#mejii

Day 9: We spent the whole day with Marina, our Japanese exchange student; it was so nice to see her again. We took a bus to visit the town at the foot of Mount Fuji. Marina hasn’t changed in that almost as soon as the bus started moving she started to fall asleep. Fuji-san was shrouded in clouds most of the day but those same clouds kept us from burning to a crisp beneath the summer sun. There are several lakes that surround the volcano and the town is built along the shores. After riding a sky lift to the top of a neighboring mountain so we could get a scenic view of Mt. Fuji, the town and the lakes we went for a leisurely stroll through town and along the shore. We shopped at a gem museum gift shop and admired all the precious stones. Lunch found us trying out a local specialty, a stone bowl full of noodle soup set atop a bluish flame of some sort. It was quite magical.

Day 10: We visited a memorial garden and shrine dedicated to Emperor Mejii. He led Japan through the collapse of the Shogunate feudal system, opened the nation up to foreign influences following three centuries of isolaton and ushered in the industrial revolution during his 44 year reign. He was venerated as a deity and the shrine embodies that philosophy.

Afterwards we went to a pet store to play with hedgehogs (they aren’t very playful). We also discovered an aquarium on the top floor of a 10-story building. I didn’t expect much but was completely surprised by how well done it was; totally worth the ticket price. Finally we spoiled our dinner eating strawberry shortcake and made our way completely satisfied back to our rented apartment.