Keith had expressed that one of the things he'd like to see was Mount Fuji. Upon further clarification, what he meant was to go somewhere close (and far) enough to see Mount Fuji, instead of going to Mount Fuji or to climb it, and the Shibazakura Festival would be perfect.
We left home at 7:30 in the morning on a Friday, squeezed ourselves into the crowded rush hour subway to Shin Osaka station, and headed on over. This was a 3 hour trip with 1 transfer at Shizuoka, then another hour and 15 minute bus ride from Shin Fuji station to the festival site.
The country air was fresh and crisp, and much cooler than in the city. As we walked on to the festival grounds 800,000 blooming shibazakura flowers spread through the entire valley. It was a pretty phenomenal sight to see them gathered all in one place, strategically placed to contrast the various shades of pink, accented with the lovely white.
Although it was a Friday (and no longer a holiday), there were still a lot of people, tourists mostly. We saw approximately 20 tour buses on the way in, and could only imagine how much more crowded it would've been like on the weekend or a holiday.
We wanted to take our time and enjoy the country air, and stayed for a good 4-5 hours. The clouds covered the tip of Mount Fuji so we weren't able to get a clear shot of it behind all the beautiful flowers. But it didn't really matter, we just went on walking around checking out the booths and scenery. However, beside the mini Mount Fuji made out of flowers stood someone who looked like a professional photographer. He had his camera all set up, but as the view wasn't perfect due to the clouds, he stood without taking any pictures. In fact, during the 4-5 hours we were there, we didn't see him take one picture, yet he stood patiently waiting for the perfect shot, 'tis the life of a professional photographer I guess.
There were many many food stands and gift stores with beautifully wrapped cookies and other sweets, which we bought a handful of. We also tried the foot spa (¥200 per person), where we sat and enjoyed the scenery while we waited for our bus.
As we took the 5:00pm bus back to Shin Fuji, the clouds parted and we saw the most amazing view of Mount Fuji all day. It looked as if it was floating in the sky, with a tiny droplet of cloud on the very top. Seeing it in person made me realize that this is truly an amazing mountain. Although I've probably seen Mount Fuji over a dozen times on tv, magazines, and all over the internet, nothing compares to the real thing (which is the case with most things I've experienced in life).
Sitting on the bus, that drove around about 1/4 of Mount Fuji, I started to realize just how big and majestic it is. The sides of the hill, curves ever so slightly, stretches smoothly upwards reaching towards the sky. Looking at it made me forget our tiring day, and our long commute still to come.
