Yesterday Ann sent me photos from her day-trip to Mt Fuji, which is but one part of her 10 day holiday with JJ in Japan. It was a sunny, clear day for them, so the mountain looked majestic, fringes of snow still clinging to its peak. I had been sending her weather reports from the area for days now, as she had been fretting that cloud, rain or fog would obscure the view. I had told her about my experience back in 2002, when, after a short break in Tokyo, I tried to in vain to get close to the mountain on the way back to Sanda. Here is what I wrote at the time -

"The next morning we trekked back to the station (Minami-Senju in Tokyo), then headed south again. We were keen on seeing Mt Fuji, and our guide books (who shall remain nameless) insisted that a good view might be had from the Hakone National Park. Perfect, since it was on our way home.

Essentially, this meant catching a JR Rapid to Odawara, then changing to a local line into the Hakone National Park. The little single-gauge train led us through some beautiful scenery to Gora. We looked around. No Fuji-san! So we caught a bus to Owakudani, a place of sulphurous smells and springs. Still no Mt Fuji! Then we asked someone. 'Well' came the reply 'I think it should be over there.' Sadly, cloud and smoke obscured 'over there', so we headed down again, having missed the great mountain completely. This often happens, we were later told."

I am happy that Ann's day worked out so well for them both. Today she caught a train to Nikko. If only I could have stowed away in the luggage!

For another day perhaps.