Day two - Mount Fuji

Bus ride this morning to Mount Fuji!  I started a small Boro stitching piece on the ride.  I actually have already seen a glimpse of Fuji-san, as the locals call it.  Riding from the airport to our first hotel in Tokyo, we could see Fuji against the setting sun.  No photo, but a wonderful memory!  Today, we ride a cable car up from Lake Kawaguchi to get a better view. 

 Once at the top, here is my first look:

Climbing a bit further, a more clear view:

 The obligatory tourist 'I was here" shot:

 And my SAQA friends, Lisa Walton - tour leader, and Martha Wolfe, my mentor.

 Here's (mostly) the whole group of us:

 You could have lunch or a snack up here:

 You could throw money at the bunny shrine.

 Or hang a wish or dream:

 Back down at the bottom were shops.  I liked these hats, but wasn't sure how to get one home.

 They had a guy out front modeling:

I indulged in a cookie from a sweet cookie shop:   These people are a positive bunch.  they really are happy, and resilient.  Toshi has told us stories of flood, earthquake, war, fire and destruction. Those who survived have always rebuilt and begun again.

 So, above some of the tourist shops are restaurants.  We wandered into a delightful one that had two women who cooked and served us a fantastic one pot lunch.  Vegetables, noodles and broth all bubbling in front of you as you overlook the lake.  Yum. 

 I especially enjoyed this little lady, and took many photos of her.  She is likely to find her way into a quilt one day. 

                                                   Lots of hand signals working out our orders!

While our pots were bubbling, I went to the restroom with my camera (for research purposes only)  Looked nice to start:

           On entering, I had second thoughts.  Good there is not smell-o-vision on this blog.

               And here you have the non-western version of the toilet.  Pew!  Exited quickly.

 So, aside from that, lunch was lovely, and we continued on our bus to the next adventure, the Itchiku Kubota Art museum and it's display of fabulous silk kimonos, along with other art forms from the master's collection.  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of the kimonos, but I took several of the grounds and gardens surrounding the museum.  Here we all are, getting ready to enter the big ornate doors . . .

                                              A short walk up to the museum entrance:

These are decorative tiles from the ends of roof tiles on traditional Japanese buildings.  We took rubbings onto fabric before the bus left!

Once inside, we became very quiet as we absorbed the mastery of this silk dyeing artist.  Each kimono was a fantastic work of art - mostly landscapes, and larger than life.  You had to examine them close up to imagine the massive handwork involved, and then from a distance to appreciate the entire scene.  

There was one area where photos were allowed - the artist's 'drawing room'.  Equally spellbinding, with a view out to a waterfall in the garden, and wonderful art pieces including Asian and African wood loungers and sculptures.  

Other surprises delight you as you stroll around the grounds:

We then continued a short distance to our hotel, overlooking the lake and Fuji-san!    

This was the view from my room.

Our tour leader, Lisa invited us to share the 'onsen' or hot bath.  Anyone who knows me will be surprised that I took her up on this invitation, as clothing (even a bathing suit)is not an option.  So, a bunch of us ladies left our kimonos in a locker, and enjoyed the steaming water and a look at the majestic Mount Fuji before dinner.  Sorry, no photos. 

  

We were told that we were welcome to wear the kimono to dinner, so here we are!

Getting to know some of the tour members better now.  We're a mixed bunch, but most are from Australia and New Zealand.

This was another magical day, and somewhere along the way, about halfway through today, I told Lisa that I could go home right now and just be so pleased with what I've done and seen here already!  And we still have 12 days to go!  My cup is overflowing.