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I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

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Spring Break Day 13: To Mount Fuji

4 April 2019 • 421 km / 262 mi (map)

  • Added to Eric Scouten :: Travel on 7 June 2023
  • Japan 6

Any trip to Japan must include a ride on the famously-fast Shinkansen trains.

We started today with a photo walk through Heian Shrine, near where we were staying:

A white paper lantern bearing a chrysanthemum crest hangs from a wooden stand within a vermilion-pillared gate at Heian Shrine in Kyōto, with white plaster walls behind and a thick straw shimenawa rope with paper streamers visible at upper right.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
The main hall of Heian Shrine in Kyōto, a vermilion wooden building with a green tiled roof topped by golden ornaments, flanked by matching covered corridors, with an early blooming tree to the right and dark green trees behind under a clear blue sky, seen across a broad expanse of pale raked gravel.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A vermilion-painted wooden rack at Heian Shrine densely covered with hundreds of white paper omikuji fortune slips tied in rows, with a black signboard bearing Japanese characters on the left post and green pine branches above in the morning sunlight.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
Rows of wooden ema prayer plaques hung with red cords on an orange-red rack at Heian Shrine in Kyōto, each printed with the characters for “prayer” and a red floral stamp, filled in with handwritten Japanese wishes in black ink.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A stone chōzuya purification fountain at Heian Shrine topped with a carved stone white tiger perched on a rock, with three wooden ladles resting across the water basin and Japanese characters inscribed on the front stone block. Behind it stretches the shrine’s pale gravel courtyard and vermilion-and-green painted buildings.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A weathered green bronze hanging lantern suspended by a chain in front of vivid vermilion wooden double doors at Heian Shrine in Kyōto, flanked by orange lacquered pillars with peeling paint, with morning light casting the lantern’s shadow across the lower doors.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A black wooden sign with white Japanese calligraphy reading the entrance to the sacred garden stands against a vermilion-painted pillar at Heian Shrine, with a green bronze hanging lantern above and the shrine’s orange beams and white walls in the background.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
The vermilion-painted corridor of Heian Shrine in Kyōto, with a hanging bronze lantern suspended from the ceiling beams and a red wooden lattice gate at the end, through which green trees and a garden are visible in morning light.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A vermilion-painted wooden corridor at Heian Shrine in Kyōto, with bright orange pillars, white plaster lower walls, and green latticed windows. Two dark metal hanging lanterns dangle from the eaves beneath a tiled roof with orange and yellow trim.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A covered walkway at Heian Shrine lined with vermilion wooden pillars receding into the distance, with ornate green bronze lanterns hanging from the eaves and latticed doors along the wall; cherry blossoms and pine trees are visible in the sunlit courtyard beyond.
Heian Shrine, Kyōto, Japan
A couple in traditional Japanese wedding attire—one in a white kimono, the other in a bright red floral kimono—stand on a stone canal-side path in Kyōto while an attendant in black adjusts their clothing. A branch of white cherry blossoms hangs in the foreground over the shallow canal water, with a dark-timbered wall behind.
Kyōto, Japan

Next up … a very fast train!

Kyōto Station, Kyōto, Japan
Diet Coke, Mount Fuji Edition · Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

Our trip on the famous Shinkansen trains took us to near where we would stay tonight. The track log from the time says we were going roughly 280 km/h / 175 mph during both of the videos that follow. (Yes, for the record, I like going fast.)

Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan
Shinagawa City, Tōkyō, Japan

The train took us as close as we could get to Mount Fuji. And then, being the adventurous driver that I am, I rented a car and drove us the hour or so from the train station to our hotel near Mount Fuji.

We arrived a bit too late for Mount Fuji pictures tonight. Hoping that I can wake up early tomorrow and make some magic happen.

Kyōto to Yamanakako, Japan · 421 km / 262 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there. Use the button to adjust the map’s position and zoom.)

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