富士山 There and Back Again

We set out at 2:45 a.m. on Sunday to complete the second half of the ascent. We reached the summit shortly after sunrise.

Fujisan favors a shroud of clouds at its peak, whereas 300 meters below the peak provided us with excellent visibility for the 5:20 a.m. sunrise.

These Shisa and the Torii gate behind us lie a few meters below the summit of the Yoshida trail on the north side of Fujisan.

Fujisan's crater

さむい です ね。

やった!

We spent roughly 7 hours hiking up. We descended in about 4.5 hours. The rain started 30 minutes before we finished. 

富士山, ども。

Fujisan Hike Part 1

Stephen and I had the opportunity to climb Fujisan over the weekend. We trekked part way up on Saturday, then ate and napped in a hut before reaching the peak (3,776 meters) on Sunday around sunrise. The images that follow were all taken on Saturday during the first half of the ascent. 

Lilium Bloom

C-130 Surge

Enoshima Island: cats and legends

This small island off the southern coast of Honshu, near Tokyo, is famous for a dragon of old and many cats who make their homes there today. 

The five headed dragon terrorized the local populous by causing floods, droughts, fires, and devouring local children. The goddess Benaizen was troubled by this behavior. She caused the island of Enoshima to rise, then she descended there. Enraptured, the dragon proposed to Benaizen, who summarily dismissed him for his evil deeds. Some versions hold that the dragon mended his ways and Benaizen accepted his marriage offer. Others say that the dragon repented of his evil deeds and turned himself into a hill, now known as Dragon's Mouth Hill.

Fences laden with locks surround Enoshima's "Love Bell." Inspired by the tale of Benaizen and the dragon, couples ring the bell and leave signed locks on the fences to symbolize their undying devotion.