Mount Fuji and bullet trains

I'm not a big fan of organized tours in general. You're always being shuttled and corralled along on tight intervals, and this tour was no exception. However I was encouraged as the elderly and heavy-set tourists started to slowly lumber onto our bus - clearly there would be no hiking or undue walking today. After a few days of strolling around Tokyo streets and riding the subway standing much of the time, I would enjoy the relative rest and relaxation of this sightseeing tour. As the guide started the trip by singing the praises of the driver in a heavy accent while the air conditioning kicked in, I readied myself for the day ahead with WIFI on the bus and tour ads on the monitor above. Our guide even attempted to sing a song that presumably all Japanese know - I'm glad this didn't lead to Karaoke for all comers. Actually the guide was very good and provided some interesting information along the way. She even had us make miniature origami warrior helmets along one stretch of road.

Unfortunately due to the clouds and fog we didn't actually see much of Mount Fuji, that iconic volcano that towers above Japan and can be seen from Tokyo. But we did get a chance to tour a souvenir shop at the base of the mountain where we could buy cans of fresh Fuji mountain air among other quality items. The Japanese-style lunch was very good, which consisted of a large number of small items, some of which were unknown to us. John actually tried the tuna sushi and seemed to like it - he called it jelly fish. I don't think marketing is in his future.

A favourite part of the tour was a boat ride along Lake Ashi and then the Gondola to the top of a hill overlooking the lake, while viewing parts of Mount Fuji in the distance. The clouds would come and go with such frequency that one minute we were enshrouded in whiteness and the next minute we had a clear view of the lake below.

The tour ended with a ride on the Shinkansen bullet train to downtown Tokyo. While we were waiting at the station these demons whipped by, shaped like white plane fuselages chained together. The kids boarded with some trepidation. Strangely the train was number 666, but the ride was smooth and surreal. I don't know what speed we were going but it seemed faster than a plane taking off. Very cool!

Here's a picture of the kids at the base of Mount Fuji ... at a poster.