Fujiyoshida

Staying in the city of Fujiyoshida for some days rest and doing nothing. My legs need it and are going to need it for what is ahead. Three nights of camping and hiking in between. I have to work my way from here in Fujiyoshida, hitting four of the five lakes, and down to Mishima Station for the bus on Tuesday (Monday had no bus). It is the only for way for a decent price to Kyoto. The bus is $40 and the train is over $100. If you see the journey on a map, it is far, but I will catch a bus from the last lake a local train station. As for the forest I will be hiking? I'll leave that for a future post as it already has quite the history and don't want to spoil it yet.

People in Japan are really nice and will help you with anything. If you even look slightly confused someone will ask you if you need help. At one train station transfer on the way to Fujiyoshida I need to get another line so I'm looking at the big map to figure out how much I need to pay. I think I have it and this girl comes to me if I need help. I was totally wrong on what I was looking out, but she isn't sure what is right. She brings me to the train booth and stays with me to figure out the right place to buy the ticket I need. Simply amazing. Turns out even if I could read Japanese I wouldn't have figured it out. I needed to go through this guys booth, and out the gate on the other side to buy the right ticket.

Finding food has been hard with Google maps as most places (maybe just here) have no information online at all. I read this city has good udon so I search around what is near. One place has no info, but a single picture somebody uploaded. Udon topped with tempora veggies. Oh yeah that will hit the spot. I save the image in the Google maps cache and head off. I pass the place and once again someone asks if I need help. I find the place and the outside looks like a restaurant, but seeing through the window it does not. I go inside, a little old lady sits alone watching TV. She gets up and turns on the lights for the place. It is the right place I guess. The only way to tell that it is place to eat, and not somebody's house, is the one extra table and some cards on the wall with prices. The menu? But I cannot read it. I figured this would happen so I show her the picture of the udon. She gives me tea and goes in the back to make it. I sit alone until she comes back out with the food. It was really good and only about 5 bucks.

I don't expect to get some WiFi until the bus to Kyoto. So it might be some days until my next update.

Better pictures of Mt. Fuji in the future. I hope.

The udon place.