PfG: Fabulous Fuji!

But before that, for some reason Karl and I were both up early the morning we came into Shimizu. I saw these kayakers all bunched together, then small motor boats coming to tow individual kayaks away, it was kind of weird.

I knew there was going to be a ferris wheel near the dock and we thought we might want to take a ride on it for views of Mt. Fuji. It turned out it really wasn't much taller than the top deck of Serenade.

Standing on our balcony and looking in the direction we thought Fuji should be we suspected it might be under cloud cover but decided we'd go up top to the bow of the ship to see what we could see.

And we could see Mt. Fuji! It was pretty hazy but it was there. Our hope was that as the day wore on the haze would burn away.

These were the welcoming signs in the terminal. Since we were on our own we didn't have to rush off the ship to meet a group so had a nice breakfast before taking off.

Miho-no-Matsubara wasn't far from port as you can see on this map. It could have been a long walk, but a short taxi ride worked better for us. Our driver spoke a little English and tried to point things out to us and make a little conversation as we drove. He kept apologizing for his bad English and all we could do was assure him it was good, and a thousand times better than our Japanese!

This site is considered part of the “Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration” UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. You enter by climbing these few stairs up into the forest.

You're quickly surrounded by these twisted and gnarled pine trees,

some of which are over 200 years old.

They go to great lengths to keep these trees from dying. You can see how this one is being propped up even though it's almost lying on its side.

Once you come through the pines you find a meadow, and in all its glory is Mt. Fuji. This post will be overload of mountain photos rather than flowers.

You could get pretty views next to the beach, where these concrete pylons were set to keep the waves from eroding the shore and to help protect the pines.

We wished the scene had been even clearer but we were just so grateful to be able to see this mountain where the Japanese anciently believed the gods resided.

It is still considered sacred to many.

Not sure what these large rusting chains were doing along the beach but they made for an interesting photo.

I saw the rock on the left and then looked for another to make it a complete heart

so that I could take this photo, because I was wishing my heart, my family, could all be here to see this beautiful place with me.

This was just such a beautiful spot to wander, listening to the sounds of the sea with Mt. Fuji towering in the background.

The sea wall here is this tall, about 39 feet, so you know they must get some pretty good storms and waves here.

There was a nice walkway/bike path that ran along the top of the sea wall beside the pines for many miles. We headed north on it until Karl's knee said it was time to go back.

But we did get some nice photos with the trees and Mt. Fuji.

Are you tired of these yet?

The top of this beloved mountain is 12,388 feet above sea level. There is only a certain time of year that people are allowed to climb it, early July until early September. with peak climbing season being in August. The trails to make the ascent can close for rain or winds.

Sorry not sorry for another photo. It was just so beautiful here.

Bet you couldn't tell this one was a selfie!

We walked back along this path through the pines, listening for the birds singing.

Even the bark was beautiful.

It's no wonder that this spot has been beloved by the Japanese since ancient times.

It is cared for by the locals who plant new trees to make sure Miho continues.

This is one of several Shinto shrines in the forest. The pines are considered sacred, the home of the kami, the Shinto spirits.

Inside this somewhat rusted spot there are still offerings.

As you can see from these photos there was all kinds of new growth on the existing trees,

in various stages. This was the only sawed off limb that I saw, even it was cared for and protected.

How does a tree end up growing sideways like this?

You knew there would have to be at least one flower photo.

During WW2 there were many of the trees cut down for fuel and salt production, reducing their number significantly. Today you can see how well cared for trees are by looking at thee that are propped up to keep from falling. Their braces look almost like tori gates themselves. We also saw a group of people who wore on the site raking up pine straw, most probably local volunteers.

The Miho-no-Matsubara website says that "because of its beauty, Miho-no-Matsubara has been chosen as one of the Nihon Shin Sankei, a list created in 1915 of Japan's three most celebrated scenic locations." We felt lucky to have been able to go there and experience its beauty.

When our taxi back dropped us off near the ship we were greeted by three local college students who approached us to ask some questions. We were happy to oblige and in their halting English they asked questions about how we were enjoying our visit. We gave Japan a glowing report card. They asked if they could take a photo with us so we asked for one of them in return. They were two cute young women and a nice young man who took the photo.

We walked over to the shopping center next to the ferris wheel and finally, FINALLY, found a place to get some Japanese food for our lunch. This man looks like a happy camper doesn't he?

Karl had grilled beef and I had pork. He also tried some fried chicken. The salad that came with our meals was delicious with some kind of sesame dressing. The soup was a little spicy for me but since this was the first time food had tasted good for a couple of days I ate every bite of everything.

There was a store called Kiddie Land across from the food court that had all kinds of cute Sanrio type things in it, the granddaughters would have gone crazy, and a few Mario things as well. I had to throw in these photos of vending machines outside the store,

because there were so many of them and they were EVERYWHERE in the shopping center!

Once we finished lunch we headed back to the ship and along the way saw this cute Port of Shimizu sign.

This one made me laugh as we were leaving the terminal because it was such contrast to the welcomes we had received all day. There were multiple volunteers with maps at the terminal in the morning to help us find our way around and many there as we sailed away in the afternoon. They even shot off fireworks in the daytime as a sendoff. Shimizu was truly a friendly place.