Road trip: Mt. Fuji or the Izu Skyline?
We had already lived in Japan for 3 years without ever going to Mt. Fuji, so we unanimously chose Mt. Fuji.
Three-day weekend Mt. Fuji trip, officially underway.
A Faint-Inducing Start
We arrived at the rental car place at 8 in the morning, packed things up, and set off at 8:30, heading straight onto the expressway.
But as we kept driving, why were we going north the whole time? We were supposed to take the Bayshore Route.
Only after entering central Tokyo did we realize the navigation route had been set wrong. It had sent us to an inner-city expressway.
So much for the plan to enjoy coastal scenery.
At that point, all we could do was keep going.
But the good times did not last. As countryside people who cannot read complicated city traffic, we missed one split and ended up leaving the expressway.
The navigation recalculated the route, at the cost of forcing us through a stretch of tiny local roads: narrow lanes, complicated conditions, extremely unfriendly to beginner drivers.
Our desperate effort to avoid driving in central Tokyo ended in total failure. Truly, whatever you fear most is exactly what happens. Murphy’s law does not lie.
Lost in Shimokitazawa
We were driving at a snail’s pace, not even able to keep up with the taillight of an electric scooter next to us. We gave it everything we had, and still lost.
We stopped at a railway crossing, waiting at a red light, and then… huh? Why is Shimokitazawa Station right next to us? Huh? Huh??
It suddenly feels kind of stinky here, does anyone know why.jpg
I never expected that messing up the route and taking the wrong expressway would somehow bring us here by accident. So this is fate? What a worthwhile trip already.
With excitement in our hearts, we continued onward.
Highways Are Boring, So I Took Photos of Cars
There was nothing to do in the passenger seat, so I took out my camera and started photographing random cars on the road.
A tiny little car, but with dual exhaust pipes. Maybe some kind of hot hatch.
A really cool little sports car. Even with the roof box on top, it was only barely as tall as the SUV in front.
The bright yellow color and hard-edged lines made me think of Bumblebee from Transformers.
Fairlady Z, the famous “Devil Z” from Wangan Midnight.
There were plenty of other interesting cars too, but blurring every license plate would have been too much trouble, so I could not be bothered to post them.
Back to the point. Onward.
The Mountain Looks Close, but the Drive Is Endless
After weaving around on the expressway for ages, suddenly, Mt. Fuji appeared in front of us.
With its snow-covered peak, it looked completely detached from the world, standing apart from everything around it.
In reality we got off the expressway not long after. Time for lunch.
Lunch and a Walk
We picked a random Michi-no-Eki roadside station and noticed a local specialty on the menu: houtou.
I had no idea what it actually was, but since we were already here, I had to try the local specialty.
Just seeing this whole set of tableware laid out already made it feel ceremonial.
The food looked bright and appetizing too.
When the staff handed it over, they warned me that the iron pot was very hot and told me not to touch it.
Turns out it really had been cooked in an iron pot.
After eating, we took a walk by the lake.
Brain empty.
The visibility in the afternoon did not seem very good. It felt like the whole place had a yellow filter over it.
It was clearly a sunny day, so there should not have been fog or haze.
It was still a bit cold out.
What we imagined this trip would be like: sitting leisurely on the grass, eating snacks, chatting, and admiring Mt. Fuji in the distance.
What the trip was actually like: a sharp spring chill, chaotic gusts of wind, and even with our coats pulled tight we were freezing. After sitting for a little while, we retreated straight back to the car.
Give it another week or two and it should be much warmer. The cherry blossoms will probably be out by then too, so the scenery will be even better.
First Time Sleeping in the Car, Total Failure
If you are doing budget travel, you should commit to the bit. To save 10,000 yen on accommodation, my friend and I decided to sleep in the car.
This area around Mt. Fuji really is countryside. There is not much to do, and after dark there were barely any people on the street. I guess everyone was just staying home.
My friend and I made the bed (meaning: folded down the back seats and laid out our sleeping bags) and went to sleep at 10 p.m.
Then, the nightmare began.
At midnight I was woken by people chatting nearby. On top of that, it was way too cold inside the car, so I was completely awake and unable to sleep.
I endured it until 3 a.m., then finally could not stand the cold anymore, got up, started the engine, and closed the tiny window gap we had left open. It felt a little better.
I lay down again, but could only doze lightly.
Around 5 a.m. I woke up again. Still freezing.
By 6 a.m. I could not stay in bed any longer, so I got up and ended that miserable night of sleep.
More importantly, I needed to get to a convenience store as fast as possible and buy a hot drink and some fried chicken to warm up.
While lying there unable to sleep, I reflected on our first car-camping attempt. We made several mistakes:
- Noise
Even with earplugs in, voices and passing cars outside were still very clear (maybe this car’s soundproofing was not great either). Next time we should find a quieter place to park. - Safety
Since it was our first time sleeping in the car, I kept worrying that someone would knock on the window or peek inside. We really should get some curtains or covers for the windows. - Temperature
This was the biggest mistake. We brought thin sleeping bags meant for temperatures in the teens. The weather forecast said the daytime high would be in the teens or around twenty, so we thought that would be enough and we could just wear more clothes.
But what matters at night is the lowest temperature. I wore every piece of clothing I had and still woke up cold several times. Even when I did fall asleep, the sleep quality was terrible.
Not enough research, not enough experience, painful lesson learned. I do not think there is any especially good solution either: spend money on better sleeping bags, or avoid sleeping in the car in winter altogether (which basically means spending money on a hotel), orswitch to an EV(this is where I suddenly envy all those Chinese EVs).
Speaking of EVs, we saw a charging station at the roadside station at noon.
Dozens of parking spaces, only one charger. EVs still are not that common in Japan.
The charging price was also eye-watering: “275 yen for the first 5 minutes, then 55 yen per minute after that.” In other words, 10 minutes of charging would cost 550 yen.
If the fast charging is actually really fast, then maybe that is acceptable. But I suspect it is probably not that impressive.
Morning Light
We got up and opened the door to a lake view.
I was genuinely moved. I could not help letting out a “wow” in my head.
It had been a long time since I had seen the morning sun. The golden light, the lake surface, the thin mist rising up… this scenery instantly made me forget last night’s terrible sleep.
Photos first. The convenience store could wait.
Looking back, I realized the outside of the car had frozen over. No wonder it had been so cold last night 🥶
The lakeside path.
A tiny pier?
Welcome to Lake Yamanaka.
Mt. Fuji with a snow-covered peak.
A closer view of the snow-covered peak.
A gazing into the cosmos sculpture of unclear meaning.
We finally made it to the convenience store, and after eating something hot I felt alive again.
Then we got back in the car and drove around the lake a bit.
On the opposite shore, we photographed Mt. Fuji’s reflection in the lake.
Rowing Without Paddles
Because it was pedal-powered.
After circling the lake a few times, the boat rental places finally opened.
Not this headless boat.
Senpai, is that you?
We rented a boat and looked at Mt. Fuji from the middle of the lake.
Advance of the ducks.
Toward the mountain
There were two geese in the lake with ridiculously synchronized movements. The phrase “their curved necks lifted toward the sky in song” actually felt weirdly fitting.
Looks like they are doing something H
I did not dare get any closer. I was afraid the geese would chase us down and peck us.
For lunch we ate at 庄ヤ, apparently a famous place with a very long line. Lots of people had come specifically to eat there.
We had passed by the night before while looking for dinner, but the line looked too long, so we gave up and went somewhere else.
This time we lined up before opening at noon and finally got our wish.
The Drive Back: Wonderful Traffic Jam
There were lots of mountain roads on the way back. Great news for people who like driving.
But before we even reached Hakone, the traffic jam had already started. This is what the last day of a three-day weekend looks like: pure congestion, crawling forward the whole way.
We left Lake Yamanaka at noon and only reached Enoshima at four in the afternoon.
Since we were already there, we might as well walk around a bit.
Enoshima
This time we parked in the farthest third parking lot on the island and went to walk along the embankment.
A foot-massage path on the embankment?
We had planned to go up the hill to watch the sunset, but thanks to Google Maps’ mysterious navigation, we ended up seeing a residential area that you do not normally notice when passing through the front commercial district.
A round little cat.
We did not get to see the sunset from the hill. Thick clouds completely blocked the evening sun.
The same thing happened the last time I came in summer. Two battles, two defeats. Next time.
Mandatory tourist photo.
On the way back down we saw the same cat again. Looks like this whole area is under its protection.
Closing
The defining feature of this trip was doing whatever we felt like having no plan at all. “Mt. Fuji” was the only destination, and everything else was decided on the fly.
There was one painful lesson in it all, namely the failed night sleeping in the car, but aside from that, everything else was pretty fun.
Very well, I will absolutely do it again next time
Of course, the main reason a trip this spontaneous was even possible is that we had a car. One press on the gas and you can go wherever you want, without worrying about train or bus schedules. Being able to arrange the entire trip freely felt amazing.
It even made me want to get some beat-up used car of my own. (But keeping a car in Japan is too expensive, and my wallet says no, so I will just keep dreaming.)
I will probably go out more often in the near future and not waste this beautiful spring weather (except for the hateful pollen).
So yes, the next post, Cherry Blossom Viewing at Nikaryo Yosui in Shukugawara, has already been gloriously created as an empty folder.
2025 Annual Review: what about me?
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