Up to the Mountain and Back

Not sure this needs much of an introduction: for a Valentine’s Day getaway from the city, I took my wife up to Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi, under two hours from Tokyo.

While it’s more of a notable spot for summertime escapes from the heat of the city, it provides a some incredible views of the nearby Mount Fuji all year round.

This last shot from Arakurayama Sengen park, with a pagoda in the foreground and a perfect shot of Mt Fuji behind, has become a fairly famous image in recent years. Not shown: The hundreds of stairs to head up the hill for the viewpoint! I think I’d also come back in the morning so the sun isn’t as high in the foreground. Plus, the trees in the foreground are bare, but promise to be bright pink in the spring or red and yellow in the fall.

I’ve updated the post with a bit of an edit on that last photo – give it a look.

It was a long way to go for some photography, but absolutely wonderful to see Mt Fuji so close. It’s hard to explain the scale — and hopefully the images can show that as well.