Mishima Things to Do

If you ever wondered what the explosion of Fuji left behind here it is. This is the hole in the top. I would look like a speck of sand in there, so this thing is huge. If you look closely you will see a little building on the far left on top that hill there. There was this group of scientist hanging out there that I gues was from there. It was middle of august but still like 35 degrees or lower at the top. Thats fahrenheit. Why does America use a whole nother way of measuring everything? I can't even understand celcius.

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Climb Mt. Fuji

It took me about 4-5 hours up and about 6 down a different route. I hear to climb before sunset to get to the top and watch the sunrise. It is said that the Japanese flag is actually the view of the rising sun as viewed from the peak of Fuji. The Gotemba route is the least tiring (steep) but ends up being alot longer. I climbed the route that faces the ocean, called Fujinomiya. It was amazing to watch a cloud come right at you and then engulf you, wait it out and blast into clear air on the other end. It was August but there was still a patch of ice here and there, with temperatures around 32 degrees farenheit. I learned that water is more important to have than 3 cameras as I did, and bring some food containing high percentages of sugar, you are going to need the rush.

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Funny story......

I'm at our house in Japan, Yuki is in the shower, its just the two of us. I hang shirtless regulary and today was no exception.

"DING DONG" the door bell rings.

I swing the door open to find a monk before me. His face spells out a suprised look as I spill forward the same. We study each other for a breif second, he makes a grunt sound and pushes past me. His robe grazes my arm hair sending tori hara (chicken skin, our equivalent to Goose Bumps) covering my epidermis, on this humid semi-tropical day. He contines quickly removing his two toed foot pieces and darting into the tatami room (traditional Japanese room, you know with the screens and all). Shortly I hear moans and groans arising with taps and rings of bells. With utter confusion and fright I run to the bathroom, rip the door open and notify Yuki of the wild bandit monk.

"Its fine Johnny, he comes every year during Obon to bless the shrine in the Tatami room."

"Oh..."

There is a slow moving river that has the clearest water I have ever seen moseying down through the center of the city. The walk is like a controlled rock jumping mission that you would do on a babbling brook through the mountains. The runoff is from Mt. Fuji being that Mishima sits in the wake of its Volcanic meltdown down in the valley. When arriving theres usually kids there looking for frogs or butterflies, and the scene is so serene and peaceful. It seems the people are there completely appreciating what the earth is giving them.

Susono is real small town living in Japan. Once again I'm the only white man in sight, thats great. Our home falls into Mishima and Susono but more apart of Mishima. Susono is littered with Temples and home that a re still barely standing. Its also a place with normal everyday living needs, in that they have huge American sized supermarkets, this can be good and bad.

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Time Bell in Mishima alongside the Genbe river is one of the popular scenic sites in Mishima. Genbe river comes from a spring in Rakujuen Park and walking along the Genbe river is quite refreshing.