8:00 am — TSH, day 4

Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)

Today I decided to have a breakfast in the hut ‘cause outside was drenching wet after the night rain. I moved out around 8am to let the trees dry a little bit. And just a few hundred meters up the mountain I stumbled into a fantastic view of mt.Fuji. Since this point and for the next several days I may hike around the base of the mountain getting more of these views.

View point at the top of mt.Komotsurushi was also great yet it was too wet to have a breakfast there (thus I’m glad I’d already had one before).

And several hours later I’ve got to see a lake Yamanakako with the city surrounding it.

Mt. Fuji framed by green tree branches
Backpack and hiking poles on summit table
Panorama of Mt. Fuji with lake below

12:00 pm — Fuji-san

Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)

The views throughout the day were spectacular.

Mt. Fuji and lake through foliage
Mt. Fuji across lake from sandy beach

1:30 pm — Shortcut

Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)

On getting down to the city my knee started to hurt pretty bad, also I was going a bit late due to my slow pace. Thus I decided to skip the mountain section of TSH at the north of Yamanakako and went by a bike road at the shore of the lake itself. I also booked a room in the inn at the western part of the lake. The walk was nice and I’d recommend to stay at the city for two or three days to enjoy the neighborhood.

Lakeside bike path with mountains
Grassy lakeshore with reeds and hills
Bike path along lake with Mt. Fuji view

9:30 pm — Wrapping the day

Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)

The inn turned out to be a pretty nice place (with almost non-English-speaking staff, however we were able to communicate just fine). I couldn’t find any working food spots, I believe that’s due to the low season. However there are several convenience stores in the close neighborhood and a big supermarket. So I stashed up with food for the next few days and also bought some salads, sushi rolls and stuff for evening and morning.

After having a snack I decided to visit a nearby onsen. It was a great idea, soaking in a hot outdoor pool surrounded by conifers and watching how the sky goes darker behind Fuji-san is marvelous.

Traditional Japanese room with futon
Dim empty room with chandelier, sliding shoji door open to a brighter adjoining room