Our Fuji-san Excursion

On Sunday we visited the Mount Fuji area.  The weather was not ideal - it was cold and windy on the mountain - but the fall colors were beautiful and we had a great time.  This is the view from the 5th station, a popular starting point for climbers.  Fuji-san is over 3700 meters, just short of Mt. Ranier's height.

Next, we went to Lake Kawaguchi, one of Fuji's five lakes.

Here's a disposal receptacle for cigarettes.  You can click to enlarge and read.  It's comical.

We took a boat tour on the lake.

Lunch overlooking the lake - Hou-tou nabe is a specialty of the area.  It's a soup with large, flat noodles served in cast-iron pots on individual stoves at the table.  Our's had mushrooms, Japanese pumpkin, chicken, carrots, and cabbage in a miso-based broth.  Delicious!
Our next stop was the famous Sengen Shrine, located at the base of Mount Fuji.  A Shinto shrine founded in the 8th century, it was built during a period of intense volcanic activity in order to appease the spirits of the mountain.  In the ninth century, pilgrimages up the mountain became common and the shrine was a stopping point for purification before beginning the ascent.  The shrine is famous for its towering cedar trees.



We were amazed by the colors.  You can click to enlarge for a better view.

When you visit major shrines in Japan you can get a calligrapher to write in a book made for this purpose to keep a record of your visits.  Then they use a red stamp which creates a nice design.  Maddie was very impressed at the skill of the calligrapher, as she studies shu-ji(calligraphy) in school.

Posted by Vanessa.  Maddie says, "Peace!"

Halloween....and more!

Ten years ago, the Japanese did not recognize Halloween.  Times have changed and the retail marketers have realized the potential.  In department stores you see Halloween decorations and various products with a Halloween theme.  While it is a burgeoning opportunity, it is not on the scale of the US yet.  They don't go door to door to "Trick or Treat" off base.  On base, however, it is pretty amazing.  The time to "trick or treat" is scheduled by the base commander and ran from 6p to 8p this year.  Many of the American kids went about the neighborhood collecting candy.  We had about 8 lbs of candy on hand and thought that would cover it.  What was amazing was that the American kids invited Japanese kids.  A lot of Japanese kids.  It was pretty much a constant flow of witches, ghosts and goblins at our door saying "trick or treat" and "happy halloween" in thick Japanese accents.  It was great!  We ran out of candy at 7:45p and had to turn out the light and close the door.  Maddie dressed as a 50's girl and had a great time.  The photo below is from a party at a neighbor's house.

The next day, Nov. 1st we went to the Naval base in Atsugi to see some live outdoor music.  It was an absolutely beautiful day.  The first band was a local band called Middle of the Road that included one of our new friends on vocals.  They were great but the crowd was sparse.   The next band was called Vinyl Soul and were very good with songs in English and Spanish.  The next band was wildly amusing.  It was a Japanese James Brown tribute band.  They were surprisingly fun and had an incredible amount of energy.   The crowd was really growing by now and most of them were dancing with the band.  Vanessa really liked them and got funky.  Finally the main event, an American rock band, SmashMouth, played for us.  They were extremely loud so we had to move back away from the stage.  Maddie and I had a great time dancing and goofing around while they played.  In addition to some of their hit songs (like "I'm a Believer" remake) they played some really good Van Halen tunes.  Here's a few photos (click to enlarge):