Mount Fuji

I've always wanted to climb Mount Fuji, but by the time I got to Japan the offical climbing season was over. But there was still one hut open, and you are still allowed to climb, so I decided to give it a try.

I started from the 5th Station at 2pm, and it took about three and a half hours to get to station 8.5, which was the only hut still open (it was the last night, they closed the next day). The Hut was expensive 8000¥ to have a meal and sleep there. But it was good to have a rest and it was very cold on the mountain at night. We started again at 3am to make it to the top for sunrise.

Of course it was too cloudy to actually see the sunrise, but the clouds cleared occasionally so we could see the crater for a few moments. It was too cloudy for us to find the summit until it cleared a bit.

It was pretty cool to be up above the clouds at sunrise.

The climb down went well and and we made it back to 5th station at 10am. The drive back to Kawaguchiko was pretty cool. Kenichi turned off the radio and said "Listen". There are strips on the road similar to the warning strips on highways. But they are made in such a way that when you drive over them the tires on your car play a song. Only in Japan haha.

It was a difficult hike and it was freezing at the top, but it was definitely worth the effort. Now on to Everest!

Yokohama

Yokohama was once a small fishing village for most of Japan's history. But at the end of the Edo period, the Shoguns were forced to trade with the outside world. Still being worried about outside influences they restricted outsiders to only come to Yokohama to trade. This resulted in Yokohama growing rapidly and a large number of Chinese coming to live there. Even after the fall of the shogunate continued to grow and is still the busiest port in the greater Tokyo area.

There is still a large Chinatown in Yokohama today and the city of Yokohama now has a population of over 3 million people.

There is a really nice waterfront front area with the Cosmo Clock 21 being the most noticeable landmark. It was the world's largest ferris wheel when built 20 years ago, and it doubles as the world's largest clock.