Lake Kawaguchi -- Fujisan

Visiting Mt. Fuji was pretty close to the top of my "Things I'd Really Like to do Whilst in Japan" list.  It's almost impossible not to see the mountain in some way, shape, or form, (If you look to the very middle of this photo, you can see Fujisan rising out the Earth).

I'll admit, this was a nice surprise as I had no idea that a window seat on the right side of the airplane would afford me a bird's eye view of Fuji, I was still determined to get as close to the mountain as I possibly could.  

Luckily for me, Kaji, (one of our wonderful hosts), is a Fuji enthusiast who has reached the summit twice.  He was able to direct us to the Fuji Five Lakes, (Lake Kawaguchi to be exact), which afforded us some brilliant views of the mountain.

It looks pretty far away in the pictures, but we were walking in Fuji's shadow. Lake Kawaguchi is as close as you can get to the mountain without beginning to climb, and climbing season only runs June through September.

Fuji is generally a shy mountain, obscuring itself among the clouds on most days. We were really lucky to have a clear morning sky because by 2 o'clock the clouds had begun to roll in.

And just in case anyone is interested:

Fuji Facts:

Elevation: 12,388 ft (3776 m)

Avg Summer Temp: 30F

Avg Winter Temp: -37F

Last Eruption (it is an active volcano): 1708