On Thursday we were on the move again, this time to Oshino in the Minamitsuru District, right at the foot of Mt. Fuji. We arrived at our rental house late in the evening, tried to get the heater up and running as quickly as possible and settled in for another Christmas movie. We only had two nights and one full day and were really hoping that Mt Fuji would show her face during our visit. And did she deliver!

I woke up early Friday morning to discover that the view from our rental house was more amazing than I imagined! I sat at the table with my coffee for almost two hours and watched as the clouds rolled out, the sun shined down and the mountain was revealed in all her glory. Breathtaking!

It was time to head out and get a bit closer to the mountain, so Hannah and I walked into town while the rest of the family got ready. We picked up some convenience store breakfast (our favorite thing to do) and then tried to drive up to Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station Lounge, that has a viewpoint and is the closest you can drive to the mountain, but it was unfortunately closed. We snapped a photo in the parking lot that was open and then were on our way.

From there we drove to Lake Kawaguchi where there is a gondola, hiking trails and some amazing views of Mt Fuji. We rode up the gondola, took a million photos, the girls went on the swings and then we hiked back down. It was a bit crowded but so beautiful and once we got onto the trails, it was quieter and more relaxing.

Then it was time to head back to the rental house for schoolwork and dinner. The next morning there was just enough time to enjoy another cup of coffee admiring the mountain before we hit the road for our final destination in Japan: Tokyo.