Tokyo Day 2..... A reunion with long-time friends & the Fuji tour

3:30?  Really?  That's 1:30 in Saigon!

Is that an air-raid siren?   Godzilla has risen again? 

I'm noticing that I'm further North again.... the sky is getting brighter at 4:00 instead of the 5:30 that I have got used to...

It feels strange doing my daily Vietnamese lesson in a country where I won't be able to apply it in the streets ....

5:00
It's drizzling outside .... ;-(

And the boxer shorts I bought in Tunis have finally died.....

...not bad though...2 years of constant service ;-)

7:30
I'm shaved, showered, and ready to go.... well almost.... that big toe started acting up again ... and today is NOT the most suitable day for THAT....

8:00
on y va!

a last smoke before I head into the lobby...

There they are...... but they don't look too surprised to see me..... Alan told them, LOL.
It's lovely to see Glenda, Jocelyn and Gabriel again (and Alan ;-).... and Gabriel is a darling..... I am presented with a "Thing" for my new house that will ward off evil spirits.....

THANK YOU, Gabe !

..... and I already know the position it will have in the house ;-)


A minivan is waiting in front of their hotel.... we're going on an excursion!

a few snapshots of Japan as we fly down the highway....

Then there are quite a few signs all saying Fuji-Something or Fuji-Other.... the road looks more park-like (at some point it sings!) and generally starts going uphill.

OMG... WHERE am I?  There is NO mountain visible.... 
.... just LOTS of Japanese in odd clothes with selfie sticks!

It doesn't look like I'm going to get a Selfie with Fuji-San today...

So I'm buying an edible replica....

still no view of the mountain....

Then I remember the cake.... and Gabriel is willing to lend a hand ;-)

this will have to do ;-)

No luck today..... we all hop back into the van...and start heading down the long winding road..... I keep looking up the slope..... and SHOUT when I see this:

The van driver pulls over at the nearest suitable spot.... and we finally get to see Fuji.... even though it's not from the usual photogenic side 

Mission accomplished!  It would have been a shame to drive this far and NOT to see it.....

Next stop (about 20 minutes away).... a temple:

The ancient tree looks impressive, but upon closer inspection (which Alan misses) its hollow trunk has been filled with brown concrete and some pieces of bark have been attached on the outside to camouflage the unnatural filling.

The driver shows me the thing to do with my hands and water at a kind of wash basin that one does before entering a Buddhist/Shinto? temple.

Next stop:  We're stopping for lunch:  A real local Ramen restaurant.

underwhelming...

Next stop:  That lake that I've been hearing about so much....

Lago di Como?

I'm getting bored in the allocated one hour we have scheduled for this stop.... and then it's finally time to hop back into the car.....

the sharp eye will see the slope of Fuji ;-)

Next stop:  The FAMOUS Ice Cave: ...the entrance looks promising.....

As we descend, it gets colder with every step....

It's COLD.... the ground and the walls are WET.... and the ceiling is getting lower and lower.....

Yup, I have to scoot down that steep slope on my behind.....

Then comes the big disappointment..... The SMALL cave is stacked with man made blocks of ice..... illuminated by fancy colourful spotlights....

Time to head for the "Wind Cave"..... will they have fans going there to produce the characteristic effect ?

Gabriel descending

Well, the Wind cave is even more disappointing than the Ice Cave

NO narrow passages to slither through....

Just lots of strangely illuminated and half-melted (I suspect also carved) man-made ice blocks.....

Apparently, people used to use these caves as refrigerators.... get ice from mountain slopes in the winter..... store it down here in the cave.... and hope it doesn't melt during summer.


Back into the car .... 

It was a fabulous day.... New sights, old friends.... but I'm beat and it's time to say Good Night!

17:30
I'm back in my apartment....

19:00