After spending a week in Tokyo, it was time to venture to another location. I was supposed to be in charge of planning our route for the day, but she was able to find a more efficient route. We woke up early to catch a bus from Shinjuku station to Kawaguchiko. My girlfriend was able to snag our front seats on the upper deck of the bus. That meant incredible views throughout the entire trip. The ride was under two hours, and the familiar Kawaguchiko station soon came into view. In the past, I've been to Kawaguchiko station three times, and each of the three times resulted in a hike up the tallest volcano in Japan. This time, however, instead of catching a bus to the 5th station of Mount Fuji, we walked towards the nearest Toyota Rent-a-Car center.
Besides driving a go-kart, and nearly getting lost in 2017, I never drove in another country. Nevertheless, I never drove with a steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car, nor on the left side of the road. I was feeling anxious as we entered the small building. After showing my international driving license and other documents, I signed some papers, paid the fee for the day, and went out to inspect the car we were given. It was a dark blue Toyota Vitz. I remember going around, snapping shots of the car from different angles as a reference for when I returned the car later on. After everything was cleared, we got into the car and headed for our first destination.
We were looking for the iconic Lawson with Mount Fuji in the background. I picked the wrong Lawson on my GPS, which left us confused since there was no mountain/volcano in sight. Either way, we had to stock up on supplies, so we spent some time purchasing items before heading to Fuji-Q Highland. Fortunately, we were early so there was ample parking space. The nice thing about the Vitz as well was that it was a small car, which made parking a breeze. Just like 2019, you didn't need to pay to enter the park. People just had to register their faces, I'm guessing for security purposes. I wasn't so keen on going on any rides, but my girlfriend found an attraction that caught her eye. After going on the ride, we walked around the park for a while before leaving to head to the famous Chureito Pagoda.
The roads were narrow and many of them were wide enough for one car. At times, I would stop off to the side of the road to let oncoming traffic pass by. When we got to the parking lot for Chureito, we had to wait a while to climb a narrow path to park. The climb to the pagoda wasn't as long as I recalled. We stopped by the shrine to purchase some a good luck charm, before making it all the way to the top. Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was covered with clouds, so we were unable to snap the iconic pagoda+mountain shot. Somewhat dejected, we made it back to the parking lot to head to our next location: Oshino Hakkai.
The drive to Oshino Hakkai was pleasant. Traffic is light around Mount Fuji, making it easier than taking the bus. I wasn't quite sure where to park, since the last time I came, I did take a bus. Noticing a parking lot near the bus stop, I decided to park there. Oshino Hakkai wasn't as crowded as it was back in 2019, meaning that there were no difficulties getting around and snapping pictures. Also unlike 2019, I was feeling relatively well, thus being able to sample the food and drinks there without worrying about an upset stomach. There are eight distinct ponds, that are fed by glacier melt from Mount Fuji. We were only able to find six before we decided we spent enough time at this location.
Hananomiyako Park is only about a 10 minutes drive from Oshino Hakkai. You could access the site via bus from what I read, but I don't think a bus came by that often. The park was filled with flowers with Mount Fuji in the background. Once again though, the clouds blocked out the mountain from view. We walked towards the entrance, paid, and continued to walk through the various greenhouses they had on site. Near one end of the park, there was a waterfall that must have been about 100 meters wide. It was very serene, and since it was hard to access this park, very quiet. We spent some time soaking in the sights before going back to the flower field in front of the gate. After snapping some shots, it was time to take a break at another onsen.
The onsen we went too unfortunately took cash only. With very little cash on us, we had to find a nearby 7-11 so that we could access their ATM and get more money. It was a while since we ate a full meal (Lawson in the morning), so we grabbed food from the konbini as well. After getting our fill, we headed back to the onsen. Unlike the one in Asakusa, it was nowhere near as busy. Also, most of the clientele were probably locals. It was nice to soak with only a few people around me. After the bath, we relaxed in their lounge area. Since it was getting late, we traveled to our last destination for the day.
Lake Yamanaka was extremely quiet near sunset. We were lucky as well in that there were no longer clouds surrounding Mount Fuji! After snapping our pictures, we took one last break to stare at the serene sight of the lake and volcano. It was then time to make our return trip to Kawaguchiko. The drive back was nearly half an hour, but fortunately, the trip was relatively smooth. It was quite dark when we returned the car. One of the workers took a quick glance at the car, double-checked that I filled the gas tank (the gas station was just next door), and sent us off with a hearty thank you. The walk back was not as hot as the morning. After waiting for a while, a bus arrived to take us back to Shinjuku station.
What I learned that day was no matter how efficient and effective the public transportation system was in Japan, nothing beats your own personal vehicle. I probably wouldn't drive in a major city, but the next time I'm out in the countryside, I'll highly consider renting a car to get to places. It beats waiting for the bus/train or taking a taxi.
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