Taken with iPhone 7+
Our 13-day self-drive trip in late October took us from Nagoya to Nakasendo, Kamikochi, Lake Kawaguchiko and Tokyo. We were looking forward to seeing autumn in Japan but the season came very much later in Japan. While we didn’t get to see autumn in full bloom, we were treated to snippets of autumn foliage in the Kamikochi mountains where temperatures were much colder than the rest of the country and a very clear view of Mt Fuji at Lake Kawaguchiko.
We woke up to this beautiful view of Mt Fuji on our first morning in Lake Kawaguchiko. I snapped this photograph of Mt Fuji from the window of our room in a ryokan very early in the morning, just in case the skies become cloudy. We were really blessed to get this gorgeous view all day long.
After an excellent breakfast at our ryokan and snapping an insane number of photos of Mt Fuji from the ryokan, we left to go to the Kawaguchiko Forest Music Museum. It is a whimsical little place that is fun for both adults and children, where you can spend a good one to two hours depending on whether you are interested in their shows. Then we drove out in search of lunch, and saw the scenic Oishi park next to the parking lot.
We got to see the kochia shrubs in deep seasonal red at the Oishi Park. The park must be gorgeous in spring time when a large number of flowers are in bloom.
The weather at Oishi Park was blazing hot at noon – it felt like summer instead of autumn. We entered a cafe near the park to escape the heat and get some ice cream to cool us down.
This was excellent soft-serve that comes with a really cute Mt Fuji shaped biscuit.
We sipped sake and watched the sun go down at the balcony of our room. It was a lovely moment experiencing Mother Nature. The sun going up and going down is something that happens everyday that I take for granted. I rarely pause and appreciate the beauty that comes about with this natural phenomena.
Where did we stay in Lake Kawaguchiko that gave us this superb view of Mt Fuji?
We booked this ryokan from Agoda. Every room faces Mt Fuji – whether you get a clear view depends on the weather and your luck! The price of the ryokan includes an excellent buffet breakfast (served in the dining room at the lobby) and a kaiseki dinner (also served in the dining room). However, you can request for the ryokan to serve you dinner to in your room or in one of the private dining rooms in the lobby.
