This article is based on a visit made on Friday, 11 May 2018.
Edit 9 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I had begun my latest holiday of Japan with a few day trips in and around Tokyo. Our third full day was dedicated to the Fuji Five Lakes, but with a twist. Rather than plan our adventure around public transportation, we opted to take a private tour from someone recommended by my grandmother and travel partner.
We took a highway bus from Tokyo Station, as I had done on my last excursion to the area. This time around, I had the good sense to reserve my departing bus tickets ahead of time. (Coming back was a different story, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.) To buy our tickets, I used the website
Japan Bus Online, which is available in English. All you have to do is print out the e-mail receipt, and show it to the driver. This particular bus had livery and decor advertising Thomas Land, part of the
Fuji-Q Highland theme park.
In the past, I have written how Mt. Fuji is notoriously shy, in terms of how often it gets obscured by cloud cover. But for once, this was not the case! The weather was so clear and pleasant that Fuji-san was visible for practically the whole day! It popped up off-and-on during our bus ride in, with this shot taken from the parking lot of Fuji-Q Highland.
The next stop after that, before our eventual disembarkation at Kawaguchi-ko, was Fuji-san Station. Until 2011, it used to be named Fuji-Yoshida Station, named after the city itself. Along with the new name, the station got a redesign by industrial designer
Eiji Mitooka (水戸岡 鋭治,
Mito'oka Eiji, b. 1947), whose work record includes many trains and stations, including the 800-series trains for the
Kyushu Shinkansen. The station's new design includes a
torii at the front entrance, which I imagine echoes the traditions of the past. Just as the devoted would begin their ascent of Mount Fuji from one of the nearby shrines, the hikers of today are more likely to take a bus from here or Kawaguchi-ko to one of the 5th stations halfway up the mountain, and climb up from there.
When we finally disembarked at Kawaguchi-ko, we stood around wondering where to meet our guide, only for him to show up holding a sign with our names on it. His own name is Chris, and he runs Hidden Japan Tours
(English). Originally a Pennsylvania native, he moved to and settled in the Fuji Five Lakes within the past couple of decades. His father still lives at the same retirement home as my grandmother, which is how he was recommended to me.
Among their business ventures, Chris and his wife Yumi purchased, and are restoring, this disowned building, re-opening it as Peace Kawaguchiko. Still in the process of refurbishment at the time of our visit, it nonetheless serves as an artisan craft store, a cafe, and rents out bicycles.
Souvenir stores are a dime a dozen around these parts, with many of the goods having been cheaply made overseas. At Peace, however, everything on sale is hand-crafted by local artisans, one of which happens to be Chris's aforementioned wife. A lot of these items were designed with inspiration from the five classical Japanese elements: fire (stones), water (indigo-dyed textiles), wood (self-explanatory), metal (jewelry), and earth (earthenware).
The painting in the back is an image of
Konohana Sakuya-hime (木花咲耶姫), or "Sakuya-hime" for short. In Shinto, she is the goddess of Mount Fuji, and many shrines around the area venerate her as their patron
kami. One legend had her jealously tearing up the Yatsugatake mountains, located northwest in Nagano Prefecture, for being taller than Mt. Fuji. Right now, they are 2,899 metres (9,511 feet) tall, almost nine hundred metres shorter than Fuji-san.
I myself was charmed into buying this pair of Mount Fuji-shaped candles, as a gift to my mom for the then-upcoming Mother's Day. They reminded me of a pair of lights I had seen set up in
Shinjuku on my last holiday.
The second floor holds a tea bar and restaurant. It was not open yet during our visit, but I found its rustic and eclectic decor also interesting. One of the chefs on staff is from Peru, and has some of his local dishes on the menu, in addition to more standard Japanese fare. Ingredients used throughout this menu include locally-raised pork and fruits, two of Yamanashi Prefecture's most famous agricultural products.
There is also a small stage for musical acts to perform on.
And from the cafe space, we can look out at Kawaguchi-ko, and the long bridge which spans its eastern half. However, Chris instead drove us around the lake's coast en route to Kawaguchi Asama Shrine, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hours: The shop is open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and the cafe is open from 11:00 AM to Midnight.
Address: 4042-1 Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0301
Costs: Entry is free. Bicycle rentals cost ¥500 per hour, or ¥1,000 per day.
Access: From Kawaguchiko Station, take the Red Line (R) bus to Funatsu-hama Onsen Town (#10 / "船津浜温泉街", 9 minutes, ¥160), and walk for 2 minutes down the road. It will be across from the Lawson's convenience store. It is also 10 minutes away on foot.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
