When we arrived at Fujikawaguchiko it was foggy and wet. We couldn’t see much other than the misty lake. The hotel had promised a good view of Mt Fuji from our room but it was no where in sight. We certainly brought our tropical rain to Kawaguchiko which was supposed to have only 5 days of rainfall in November. As the evening waned the rain stopped. Gradually the contour of Mt Fuji took shape but the top was still shrouded. I slept early eager to catch sight of the full mountain in the morning. I felt the excitement of a child on Christmas eve waiting to find out what her present was the next morning.
At 3 am I woke up suddenly. I gazed out of the glass doors and held my breath in awe. In the darkness the mysterious Mt Fuji wore a white pointed straw hat like those worn by Japanese farmers. If I were to assign a gender it would be a HE, a grand sire, a wise man, a village chief; one whom earns the respect of all. I didn't sleep much that night. I was on vigil just before dawn. Then the sunrise splendor unfolded. The first sun rays dropped a tinge of pink on the summit. Slowly and steadily this drop of pink spread downward along the Eastern slope acquiring an orange hue as it slided. Soon the eastern face of the mountain was aglow. I was so struck by the beauty of it all that I told myself there must be a God behind such wonder.
Spell bound I held Mt Fuji as sacred. I thought it disrespectful to spread our laundered undergarment on the deck chair in the balcony of our room before Mt Fuji's very eyes.The whole of the next 2 days we took endless pictures of the mountain from various locations of Kawaguchiko. Every view was breath taking, be it between branches of a maple tree, at the lakeside with tall rushes or from a nearby hillcock.
In our hotel there is an indoor hot spring with full glass windows which provide a magnificient view of the mountain. As per Japanese public bath ethics you have to bathe yourself before dipping into the spring naked. When I went in one afternoon I was fortunate enough to be alone. Still I felt a bit awkward and shy to bathe in full view of such sacredness. After being in the spring for a while, a sense of quiet delight overwhelmed me. My bare body in the clear spring waters joined by the majestic mountain awakened my sense of just BEING.
Spell bound I held Mt Fuji as sacred. I thought it disrespectful to spread our laundered undergarment on the deck chair in the balcony of our room before Mt Fuji's very eyes.The whole of the next 2 days we took endless pictures of the mountain from various locations of Kawaguchiko. Every view was breath taking, be it between branches of a maple tree, at the lakeside with tall rushes or from a nearby hillcock.
In our hotel there is an indoor hot spring with full glass windows which provide a magnificient view of the mountain. As per Japanese public bath ethics you have to bathe yourself before dipping into the spring naked. When I went in one afternoon I was fortunate enough to be alone. Still I felt a bit awkward and shy to bathe in full view of such sacredness. After being in the spring for a while, a sense of quiet delight overwhelmed me. My bare body in the clear spring waters joined by the majestic mountain awakened my sense of just BEING.
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