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My Trip to Mt Fuji

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My Trip to Mt. Fuji

To me, Mt. Fuji is the most beautiful thing in nature. Located in the mountains east of Tokyo, it is a perfect cone of a mountain that sits alone in this part of rural Japan's horizon. I'd seen it in photos and videos on my phone. I've bought posters, postcards and paintings. And I have always wanted to see it with my own eyes. So, when I heard we had a day to ourselves and I saw that it was possible, I knew I had to go.

I approached this journey one step at a time. First, I tried to recruit people to go on this adventure with me. I quickly found out how hard it would be to convince people to willingly endure an early morning and 4 hours of traveling following a late night. Ok, looks like I'm flying solo. Next up, how the heck do I get there. Google Maps told me to take a bus, so I said why not. I took a short train to Shinjuku and asked about three or four locals where this bus station was hiding, before finding it tucked away on the third floor of the building across the street from the train station. I got to the ticket office around 8:30 a.m. hoping to catch the 8:50 a.m. bus I saw online. Everything was sold out until 10:15 a.m., so I waited. I grabbed breakfast across the street and then coffee at a cafe down the road. Eventually I made it onto the bus squished into the window seat for a two-hour bus ride.

I slowly realized I was actually lucky to be sitting by the window. Watching the dense city dissipate into rural farm towns tucked between lush, green mountains was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Eventually we got to my stop, and I was one of only three people to get off there. We were on the side of the highway, and the driver simply pointed down the stairs and shut the door. I was all alone in the Japanese countryside, and it was spectacular. I was surrounded by small square fields with scattered houses and tiny roads. There were concrete irrigation rivers cutting all throughout the town.

I was searching for the remote Chureito Pagoda, which is a red, four-story ancient Shinto building perched on the side of a mountain with a clear view of Mt. Fuji. I found a sign with the outline of the pagoda and after a few wrong turns I finally appeared before a tree-covered stairway with two Shinto lamps guarding the entrance. I climbed to the first outlook and saw Mt. Fuji for the first time. It did not feel real. The day was fairly clear but there was an unfortunate group of dense clouds surrounding the peak. I climbed like 15 flights of stairs and finally saw the red pagoda. A crowd of people climbed up the hill behind it to take pictures, so I followed suit. I sat on the side of the hill for about an hour, and eventually, the clouds gave way to the white-capped peak of Mt. Fuji. It was a truly special moment in my life seeing the unobstructed view for the first time, the whole time feeling like a dream.

Well… I was now stranded two hours outside of Tokyo, with an alumni dinner in 3 hours, and had zero clue how to get back. One step at a time might not have been the best strategy. I walked halfway down the mountain, saw an information trailer, and asked him how I should get back. He leaned outside the trailer's window and pointed towards the town below. "Walk 30 minutes that way to the Mt. Fuji station", he said. It was a little vague, so he clarified which building it was in the distance, and I started walking. It felt like a mission in a video game, and I got lost very quickly. The second I reached the bottom of the mountain I had completely lost sight of the building and twisting roads made me lose my sense of direction. With some help from locals, I eventually made it to the station, and the journey to get there was beautiful. Between the perfectly manicured gardens outside most homes or Mt. Fuji standing powerfully in the distance for the entire walk, it was all amazing.

In the end, I made it just in time for dinner and got to hear from some distinguished Japanese alumni about their experiences thus far in their lives and careers. I got to try caviar and squid for the first time (both are a little overrated). I even got to talk with Naoki Fujii, Principal Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism over dinner, who is the, about things ranging from his travels with the Japanese Prime Minister in their version of Air Force One to his retirement plans to visit Syracuse. The staff surprised me with Stevie Wonder's version of "Happy Birthday" and some dessert; it was a great close to another day that I will remember for a long, long time.

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