Bob's Closing Thoughts

Bob here, with some final thoughts on this trip.

Japan was a delight. It was very green and growing. Peaches, strawberries, and concord-type grapes were available at local fruit stands. Our hotel had a manicured garden, as well as a vegetable garden. When I walked early, many people would be out trimming their gardens.

The people were the best part, of course. Everyone was very nice to us, and I think we connected positively with some of the people at the places we frequented. My Japanese got a little better, but Steve, along with much more Japanese, knew enough katakana to read many signs and menus. My one attempt to talk to the father (?) at the hotel about the weather in Japanese was strictly from "Fawlty Towers". After that, he and I stuck to "Good Morning" and discussions about the shower, although I never discovered if he was offering me the shower or requesting me to use the shower.

A short walk up a side street near our hotel led to a small garden that had a view of Fuji-san and a machine that sold chilled grapefruit juice. This was where I spent my dawns, sipping juice and watching the rising sun on the summit.

Our hoteru and Hiro-san, our host, made our stay a lot more personal than K's House -- we were guests in a family hotel. We missed the kitchen, and I missed hot water to wash and shave in (although showers were hot). But their front door was never locked (in fact it didn't have a lock).

Final Fuji thoughts:

Along with the amazing cloud views, the sights on the mountain that impressed me most were the flowing clouds and the steep slopes. The wind was blowing up the slopes, so, periodically a river of cloud would be swept in a stream up the slope. The mountain surface was so rugged, with lava and pumice, and the clouds were so diaphanous, it was just beautiful and amazing. More than once on the upper slopes, I would focus on the surrounding steeply-sloping lava flows, and feel I was falling off the mountain. Better than a good thrill ride. As the sun got lower, we were able to watch the shadow of the mountain on the clouds and land stretch until darkness.

The walk down Fuji-san was perfect and painful. (Think of a beautiful night on the slopes of Mt. Doom.) It was warm, we had a near-full moon for most of it, and could watch the surrounding city lights grow and become distinct as we descended. It was quiet -- Steve mentioned the lightning. It was strange when the first vegetation started appearing again. My freebie Harbor Freight flashlight worked all the way down. But every step was painful -- especially stair steps. We went past several tunnels with signs that said "Use tunnel. Danger of falling rocks." I took the trail beside the tunnel, taking my chances because the tunnel had steps. It was several days before I could climb the steep stairs to our room without wincing.

Well, I didn't do what I set out to do, but I'm thinking this is one of the "Man plans, God laughs" situations. There are certainly few things I would trade for the experience. I learned some things about myself, saw some strengths in Steve that I hadn't seen yet, and had an awesome climb. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without Steve -- he really was the pack mule on the mountain, with his large pack. My only hard lesson was giving up (however briefly) before walking under the final torii. But that pales in comparison to the beauty, grace, and grandeur I experienced at this place. Yes, it is a holy place, although I didn't make it to the shrine at the top. I'm positive enough to think that there's a reason for this...

Well, today is the last day of my sixtieth year (60 in Japan is a year of new life as I understand it). Fuji-san was a fitting end for the year.