Yamanashi

Barely a week old here in Japan when I received a confirmation from Ate Maki, one of my oldest flckr friends, about the photoshoot she told me before leaving the Philippines. A group of other photo enthusiasts from Timog Forum, an online forum for Filipinos in Japan, will be joining the activity too. I thought it is a great venue to meet online friends in the flesh. LOL!

A day before the agreed date, my flickr godfather, Kuya Ben, sent me a mail informing that he can join the event. I am doubly delighted when I read his mail. Kuya Ben and Ate Maki are my family in cyberspace and meeting them is indeed a treat on my part. The venue of the shoot is in Yamanashi Perfecture. I haven’t heard of the said place actually but I know its very famous as Fuji-san is visible in the area. Oh well, I never thought that Fuji-san can be at times selfish. Haha! More on that later.

I met Kuya Ben with his lovely wife, Ate Merly, together with two TF members, Michiko and Kate. They were all quiet like me. Amazing isn’t it? We headed to Ate Maki's house at around 2000H and it took more or less than 3 hours to reach the place. Along the way, we introduced ourselves to each other, as well as to all the ghosts listening to us, shared our bio-data and learned each other’s name. Well, except mine. Haha!

Ate Maki welcomed us and a sea of food flashed before our eyes. Three TF members were already there, Rad and Rya, and Jane. I got the chance to meet Juan, Jose, Julius, Bonifacio, Emilio, Justo – the invisible creatures. The girls showed their magic touches in the kitchen while the boys started their drinking session. Filipino, Japanese, Malaysian foods were served. As much as I wanted to eat, I can’t as I don’t want to upset my stomach. Better be hungry than to visit the toilet every now and then.

The stories didn’t end, nobody slept, not even a wink or two. That’s how excited we were,. I guess. We just stopped when we saw that the sun is attempting to show up. We then raced to Lake Motosu, hoping to have a glimpse of the rising sun. But, the sun had been up already. But the place is simply magical. Beautiful would be an understatement. Of course we wasted no time in pulling out our respective gears and I am the only Nikon user in the group. LOL! Well, Kuya Ben had Pentax, so it made both of us the odd men. Hehe!

Fuji-san wasn’t that clear, I am not sure if its shyness or selfishness on his part that he didn’t bother showing his entirety. But we were still satisfied with his appearance and you can hear the clicks and shutter sound throughout. For a minute, I felt that I am in another world. No exaggeration.

The Fuji Five Lakes at the northern foot of Mount Fuji are Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko), Lake Yamanaka (Yamanakako), Lake Sai (Saiko), Lake Shoji (Shojiko) and Lake Motosu (Motosuko). The five lakes were formed a long time ago by lava flows, which dammed up rivers flowing through the region. Interestingly, three of the lakes, Saiko, Shojiko and Motosuko are still connected with each other by underground waterways and consequently maintain the same surface level of 901 meters above sea level.

Lake Motosu (13km circumference) is the westernmost of the five lakes.

It canbeviewed on the 1000 Yen bill.

We then moved to Lake Shoji hoping to have a much better view of Fuji-san, but he seemed not in the mood to be playful to photographer enthusiasts. LOL! Still, it didn’t hinder or lower down our energy to take hundred of photos.

Lake Shoji (2.5km circumference), by far the smallest of the five lakes, is located another five kilometers west of Lake Sai. It offers nice views of Mount Fuji and good fishing.

The group decided not to continue going to the remaining three lakes as Fuji-san was uncooperative that day. Instead we went to Tokuma river dam near Ate Maki’s place. I said near! LOL!

But before heading to our final destination, we stopped by Shimobe Hotel for a cup of hot coffee and cocoa. A good way to awaken our almost sleeping sanities. Aside from the hot beverage, the hotel offered a good way of relaxation, the popular and traditional “ashiyu”. The water not-so-hot water temperature running through your feet soothed your senses. A place not to miss if you are in Yamanashi prefecture.

photo by Ate Maki

The atmosphere in Tokuma was very relaxing and the water was inviting. It was a good location to end the trip. The taste of adobo still lingers. Everything was organized that I can’t wait for the next trip. Haha!

Thanks for this adventure everyone. Looks like I will have a blast here in Japan.

Itai! Itai!

/totomai
07/15/08