Exploring the Five Lakes region of Mt. Fuji.

Thanksgiving weekend found us on our third ITT tour.  This time to Fujigoko or the Five Lakes region at the northern base of Mt. Fuji.   The five lakes are Lake Yamanakako, Lake Kawaguchiko, Lake Saiko, Lake Shojiko, and Lake Motosuko.

It was a fairly long bus ride to the opposite side of Mt. Fuji, about 3 hours.  It's a big mountain.  Here's a shot from the bus, about half way to our destination.  It really is a gorgeous mountain.

The first stop on our tour was to the Shiraito Waterfalls.  It was a short walk to the falls with Mt. Fuji in the background.  Can't beat that.  I am hoping to return during the spring one year to see the Falls while the cherry blossoms are in bloom and also to take more photos after I improve my photography skills.

The walk from the bus parking to the falls wasn't that far but there were some decent stairs to climb.  However, it's worth it when you see the view.

On this trip we also had company. We welcomed the Marshall family to Yokota AB at the ending of October.  That last time we were able to see them was when Doug was still stationed at Shaw AFB, SC.  "A" was 1 1/2 years old.  It's great to be stationed here with old friends and "A" will have their daughter as a playmate.

After the waterfalls, we headed to Mt. Fuji View hotel for a lunch buffet.  The hotel is located in the Fuji five lake region.  Here is one gorgeous shot of the surrounding lakes from the observatory of the hotel.

The opposite view shows you Mt. Fuji.  This is a typical shot of Fuji hiding behind a haze.  If it's not haze it's heavy cloud cover.

After a great lunch, our last stop was to the Oshino Village, a small little village that boasts some of the purest spring water fed from the snowy slopes of Fuji. The ponds are so clear and the water very cold.  You can test your cold threshold by holding your hand into a stream of water.

It was a cute little village that had old fashioned thatched roof buildings that housed modern day tourist shops and eateries.  It was the first time I got to try Kusa (grass) mochi.  I have always loved sweet mochi but the freshly pounded, then lightly grilled Kusa Mochi was pure heaven.  Yet another reason for me to return to this area.

In all, it was another great trip.  We loved getting away from the Tokyo metropolis and seeing the beautiful countryside.  Until the next adventure.

Brunch & The Shinagawa Aquarium

Our second ITT tour was having brunch at the New Sanno hotel, which is a great military hotel smack dab in the middle of downtown Tokyo.  It was a great buffet style brunch and it was nice seeing the hotel decked out for Christmas.  "A" enjoyed walking around the outside to burn off all the food she ate.

After brunch, the bus drove us through downtown Tokyo on our way to the Shinagawa Aquarium.  I enjoy looking out the bus windows and taking in the massive scale of the Tokyo Metropolis.  Here is a quick view from the bus.  That red tower is the Tokyo Tower, which used to be the tallest structure in Tokyo, until they decided to build an even bigger tower, The Sky Tree, which opens up May 2012.

We get to the Shinagawa Aquarium, a medium sized aquarium in Tokyo.  It's amazing to find this aquarium in the middle of all that concrete and buildings.  Typical green garden/pond oasis found throughout downtown Tokyo.

The Shinagawa Aquarium had some decent displays.  I really liked the little tank of skin eating fish.  I guess it's a spa thing where people pay to have tiny fish eat the dead skin off your feet.  You got to try it out by sticking your hand in a little tank and watch the fish go to town on your nasty dry hands.  Sorry, I couldn't get a photo since I was having my hands eaten by zombie fish.  If your interested, here's a link for Dr. Fish.  Another area we enjoyed was the underground seal tank.  The aquarium built see through tunnels that allowed you to walk into the seal tank.

Seal above...                                      Seal Below...

Besides the flesh eating fish and the seal tank, we experienced the typical aquatic animal displays found at most stateside aquariums.  However, here are some exceptionally rare wild animals.

"A" found a friend, too.  It's Happy Feet!

I want to take this guy home for dinner.

"A" and the jellyfish

 Big Catfish

We found Nemo

Token Dolphin shot

So that was our experience at the Shinagawa Aquarium.   It was okay, what made it better was enjoying it with the family.  Plus, Abby likes aquariums.  Don't believe me?  Here's a past and present shot of "A" at two different aquariums.

Here is a recent picture of "A" at the Shinagawa Aquarium.

And here is "A" at 9 months old at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  Love that aquarium.  And I love these crabs.  They look so yummy.

So our second ITT trip is over.  Still lots more of Japan to see and experience.  Rest up.