Mt Fuji & Hakone 16.07

Kui kõik ausalt ära rääkida, siis see on ainuke päev, mida ma täielikult ei nautinud ja kõik sellepärast, et ma ennast ei usaldanud. Meie reisikava oli suures plaanis koos juba 2019, ainult ühe lahtise päevaga, kus ma kaalusin kahe sihtkoha vahel. Põhimõtteks see, et oleks võimalik Jaapani püha mäge, Mt Fujit näha ja kus oleks midagi veel teha. Viimasel hetkel vaatasin millegipärast Albioni reisikava ja nemad viivad ikka Mt Fuji viiendasse jaama, erinevalt mäe kaugelt imetlemist. Seega vahetasin enda täiesti korraliku plaani Klooki pakutud päevareisi vastu, mille käigus käiakse Fuji viiendas jaamas, Gotemba outlet poodides ja Hakones, kus on plaanis piraadilaev ja funikulöör Owakudani jaama. Kuna Hakone oli üks kahest minu planeeritud linnast tundus see millegipärast hea variandina.

Mt Fuji

Jah, pealtnäha oli teiste korraldatud päevatripp täiesti adekvaatne. Buss startis meie majutusest 400 m kauguselt ja kõigil oli määratud kohad. Jah, ma tean, et liiklust ei saa kontrollida. Juba Tokyost väljasõit venis nagu tigu. Plaani järgi pidime Mt Fuji jaamas olema kell 10 aga siis venisime alles poolel teel. Bussireisi kempsupeatus😶, mille olin suutnud juba unustusehõlma peita (viimati 2012. aastal). Jah, giid oli tore ja korrutas kõike kolm korda, et me ikka aru saaksime. 

Mt Fuji viies jaam. Tee mäkke oli käänuline nagu ikka, et libedaga keegi vabalangusse ei kukuks. Ülesteel saime teada, et mäe jalamile jääb enesetapjate seas populaarne mets. 

Ja siis mägi ise. Võimsaid nähtusi tuleb nimelt kaugelt imetleda, mitte poolde mäkke sõita, kust tipp tundub nagu iga teinegi. Kui just ei taha ise matkata ja poolelt teelt alustada, ei ole mingit mõtet sinna sõita. Korralikku vaadet ka pole. Vähemalt ilm oli ilus. Sõime siis fuji kooki, tegime kohustuslikud pildid ja kobisime tagasi bussi, kus meid ootas ees lõunapakk. See oli reisi ok osa. 

Kuna jõudsime mäkke hiljem, olime korralikult ajakavast maas ja suundusime edasi Gotemba premium outlet poodidesse. Sellest, miks see päevakavas oli, ei saanud ma kohe alguses aru aga minu enda viga, et põhjalikumalt järele ei uurinud. Nii nagu nimi ütleb, brändikaupade outletpood. Brändikaubad, mis ka allahinnatult on üliväga liiga kallid. 

Kuna olime ajakavast maas, tekkis võimalus, et jääme ilma paadisõidust või funikulöörist ja giid tegi bussis hääletuse, kas poodlemine lühemaks teha. Aga ei, pooltele see ei sobinud. Alustades sõitu Hakonesse (ootaks siis, et kõik tunnevad kella) saime kohe teada, et jäime paadisõidule hiljaks aga proovime järgmisele saada.

Paadisõit piraadilaevaga oli täiesti tore. Heh. Paadisõidu ajal märkas ema järves punast torii väravat ja küsis, miks see seal on. Ja mul oli plaanis sõita Itsukushima saarele ainult selleks, et vaadata vees olevat torii väravat😂

Kõige rohkem meeldis mulle funikulöörisõit Owakudani jaama. Owakudani asub vulkaanilises piirkonnas, kus väävligaasid maapinnale jõuavad. Seal saab osta musta värvi mune ja jäätist ning seal on mitmed matkarajad. Aga. Kuna me olime ajakavast maas, siis kohe bussi ja minema. Nagu mida? Bussisõidu ajal vaatlesin kandilisi autosid. Tagasi Tokyos planeeritust kaks tundi hiljem 😑 Ehk siis bussisõidu osakaal kogetuga ei olnud kuidagi tasakaalus. Aga eks aeg-ajalt on selliseid kogemusi vaja. 

Aga õhtusöögiks suss 桜すしs😋 Seekord konveiersuss, mis on ka päris lahe kogemus. Sul on ise valida, kas tellid menüüst või võtad lindilt selle, mis maitsev tundub. Taldrikute värv vastab summale ja pärast arvestatakse sellega toidukorra tasu. 

To be entirely honest, this was the only day I didn't fully enjoy and it was all because I didn't trust myself. For the most part, I had compiled our itinerary in 2019, with only one unclear day where I was weighing between two destinations. The objective was to see Japan's sacred mountain, Mt Fuji, and have something else to do there. In the eleventh hour, for some reason, I looked at Albion's itinerary and they take people to Mt Fuji's fifth station as opposed to admiring the mountain from afar. So I changed my perfectly fine plan to a day trip offered by Klook, which includes Fuji Fifth Station, Gotemba outlet shops, and Hakone, which includes a pirate ship and a funicular to Owakudani Station. Since Hakone was one of the two cities I was weighing between, it for some incredulous reason seemed like a good choice.

Indeed, on the surface, the day trip seemed a good idea. The bus stop was about 400m from our hotel and everyone had assigned seats. Indeed, I am aware you can't control traffic. Nevertheless, the ride dragged on like a snail from the beginning. According to our itinerary, we were supposed to be at Mt Fuji's Fifth Station station at 10 o'clock, but by then we still had a long way to go. And those fun toilet breaks while on a bus trip😶, the memory of which I had already managed to push to the farthest side of my brain (last time in 2012). Yes, the guide was adequate and repeated everything three times so that everyone would understand. 

Mt Fuji Fifth Station. As usual, the road up the mountain was winding, to prevent free falls during winter, I suppose. On our way up, we learnt that there is a forest popular among suicides at the foot of Mt Fuji. And then Mt Fuji itself. Powerful phenomena must be admired from a distance, not halfway up the mountain, where the peak cannot be distinguished from others. Unless you want to hike yourself and start halfway, there is no point in going there. It actually lacks a decent view as well. At least the weather was nice. We ate a fuji cake, took the obligatory pictures and got back on the bus, where a packed lunch was waiting for us. It was an ok part of the trip.  

Since we arrived at the fifth station late, we were well behind schedule when we headed to Gotemba premium outlet stores. I didn't understand why it was on the agenda from the beginning, but it was my own fault for not thinking about it more thoroughly. Just as the name indicates, Gotemba is a set of outlet shops for luxury items, which, even at a discount, are way over my budget. Since we were behind schedule, there was a possibility that we would miss the boat ride or the gable car. Our guide made a vote on the bus about whether to shorten the shopping trip. But no, it didn't suit the majority.

As we started the trip to Hakone (silly me, expecting everyone to tell the time) we immediately found out that we were running late for the boat trip, but we would try to catch the next one. The boat ride on the pirate ship was perfectly fine. During the boat ride, Mom noticed a red torii gate in the lake and asked why it was there. And I was planning to go to Itsukushima just to see a torii gate in the water😂

What I liked most about the day was the cable car ride to Owakudan Station. Owakudani is located in a volcanic region where sulfur fumes reach the ground. You can buy black coloured eggs and ice cream there and there are several hiking trails. But. Since we were behind schedule, we had to immediately get on the bus and go. Like whaat? During the bus ride, I observed the square cars. And we got back to Tokyo two hours later than planned 😑 To conclude, the time on the bus was unbalanced compared to the time we actually got to experience something. 

Another sushi for dinner at 桜すし😋 This time conveyor sushi, which is also a pretty interesting experience. It is up to you to choose whether you order from the menu or take what seems tasty from the conveyor. The colour of the plates corresponds to the cost, and then the price of the meal is calculated accordingly.