I was lucky to have a long weekend break and so I went with my new friends Chloe and Holly up to Lake Motosuko near Mt. Fuji. We went with part of a larger group of church friends and families from my school. Chloe was able to secure us a tiny cabin that we stayed in. We had a small fridge and stove and complete bathroom. There was a small room with two bunk beds and the thin mattresses provided did little to provide cushioning but I was glad to be in the cabin and not in a tent.
The lake was really nice. The water was very clean and clear and there were a lot of coy fish that you could see right near the shore. The water wasn't too cold either. I tried wading a bit but the rocks were super uncomfortable to walk on. I had left my rafting sandals at the cabin so I didn't spend too much time walking in the water.
There were a number of small mountains and hills all around. Lake Motosuko is one of five lakes that are around the Mt Fuji area. The view of the mountain from the lake was really nice. This first pic is just one of the smaller mountains in the area. The second is the view of Mt. Fuji from the lake.
There was this yellow boat submarine thing that you could ride to the other side of the lake and back. It had a glass floor that you could look through to see all the fish in the lake. I opted to not take the ride. A bit too hokey for my taste.
I did try to row a boat and I sucked at it. I went it alone and had a hard time with the oars. I was trying to think about the last time I had rowed a boat and I think it was in 3rd or 4th grade at camp Namanu.
Hanging out at the campfire with Holly and Chloe. Our friend Carolyn provided us with some tin foil dinners our first night and we were able to make some smores as well.
Sunday morning I hiked a trail with my friend Fumiko and her husband and kids. It was a fairly easy uphill hike and at the top you were supposed to be able to see the mountain but there were too many clouds that rolled in so I only was able to get a shot of the very top of it peeking out.
That night we made banana boats at the campfire which I hadn't done in years. I loved banana boats as a kid and was happy to make and eat one after so many years. After eating we headed off to an Onsen. My experience at the Onsen is in my next post so feel free to check that out.
Overall it was a nice weekend. It was nice to be outside of Tokyo and surrounded by nature. I read and finished The Maze Runner while away and it was great to have time to read a book all at once. It was nice to be more casual with people and to also get to know people better too. I feel a bit lonely here at times so I was glad to be able to work on developing some more friendships with people during the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment