Mid-term break: Lake Yamanaka-ko

It is mid-term season for the students of Sophia, and the weather is only getting hotter and humid, at least for those who are not used to being in weather above 60°F (AKA me). For this slightly stressful and hot time isn't it a perfect excuse to go on a weekend getaway? Well for my friends and I it was, and if your goal is to see Mt. Fuji and potentially the stars I would highly recommend going to Lake Yamanakako or at least one of the five lakes!

At Lake Yamanakako, my friends and I stayed at a nice Japanese style hotel, and since it was out of season everything was relatively quite. All the attractions that are there are accessible by bus which can use the Suica or Pasmo cards, but I would still advise to have some change. There are a few things to do there, which is why we went for a weekend, like going to an onsen. Here are some photos of some activities and food in the area!

1) Boat rides and tours

For this boat is was ¥3000 (~$30) for I think an hour which is plenty of time since you can't go all around the lake due to other boats on the lake.

2) おじや and ほうとう

ほうとう is a specialty noodle dish of the region, a picture of it is in the slideshow, and おじや (above image), rice porridge, is recommended by locals and worth trying when you go to this area. It is a bit cooler by the lake than in Tokyo around this time so you may want something warm to eat!

3) Seeing Fuji

Mt. Fuji could be seen from outside our hotel room and the above image was taken at about 4:40 AM. I would highly recommend that if you want to potentially see Fuji as you start your day to make sure that your accomodation is on the side that would allow you to see it. Otherwise, from the boat tours on the lake you should still be able to see it!

Also, you may be able to do some sprinklers while you are there, but be sure to check with the place you are staying with if its okay and where. For us we were able to do it along the side of the lake, and you can buy the fireworks at the conbini! 

See you at the next adventure!