This article is based on a visit made on Friday, 11 May 2018.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I spent the day on a private guided tour of the Fuji Five Lakes,
stopping at many lesser-known, out-of-the-way spots that managed to leave a big impression on me. However, it was all leading up to one place I was anticipating most above all else: the Fuji Shibazakura Festival.
But first, we stopped at Lake Shoji (精進湖,
Shōji-ko) along the way. Shoji-ko is the smallest of the Fuji Five Lakes, and also the least developed, but nonetheless attracts people interested in outdoor activities, like the kayakers paddling across here. I think this is my second-favourite view of Mount Fuji, behind only the one from Lake Sai. From this shot, taken from the northwestern corner of Shoji-ko, the centre of Fuji-san appears cut out by another mountain in front, namely Mt. Omuro (
大室山).
Did you know that Shoji-ko, Sai-ko, and Motosu-ko used to be one combined lake? It's true -- at least, it was until the mid-9th century AD, when an eruption from Fuji-san divided this lake into the three lakes we have today. However, they all maintain the same surface elevation of 900m (2952 ft.) above sea level, so they must still be connected by underground tunnels somewhere.
An unexpected sight greeted me as we left the coast: a bunch of cherry trees still partially in bloom. Which brings us to...
...the Fuji Shibazakura Festival. Every year from mid-April to May/June, a park near Lake Motosu (本栖湖,
Motosu-ko) is transformed by carpets of pink phlox moss flowers. This is an example of the flowers at peak bloom...
...and this is what it was like when I arrived. The unusually warm season had also accelerated the blooming period ahead of our arrival, but since this place was higher up elevation-wise, it wasn't quite as bad as I had seen elsewhere. This year (2018), the festival ran from 15 April to 27 May, ending earlier than usual.
Luckily, some spots were more densely-blooming than others.
Here's a close-up of the flowers. Their species name is
Phlox subulata, and they are known in Japanese as
shibazakura (芝桜 / シバザクラ). Despite their name using the kanji for cherry blossoms ("sakura"), the two plants are technically unrelated.
Five different varieties of shibazakura and various other flowers are planted throughout the festival grounds to create patchworks of pink, white, and violet.
One of the most unique features is a mound formed into a model of Mount Fuji, coloured with pink and white shibazakura. Here it is next to the real thing.
And here it is again, as seen from a viewing platform at the back of the festival grounds. It is certainly a commanding view, but I had to wait a bit for a space to become available.
The event consists of a food festival to go along with the flower festival. The stands set up here serve all sorts of dishes made with ingredients which the region is famous for. Mainstays include Shizuoka-style yakisoba noodles, and pork from Yamanashi prefecture. New items get introduced every year, such as croquettes made from potatoes grown in Mishima, Shizuoka prefecture.
I myself tried, and enjoyed, a pork bun and a malasada (shown above.) A
malasada is a kind of powdered doughnut originating from Portugal (the name is Portuguese for "poorly-cooked"), but especially popular in Hawaii. I first heard about them from, of all things,
Pokémon Sun and
Moon, whose game world is a fictional version of Hawaii. This one here was not only cherry-flavoured, but came with a scoop of cherry ice cream and a shibazakura-leaf garnish.
I also purchased a box of sakura senbei crackers, which I took a pic of when I got back home.
As an added bonus, here are a few pictures we took on our drive back to Kawaguchi-ko. We took a detour into the Asagiri Highlands (朝霧高原,
Asagiri Kōgen), due south of Motosu-ko and west of Mt. Fuji. This plateau is famous for two things: one, their dairy cows, and two, their paragliding activities. Can you spot both of those things in this picture?
(The paraglider is in the upper-right corner. See the parachute?)
We also stopped at an overlook point to catch this glimpse of Motosu-ko. And with that, I can officially state that I have borne personal witness to all of the Fuji Five Lakes.
Chris took us on these detours in order to stay off the main roads, as traffic can be a big problem coming to or from the festival site. Our detour took us right through the middle of
Aokigahara. Eventually we did meet up with the main road, and a minor traffic jam along with it, but got to see this big bloom of white wisteria during our delay.
One last look at Kawaguchi-ko. As we were driving back to the station, Chris helped us arrange our transportation back to Tokyo, which I hadn't booked since I didn't know when we would finish. He called up Fujikyu, the bus company, and tried to reserve one of the buses back to Tokyo. The Tokyo Station line (which we had taken up that morning) was fully booked for the evening, and while there was an available bus to Shinjuku Station, it wasn't due to leave for a while, and there was a risk of running into traffic on the highway.
In the end, we wound up taking trains instead: the
local Fujikyu line, followed by the
Kaiji limited express (pictured above, at Otsuki Station) to Shinjuku, and that wound up working much better. We didn't have to worry about getting seats on either, and we had our Japan Rail Passes with us, so the latter train was free. We even got seats in the Green Car, and that extra leg space was just what we needed after exploring the Fuji Five Lakes!
For my sign-off selfie, of course I had to take one at the festival's viewing platform. All things considered, the Fuji Shibazakura Festival is a wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience. Given the condition I saw it in, I did feel a tad disappointed, but then again I had also been taken to so many unique and impressive places I would not have considered otherwise. Chris was wise to hold off on taking us here until the end of the day. Looking back, I would call this my favourite time of my entire holiday, although some stiff competition for that title would present itself later on. Keep reading Sekai Ichi to find out what and where I could possibly be referring to!
Hours: Open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, during the festival period. In 2018, the festival ran from 15 April to 27 May.
Address: 212 Motosu, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0337
Costs: ¥600.
Access: From Kawaguchiko Station, "Shibazakura Liner" shuttle buses make direct trips to the festival site, taking 35 minutes and departing once or twice an hour. A one-way ticket costs ¥1,230, while a round-trip ticket costs ¥2,000 and includes admission to the festival. Additionally, select regular buses bound for Shin-Fuji Station (新富士駅, Shinfuji-eki) stop at the site during the festival period (50 minutes, once every 2 hours, ¥1,230).
Note: None of the Omni-Bus lines go to the festival venue. The nearest stop, Lake Motosu-ko on the Blue Line, is 3km (2 mi.) away.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
