Our train to the base of Mt. Fuji.... very fitting

Could not resist a picture with these cute hiking anime characters

During the Silver Week long holiday weekend, Sean and I joined a local community group's trip to the nearby Fuji Lakes region.  The plan was to take the train to the lake, buy some groceries to cook some traditional autumn food (Hoto Soup), take a bus to the campground, go on a nature hike and then make the homemade stew.  We were very excited to hang out with local Japanese people and see a bit of Japan other than Tokyo.

Hoto soup dinner - apparently a regional speciality

Our trailer for the weekend

We met at the nearby train station at nine in the morning and boarded the train together.  The group consisted of me and Sean, Madeleine (another Peace Fellow), Junko (a Japanese government worker), Kaori (a friend of Junko's), Naomi (Japanese community developer) and Yutaka (Japanese government worker).  The journey took about an hour and a half and the scenery along the way was a refreshing change from urban cityscape.

When we arrived at the home base for Mt. Fuji, we bought groceries to make Hoto stew, snacks, drinks and breakfast items.  We took a bus around the lake to our campground and got settled in to our trailer.  None of the Japanese had ever stayed in a trailer before and they were over the moon that such a shelter could exist.  Sean and I were happy that we could both stand up straight in the trailer without stooping.  We hung out by the lake shore a bit before participating in a nature walk and listening to a talk about the local flora and fauna.  By listening, I mean we followed along and watched as our guide pointed at things and then launched into detailed explanations in Japanese.

Our guide explaining about the mountain range and fault lines

Nature walk

After walking, it was time to get started on the soup.  Making the stew involved cutting up vegetables, boiling special thick noodles and adding in miso spices.  The whole process was quite lengthy but the end result was worth it.  After dinner, we shared the tradition of S'mores with our new friends and then squeezed into the trailer to sleep for the night.  Needless to say, in a trailer meant for five Japanese, it was a cozy fit with four Japanese and three Westerners.

Hanging out at the lake

Almost the whole crew

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