November 30, and December 1, 2025 Tour to Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi  Lunch - Grilled Trout and Mackerel and Potato and clam and shrimp fish cakes Dinner - Pat de Wine Beaujolais Nouveau and Alfredo Sausage Pizza

Yesterday I stayed at the hotel room to rest while Willy and Suzette went to the weekly flea market. I ate an assortment of food but mainly the leftover chicken ramen from our dinner two nights ago.

For dinner Willy went to the train station near us and bought a variety of dishes, including two boxes of sushi, some pickled cabbage, ground beef in a cream sauce on rice, and bean thread noodles with beef.

The bean thread noodles were leftover and I ate them for breakfast on December 1 along with two chocolate croissants. At 7:30 we taxied to the rendezvous point for the day long tour to Mount Fuji with about six others in a van.

Fuji is an active volcano that last erupted in 1707-1708 over 100 km. out of town. Our first stop was at Lake Kawaguchi near its base that made a breathtaking view of Fuji. I nibbled 1/2 of a croissant stuffed with ham and cheese.

Then we drove to an area with several restaurants by a pond. Our guide recommended the grilled lake fish after buying a bottle of white wine and Willy and I buying fried fish cakes on skewers, Willy’s with potato and mine with clams and shrimp, Suzette went to buy fish. The fish were delicious, freshly caught seven or eight inch long trout whose skin was salted and seasoned

and then grilled on a charcoal grill. 

We each ate a trout and Suzette and I shared a mackerel fillet.

The restaurant area was also at the base of Mount Fuji so more pictures.

After lunch the driver drove the van up to Stage Five at an elevation of 2025 meters about half way up to the summit at 3667 meters. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan. It lies within the over 40,000 acre Unesco designated site.

It was snowy and cold with a fierce wind blowing when we got out of the van at 2025 meters on the side of Fuji. We went inside the gift shop where there was a heater going full blast and surrounded by benches.  Willy ordered him and me cups of hot chocolate. We then walked outside and I talked to the German couple, who noted how interesting cycling to North Cape in the summer had been because the sun never set.

We got on the bus and drove. Down to an observation platform with an amazing view of a neighboring mountain range and then back to Tokyo.

When we arrived we noticed there was a wine bar across the street so we went there and discovered this week was the international Beaujolais Nouveau release.

So we ordered three glasses of Beaujolais Nouveau and a pizza.

The Beaujolais was delicious, not too light or unpleasant tasting. In fact it was wonderful. We were given a plate of thinly sliced ham drizzled with olive. Oil and we asked for slices of toasted baguette to make little tapas and ate pizza and ham on baguette with sips of the Beaujolais.

We then taxied to the hotel and I rested and then blogged this entry with a cup of Earl Grey tea and an eclair.    

Bon Appetit