Fuji Shibazakura Festival

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...

By 白鳥 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

...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.

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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!

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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)

Aokigahara and the Dragon Cave

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 visited Lake Sai as part of a tour of the Fuji Five Lakes.  Our next stop was Aokigahara (青木ヶ原, lit. 'field of blue trees'), or Jukai (樹海, lit. 'sea of trees'), a giant forest formed over lava flows from one of Mount Fuji's past eruptions.  Our starting point for dipping our toes in this "sea of trees" was the Yacho-no-Mori Park (野鳥の森公園, Yachō no Mori Kōen, lit. 'Bird Forest Park').

The main building of the park is a free visitor's centre, containing models (taxidermies?) of birds and other critters from around the area.  There is also a photo gallery containing many varied shots of Mt. Fuji.  My favourite was the "Diamond Fuji", where the sun shines just behind the mountain's peak, giving its tip a gemlike gleam.

By Alpsdake [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

This is an example of what a Diamond Fuji picture looks like.  Bonus points if you can get the mountain reflected in one of the lakes, such as this shot taken across Kawaguchi-ko.

Behind that building is a wide clearing, a public park space where a couple of class trips were congregating.  Trails into the forest begin on the far side of this open space, away from where I am looking in this shot.  Fun Fact: The mountains to the north of the area, as seen above, are over 16 million years old, whereas Mt. Fuji itself is only half a million years old.

Aokigahara is a vast forest, covering 30-35km² (12-14mi²).  There are some trails scattered about, as well as a few roads that cut through it, but I doubt they do more than scratch the surface of this forest.  We walked only a short way in, Chris and I going slightly further than my grandmother, at least to get a feel for the area.  And what a feel it was.

The surface of the forest is covered by hardened lava rocks deposited by eruptions from Mount Fuji, especially the one from AD 864-868, which also divided lakes Sai, Shoji, and Motosu from each other.  In my opinion, these shots fail to capture the unique aesthetics of this place.  Partly of how green it is, from the combination of densely-packed trees and patches of moss atop the lava rocks, and partly of the solitude of the place.  Even for how little our party ventured into the forest itself, the noise of the groups in the neighbouring park seemed to have gotten swallowed up before they could reach us.  Scientifically speaking, I've read that the porous lava rocks have properties which absorb sounds, dampening the effects of echoes and such.

Between all the rocks, the tree trunks, and the sinkholes that form from lingering gas pockets, Aokigahara can be a treacherous place to walk through.  On top of that, the sheer density of trees makes surroundings appear to blend in to one anther, and it's even possible for compasses to get scrambled when you lay them directly onto the lava rocks.  (They will read correctly if you hold them up in the air.)  If you are going to hike through there, do yourself a huge favour, and stick only to clear, well-worn paths.  I guarantee that you will still get the full Aokigahara experience without the risk of getting lost.

https://en.japantravel.com/yamanashi/aokigahara/29179

Sadly, some people go into the forest with the intent never to come back out again.  Aokigahara is Japan's most popular location for committing suicide, and in a country where suicide is a major social issue, that's saying something.  The forest's reputation as a suicide spot was spiked by its depiction in the novel Tower of Waves (波の塔, Nami no Tō), written in 1960 by Seicho Matsumoto (松本 清張, Matsumoto Seichō, 1909-1992), although it had apparently been used for that purpose long beforehand as well.  Officials have stopped publishing death statistics in recent years, in the hopes of staving off its reputation, but it was somewhere in the hundreds per year earlier in the decade (2010s).  Throughout the forest, you may encounter signs like the one pictured above, which says (translated):

"Life is a precious gift from your parents.  Think about your parents, siblings, and children.  Please do not worry alone, and talk to us first."

The sign above also includes the phone number for a local suicide crisis hotline, (+81) 0555-22-0110.  I assume its service is only available in Japanese, but there are many similar toll-free services set up worldwide.  For the USA, there is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (+1) 1-800-273-8255; for the UK and Ireland, there is Samaritans, (+44) 116-123; for Australia, there is Lifeline, (+61) 13-11-14; and failing that, you can always call the emergency services number of your country.

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And now for something completely different.  As an added bonus, Chris took us to one of the caves that have formed in the area.  The three largest ones are the Bat Cave, the Wind Cave, and the Ice Cave, and all three have a degree of tourist development about them.  But instead, we went to a smaller one, the Dragon Shrine Cave (龍宮洞穴, Ryūgū Dōketsu).

Seemingly, there's not much to the Dragon Cave.  You just walk down a staircase -- carefully -- until you reach this little shrine at the bottom.  On the plus side, you don't have to pay to get in, unless you wish to make a donation along with your prayer.

Despite how shallow the cave appears, it gets cool enough that a few icicles have formed on the back walls.  Some of the other, deeper caves I mentioned before maintain consistent air temperatures at or below freezing, so that people have stored ice in there year-round, even in summer.

Chris and I went down ourselves, while my grandmother stayed behind to film us.  That was a good call; I myself had to take care not to slip on the stairs, so I certainly wouldn't want her to have to deal with that.  Since we were once again the only ones there, I could appreciate the aesthetic of the place even more, which likely wouldn't have been the case at any of the bigger caves nearby.  However, this wouldn't be the case for our next -- and my most-anticipated -- stop, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Saiko Yacho-no-Mori Park

Hours: Closed on Tuesdays and 29 December to 3 January.

Costs: Free.

Address: 2068 Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0334

Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line (G) bus to Saiko Yacho-no-Mori Park (#69 / "西湖野鳥の森公園", 45 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥830).

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Dragon Cave

Hours: Open 24 hours.

Costs: Free.

Address: Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0332

Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line bus to Ryugu-Doketsu / Lava Cave Entrance (#72 / "竜宮洞穴入口", 50 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥830).  Facing the direction the bus was headed, take the next right off the road, then when the side road ends and you reach a pair of signs, turn right again.

Lake Sai

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, my private tour of the Fuji Five Lakes stopped at a shrine and a waterfall, both relatively off the tourist radar.  This proved to set the tone for the rest of the day, as we would continue to focus mainly on places that were out-of-the-way, but no less interesting for it.  After lunch, our guide drove us west of Kawaguchi-ko to the next of the Fuji Five Lakes, Sai-ko (西湖).

As the middle of the Fuji Five Lakes, Sai-ko captures no superlatives.  It is not the biggest, nor the smallest, nor the deepest.  But it is the area which Chris calls home.  He knows the people around there, and the people know him.  He even found these stones along the lake shore, tinted blue with titanium, and gave them the official name of "saikolite".

Chris made a quick detour to his house.  And on the way to that, he stopped to make a prayer at this Jizo statue, washing it with a bit of water as part of his reverence.

Chris says this mini-temple or shrine (I forget which) in his backyard is very special to him.

Another bunch of wisteria.

Lake Sai is surrounded by mountains to the north and south, blocking Mt. Fuji from most of its shore...

...Except for this spot on the west end.  This is another of Chris's favourite Fuji-viewing spots, and it instantly became mine as well.  I love how the two gently-sloping banks of mountains form a near-symmetrical form for Fuji-san to rise up from.  It even reminds me of the Paramount Pictures logo, if you've seen any of their movies (and you probably have).

Here's a panorama version of the same shot.  It looks even better, I say.  Click this link to see it in full resolution.

At our stop here, we met a couple from Argentina who were travelling the area on bikes.  There were also a bunch of local fishermen, one of whom let us take his picture.  Such a friendly fellow!

On our way along, we passed Iyashi-no-Sato (いやしの里), a village which had been destroyed by typhoon-triggered landslides in 1966.  Forty years later, the houses were rebuilt, and the place re-opened as an open-air museum.

At Iyashi-no-Sato, each of the houses offers something different, such as shops where you can purchase or try making local handicrafts, and restaurants where light regional dishes are served.  Some houses even function as mini-museums, such as one about erosion control.  But I wonder, do people live here as well?  The way this little child and his father paid attention to us while sitting around made me imagine that possibility.

Of course I had to get my own picture taken, in particular back at the shores of Sai-ko.  Going back to the biker couple we met at this very spot, Chris recommended and directed them to the spot where we were to go next.  Namely, that would be Yacho-no-Mori park, at the entrance of the Aokigahara forest.  See what that was like, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Iyashi-no-Sato

Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM from December to February.  Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.

Costs: ¥350

Address: 2710 Saiko-nemba, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0332

Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Green Line (G) bus to Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba (西湖いやしの里根場, 40 minutes, 2 per hour, ¥710).

Website: (Japanese)

Haha-no-Shirataki

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 embarked on a private day-tour of the Fuji Five Lakes, where our guide took us to see some of the lesser-known, more out-of-the-way places in the area.  From our last spot, Kawaguchi Asama Shrine, he drove us uphill to a waterfall, the Haha-no-Shirataki (母の白滝, lit. 'mother white waterfall').

But first, we stopped at the parking lot for this.  It is one of Chris's favourite views of Mount Fuji, also overlooking Lake Kawaguchi (to the right, barely visible in this shot).  Wish I could say the same about the bugs...  I tried recording footage of this outlook for possible video projects, and many of my takes were thwarted by a stray bug flying across the shot.

It was a short walk from the parking lot down to the waterfall itself.  On the way we spotted some wisteria, which was growing a tad more healthy than in Ashikaga the day before.

The name "Haha-no-Shirataki" means "Mother's white waterfall".  If you were walk further upstream, you would eventually run into the "Chichi-no-Shirataki" (父の白滝, lit. 'father white waterfall'), where "chichi" here means "father".  I'm not that good at estimating distances, but I would guess these falls to be in the neighbourhood of 10 metres (30 feet) tall.  I wonder if anyone's tried meditating under that waterfall...

Speaking of meditation, Haha-no-Shirataki is something the Japanese like to call a "power spot", a place of solitude where one can soak up the natural and spiritual energy.  In terms of Shinto, most power spots are places where kami are believed to have landed on and departed from Earth.  Whether or not Haha-no-Shirataki is one such place, I did feel some sort of sylvan blessing.  Having a small shrine (barely visible on the left) helped, as well as there being only one other person around at the time.  He was a photographer who took our picture for us, although I don't have that photo on me at the moment.

For lunch, we stopped at Lake Bake, a bakery-cafe on the northern shore of Kawaguchi-ko.

The outdoor seating area looks over the lake.  Mt. Fuji may be seen as well, but from my seat it was obscured by this one tree and a few passing clouds.  What I did see consistently was the Oishi Flower Park, just next door to the right (west, not pictured).  It is a small place, and Chris usually includes it on his tours, but we agreed to skip it in favour of the Shibazakura festival, which we got to later in the day.

There are wooden animal sculptures scattered all around the grounds.

Many of them were bears.  I would have expected this trio to mimic the Three Wise Monkeys from Nikko (you know, "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" -- yeah, that's where that's from), but then how would they hold on to the fence?

I appreciate your welcoming spirit, mister bear.  I had a lovely time at your restaurant and shall recommend it to others.  But for now, I must be off.  Our party went on our way around the rest of the Fuji Five Lakes, starting with Sai-ko, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Haha-no-Shirataki

Hours: Open 24 hours.

Costs: Free.

Address: Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0304

Access: There is no public transportation available to Haha-no-Shirataki.  From Kawaguchi Asama Shrine (read my previous article for info on how to get there), its parking lot is a 10-minute drive or a 40-minute walk.  The waterfall itself is a 5-minute walk beyond the parking lot.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Lake Bake Cafe

Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  Closed on Wednesdays, and the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.

Address: 2585-85 Oishi, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken 〒401-0305

Access: From Kawaguchi-ko Station, take the Red Line (R) bus to Kita-Hamaso (#21 / 北浜荘前, 25 minutes, every 15 minutes, ¥490), and walk down the road for 2 minutes.  The restaurant is 180m (600ft) on the left.

Website: (Japanese)