Japan - Fuji lakes

Having enjoyed the iconic view of Mt Fuji in Hakone we travelling to its opposite side for the alternative view at Lake Kawaguchi in the town of Kawaguchiko. 

Mt Fuji - an icon of Japan

It was easy to travel between the two areas despite there being no direct transport link and the journey took us round the base of the volcano so we really did get to see all its best angles. 

Ready to catch the bus - with drying towel

We woke early to catch the local bus from Kawaguchiko station to Gotemba where we changed buses at the nearby shopping outlet centre. Having arrived there we decided to miss a bus to give us a chance to have a quick look round the GAP outlet store where Chris was able to upgrade his well worn jeans to a new pair! Shopping done, we took the free shuttle from the shopping centre down to the town centre station where our next bus departed from to take us to Kawaguchiko and its lake in the shadows of the looming Mt Fuji. 

A quick snack at the bus station

We stayed in the sister K's House Hostel based a short walk from the lake side and having gathering a host of information on walks and good spots to view the magnificent lava cone we headed off on a walk around the lake for some great views. 

Beautiful view

Sadly we were missing the clear blue skies we had been so lucky to enjoy in Hakone, but the white wispy clouds added to the dramatic scenery. We climbed up a hill to enjoy a view from some height over the town, and headed down to the lake side, strolling round the cusp of the waters edge enjoying how the view seemed to change every step we took as the sun slowly lowered in the sky. 

Its smoking!

There wasn't much to Kawaguchiko itself, apart from the delicious looking cheesecake shop (we were so tempted but resisted the urge!), and the famous restaurant for Hotka noodles (local delicacy) which we weren't completely sold by - but certainly filled a hole with their HUGE portion sizes. 

Where are all the chairs?

We enjoyed a lazy morning as the heavens opened (one of the few days we had experienced rain during our trip to date) and took the opportunity to have a lie in for one and a good read! With the rain subsiding just in time we were able to head into town to pick up our next local bus to Kofu where we were to pick up the train and head over to our next destination - Matsumoto.