Ichikawa Shizuoka

... had baths with views of Mount Fuji- oh yea, we managed to get one of the 100/365 days when you can get a clear view of the Fuje- but it also had a proper outdoor bit with a bubbly spa pool, hot lake pool, ceramic bathtub pool and bamboo bath pool- spoilt for choice really and absolutely gorgeous after a long day hiking! We also got their taster dinner one ...

... when we arrievd at the hotel it was around 430 in the afternoon. we were surprised about the room at hotel phoenix wing. the room was so big and kitchen facility was included. however, we couldnt be bothered to get take out so we've deceided to eat in at the hotel's restaurant. so we've order the 'shinsyuwagyuu youganyaki' which means the ' shinshu wagyu beef grillled by lava stone'. the meal was great and statified.

to be continue...

... br>
After arriving at the train station I purchased a ticket for the "Retro" bus which takes you to several stops all around the lake. They call it a Retro Bus because it is either a reconditioned bus from long ago or it is modeled after a 1940ish tour bus. It was pretty cool looking. I rode the bus until it came to the last stop all the way on the north side of the lake. I leisurely walked around taking ...

... toilet at fifth station, and the price goes up as you climb. I must have spent a bit less than 2000yen going to the toilet- mostly the first and second day because I was so nervous.

Anyway, I was supposed to meet at 5pm an hour before the hike, but the meeting spot was very confusing, and there were lots of tour groups. I waited anxiously, hoping I had not been left behind. Luckily 10 before 6, they announced my name on the loud speaker which was very exciting. No one spoke ...

... br>13:30pm: Departed the 5th station, began climbing.
18:00pm: Arrived at the “goraiko-kan” , the last and highest mountain hut on the 8.5th station (along the yoshidaguchi trail).
19:00pm: Dinner (curry and rice)
20:00pm: Went to bed.

The Folloing Day

2:30am : Woke up
3 am: Left the mountain hut and began climbing to the top
5:30 am: Arrived at the top, wait for the ...

... having to worry about getting up and going again. We climbed to the top and found it was pitch dark, with about 4 different peaks. We had no idea which direction was which, so we just tried to find a nice warm spot that was blocked from the wind. After sitting there for 20 minutes, we decided we weren't comfortable, and ironically moved to a spot viewing the complete opposite direction. 25 minutes ...

... the school custodian, two other teachers, and me. As we get ready to go, the principal asks me, "Do you like dog?" I said, "Yes, I like dogs." Then, he asked, "Do you like small dog?" I said, "Yes, I think small dogs are very cute." The Japanese love the American word 'cute' and use it very often. He laughed and seemed very pleased with my response. I was confused. Then he said, "Small dog, OK?" I didn't know what he meant, but I said OK. He follows up with ...

... br>
We`ve had a reasonably easy time getting around, minus the time our bus was in a traffic accident. That was chaos. Main signs usually have some roman characters. For now, we will play charades to ask for directions, make up names for japanese symbols to find our train stop, read street signs and read food menus ( i.e. fork, man hitting gong, window, smiley face, wishbone, circus tent, upside down bird) and figure out later why red bibs are ...

... just lay on the bottom of the pool doing nothing, and the other one was swimming in circles over and over from the bottom to the top of the pool. The pool wasnt that big, and these dolphins were mighty large. Anyway all through the day this dude was taking photos of us in various location, which are apparently going to be sent to my email soon. So we went to Odaiba in Tokyo for dinner and sadly enough ended up eating at Sizzler, when John and I reminisced about the good ...

... for \100 to wear, so it looked like it was conference for the KKK. I kept mine tho everyone else put theres in the bins provided. So go up and chat away it was 4 across so that was great. We got the ffront hehehehe. and then the drop is really steep, and as u hit the water u see this huge wave come up, and then its like it just stops in midair for 5 seconds and then WHAM u are drenched.. My shoes took about 4 hours to dry out LOL. Then to the double loop, I could have ...