Cherry blosssoms
[April, 2011] One of the purposes of this holiday was to see cherry blossoms in Japan. But the time when we could get days off easily was after the blossoms’ peak time in Kanto area. But…
Lake Kawaguchi
Lake Kawaguchi is one of the 5 lakes of Mount Fuji and is the most easily reachable, as well as being one of the most accessible routes to the mountain itself.
Mount Fuji (3776 metres) is one of the emblematic symbols of Japan. It is the country’s highest mountain, an almost perfect example of the conical volcano and one of the favourite subjects of the great painters from the Edo period such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, as well as for contemporary artists.
Mount Fuji was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2013.
Lake Kawaguchi is connected to Tokyo by the train and bus networks and is full of spas and resorts.
It is also the perfect spot from which to embark on a climb of Mount Fuji.
The best view of the mountain is from the eastern side of the lake. Inevitably, a visit during cherry blossom time or in the autumn will be particularly delightful and, at these times of year, the area is extremely popular with Japanese tourists.
One of the reasons that the lake is so famous is because Mount Fuji is often reflected in the waters of the lake as in a mirror, except for those days when the mountain is cloaked with clouds.
The area of the 5 lakes, especially Kawaguchi, has much to offer tourists.
In addition to excursions on to Mount Fuji and some of the other nearby mountains, there are other attractions, amongst which are several museums that merit a visit.
In Kawaguchi for example, there is the Itchiku Kubota Museum, this was a textile artist who dedicated his entire life in the search to reproduce the textiles and the styles of the historic Japanese kimono and in the end, he discovered his own personal style using the kimono as an artistic object which led to his exhibiting in various international museums.
This museum has a collection of some of his works amongst which is the unfinished masterpiece, “Symphony of Light,” which consists of 80 kimonos which together reproduce a view of Mount Fuji.
The Kawaguchi Museum of Fine Arts hosts temporary displays of both Japanese and foreign artists and also has a collection of paintings of Mount Fuji.
The Music Forest is a small theme park that focuses on automatic musical instruments.
It has a beautiful garden from which you can enjoy marvellous views of Mount Fuji.
Mount Tenjo is one of the best spots from which to admire Mount Fuji. The climb is achieved via a ropeway that is the called the “kachi-kachi yama.”
The Yamanashi Gem Museum which is not far from Kawaguchi, is a building that is halfway between a commercial enterprise and an exhibition centre where you can find precious stones from all over the world.
