Day 7: Fujigoko

From Yuya Onsen, we first drove south to reach the Tomei Expressway, which connects Nagoya and Tokyo, and then we took the highway east across the entire Shizuoka prefecture, along the coast.

Some service areas along the expressways in Japan are worth a visit in their own right. Fujikawa SA is certainly one of those, if you happen to be in the area.

Since it opened in 2000, more than 3 million people a year have stopped here to eat at one of the many restaurants, do some shopping and taste the specialties cooked by the many outdoor vendors, all while enjoying a stunning view of Fuji-san.

Our first stop was Shiraito Falls (白糸の滝, Shiraito no Taki), in the southwestern foothills of Mount Fuji. Ranked among the most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, the 150-meter-wide cascade is fed by the volcano's spring water and flows off the edge of a 20-meter-high cliff in thin white streams that resemble hanging threads of silk – hence its name. The base of the waterfall is easily reached from the road via a walking trail in just a few minutes, and several souvenir shops line the trail down to the falls.

Next, we stopped at Lake Tanuki (田貫湖, Tanuki-ko), a small lake on the west side of Mount Fuji. Originally a swampy area, the lake is now a popular vacation spot, with campsites, fishing and boating, and it is noted for its views of Mount Fuji.

Next, we reached Lake Motosu (本栖湖, Motosu-ko), the westernmost of the Fujigoko lakes, best known for its appearance on the back of the 1,000-yen bill and the former 5,000-yen bill. The lake is difficult to reach by public transportation and is largely undeveloped, except for a few campsites around its shores.

Fujigoko (literally “Fuji Five Lakes”) is the name of the area at the base of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture. The region takes its name from the five lakes formed by past eruptions of Mount Fuji.

The five lakes lie in an arc around the northern half of Mount Fuji. In ancient times, lava from an eruption of Mount Fuji spread across the area, damming rivers and forming these lakes. They are all considered excellent tourist attractions and fishing spots. Interestingly, three of the five lakes are still connected by underground waterways.

The view of Mount Fuji from the parking area on the western side of the lake was perfect. Since sunset was only about an hour away, I decided to stay there and wait for the sun to go down. A bunch of photographers had already lined up their tripods along the fence and were waiting in their cars. Unfortunately, I didn't have a tripod with me, so I started looking for a way to balance my Hasselblad on one of the fence posts.

While I was doing so, one of the photographers, the man in the picture above, who didn't speak a single word of English, waved at me, walked to his car, opened the trunk, took out a second tripod and handed it to me, almost apologizing because it was older than the one he was using. And so, there I was, all set for sunset.

And this is one of the pictures I took with my Hasselblad: