I just thought I'd go ahead and get that off my chest.
Shinjuku and Shin-Ookuba were fun on Saturday, don't get me wrong [I bought a new scarf huzzah!], but my trip on Sunday trumped it several times over, just because of the sheer tradition of it all.
But, I'll go over Saturday, as well. I did wind up spending a bit of money--it's Tokyo, after all. It's relatively fortunate that the exchange rate has gone back up, at least for the time being. I'd drawn out enough money to cover my expenses for Saturday and Sunday while the exchange rate was at 80 yen to the dollar, as opposed to the 77 it had dropped to over the summer.
Oh dear. I just got some frustrating news and can't remember what I was writing about. Let's see...
Oh!
Right. I met my friend in Shin-Okubo, a part of Shinjuku at about noon on Saturday. We proceeded to wander around the area's Korean town, picking up lunch along the way. I forgot my camera, so I'm sorry--no pictures of Saturday. Wasn't much to take pictures of, though--didn't do anything really brand-new and exciting. I did enjoy Korea Town quite a bit, though. I like Korean culture, too, you see, so the food and experience there was lovely. Afterwards, though, we walked to Shinjuku and went into an arcade. We played around for a while before giving up and wandering around, window shopping and having tea and coffee and the like.
And pasta for dinner, which was incredibly delicious.
So, that's Saturday in a nutshell. Nothing too different from anything I've had the opportunity of before.
But Sunday, oh my. Sunday.
Granted, I had to get up at 6:10 AM in order to leave on time, but it was so worth it.
I met up with the group going who also lived in the dormitory at 6:30 AM, and we went to the convenient store to buy breakfast and the like. I also bought a spare set of batteries, which, as it turned out, was a wise investment. Afterwards, we all hopped on the train and were off. Where we stopped to transfer trains was completely out in the boondocks, and it was quaint and lovely.
This was the adorable little station that we walked to from the first one.
It was so far out in the country that I couldn't even use the train card that we use in the city.
I had to buy an actual ticket.
It was incredibly charming. Happy I had the money on me.
Some of the scenery.
The station.
Station name.
And I looked up.
And lo and behold, Fuji was visible from the clouds.
It was cloudy and overcast, and the forecast said that it would start to rain, so I thought ahead and packed my umbrella. After we got on to the next train, we were on our way to Gotemba, one of the closer cities to Mt Fuji. And along the train, the mountain became more and more apparent.
Oh, look!
I see you!
Just a bridge. Thought it was interesting enough.
Bridge and mountains.
Mountains are the best.
There you are!
Finally, after a while, we got to Gotemba, where we were to meet our Folklore teacher and some volunteers to drive us around.
Firstly, after waiting for the teacher and volunteers to get the rental vans, we headed for the head of all the Asama shrines in the area.
The entry gate.
Some stairs on the inside. It led off into a trail that I explored later on.
The main entryway.
Some of the leaves and how they changed.
The actual shrine.
With a priest!
The water source, I believe, for where they get the water to purify before praying.
Could be mistaken.
For all I know, it could be just a tiny river.
But the water was incredibly clean.
So. I don't know.
Either way, it was lovely.
The view from the path that I showed the stairs of a few pictures back.
Leaving, I took pictures of the trees turning.
This was absolutely breathtaking in real life.
At the shrine, I drew a fortune that was mediocre at best. Said it was the lowest of good luck, but I thing it was bad luck. It told me that my business was going to struggle and that I should work really hard at school or I won't succeed. It also told me, very straightforward and demandingly, to "give up" on love. For those learning or who know Japanese, it told me, very straightforwardly, 「あきらめなさい」. I laughed. That fortune was humourous in a rather painful way, though, so I just went ahead and hung it up for the shrine-god to take back. Hopefully I'll keep the luck from my last fortune. That one was much better.
After the shrine, it was to the halfway point at Mt Fuji. The road to get up there is curved to the point of absolute ridiculousness, and I can't tell if it's supposed to be helpful or a hindrance to those driving it. Granted, if the breaks jammed, you wouldn't have very far to roll down before you hit a tree and were able to stop, but if you're even just a little bit sleepy, those curves would become absurdly difficult. It was also very cold up there, of course.
First picture I took on Mt Fuji.
Oh my.
"On Mt Fuji."
I was on Mt Fuji.
Don't give up on your dreams, kids.
They can come true if you work hard enough.
The halfway marker.
Vending machine items were two times as expensive as they are back on lower ground, and apparently only get more expensive from there.
$3.50 for a soda. Wow.
The restaurant area in the tourist-trap. It was a really charming place.
I... Yeah.
I just thought it was cool. I really like clocks.
The tourist trap.
We got in the car, not expecting to see the peak of the mountain, but then someone looked up, and, sure enough.
Just. Just enjoy that.
I mean, really.
Wow.
We took our photos and headed down (it was cold!), ears popping the entire way. From there, we headed to a village in Oshino that had water that ran from Mount Fuji into an underwater cavern. The water was really clear, and the area around it was slightly traditionally-styled for past-recreation purposes. It was quite charming.
The leaves changing again.
Wasn't quite at it's peak yet, but what had changed already was still stunning.
Fish!
I love fish.
A little watermill and all of that for recreational purposes.
I think they made things from corn or something.
Buckwheat?
I don't know. Something.
Look at how clear it is!
Another picture of the building.
Corn!
And people!
A bridge that must have been there primarily for aesthetic purposes, because you had to go into the store to get to the little area to the left.
I have no idea why.
Perhaps to make you purchase things.
Corn!
Just corn this time, no people!
See? I mean... What is that bridge even there for?
I just thought this was charming.
Grass.
Something that was on sale but I was too cheap to buy.
So I took a picture instead..?
I can imagine how awesome it must taste.
Imagine it with me, would you? I bet it's fabulous.
You could see all the way down to the bottom.
Just a little further down, you could see someone's camera that they had dropped.
Eight meters deep.
A mochi filled with bean paste. Present from our teacher.
... I'd wear it.
We left Oshino, and then we got lunch. A traditional meal for the area, something called "houtou." A noodle soup with vegetables and such in it. It was fantastic, of course. But, we already know that I like food.
Yummy.
From there, it was off to Narusawa Ice Cave, which, I would show you the Wikipedia link to, but they do not have an entry for it for whatever reason. Basically, though, it's an ice cave that has ice in it year-round, as can be expected from its name, I suppose. A long time ago, back when there was still a Shogunate and before refrigerators, people gathered the ice and took it down to where the Shoguns were and gave it to them. A sign of being wealthy and all of that jazz--you could afford ice.
It was really interesting. I only got a couple of photos and I haven't had time to fix the ones I took from the inside, but here are the ones with enough light to see:
Entrance, where you buy your ticket, and the tourist trap of a gift shop.
What used to happen.
They'd get the eyes, take it to Edo (old Tokyo), and give it to those who could afford it.
Exit/entry into the cave. It had started raining by this point, so there weren't so many people there.
An interesting map.
And then, last, but certainly not least, and perfect with the rain and sunset, Aokigahara, an area only second to the Golden Gate Bridge in the US for suicide rates, and full of superstition and mystery.
Potentially because of the high radon levels in the area, there are next to no animals in the area we went into and where the suicides most often happen [I heard one crow way off in the distance], and the radon also potentially drives people to feeling even more depressed then they likely were.
I took some pictures, but I haven't yet quite mustered up the courage to look at the pictures that I took inside of the forest, just because of the gloomy atmosphere it already had. If I'd gone during a bright, warm summer day, I'd probably look at them all day long, but.
I'm a little silly sometimes.
Anyway, I did take some pictures that I was willing to look at, and here you have them:
The one picture I managed to edit that came from inside the forest before I weirded myself out.
I don't mean to be superstitious, I really don't.
I'm sure it's lovely during a warm summer day.
The clouds were smoking!
Wow, that was a lot of pictures. From that point, we returned to Gotemba and then back to Fuchinobe, where I came home and slept.
I haven't really done too much worth mentioning since then. Talked to people, visited friends, been having a few problems with school-related stuff. My grades and such are fine, I'm just having a difficult time with regards to next semester. No worries, though. I'll figure it out.
Anyway, I'd best sign off for now, though--sorry to cut it short. It's getting late and I've still got things to do.
So, I'll update you all next week!
Take care, dears.
-RD
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