside the Visitor Center is a display of folk stories relating to the mountain. Note how the characteres used to write Japanese are identical to Chinese characters, but they do not have the same meaning, nor is the sentence structure the same. Also, the Chinese read left to right, not vertically.

There are 10 stations on Mt. Fuji, and vehicles are able to drive up to station 5, which is 2305 meters. There is always snow on top. It is the highest mountain in Japan. Here is a picture as we approached.

Even if it is cloudy, the statue will point you in the right direction.

But Lucky Laurie strikes again and all the clouds dispersed once we reached the 5th Station. Here is the top of Mt. Fuji.

Hungry anyone? This is the outdoor vendor selling such delicacies as mystery meat on a stick, corn on the cob and Hot Dogs.

Here is the gift shop. Bargaining over prices is not an option, where as in China it is expected.

I bought 2 items, for a staggering $48. No, not worth it, but when will I ever go to Mt. Fuji again? I bought an ashtray...with a hole near the peak so you can put a cigarette in it and it will look like a live volcano (Mt. Fuji has not erupted in over 300 years)...

and a vase. Metal engravings from Japan are created by the ancient art of Chokin. Gilded with gold and silver, the engravings were originally created to decorate the armament of the SAMURAI warriers.