We woke up refreshed and ready for another jam packed day. After having a big Japanese breakfast served by the ryokan, we packed our bags and headed south towards Mount Fuji in Shizuoka.
Breakfast at the ryokan
Along the way, we stopped by a strawberry patch, where we could pick and eat as many strawberries as we wanted for an hour. This cost about 1000 yen. We were assigned one lane of strawberries, so we ate all the ripe ones. 15 minutes in, we were so full that it was impossible to eat another berry.
Our lane of strawberries
We left Koufu city and continued to head towards the famous volcano. Around Mount Fuji, there are five lakes, known as the Fuji Goko. We stopped at one of the lakes, Kawaguchi Lake, and went on a boat ride. The view from the lake was spectacular. It was slightly cloudy, so we could see Mount Fuji only faintly. But the presence of the mountains that surrounded the lake was impeccable. There are also restaurants, inns, and gift shops around the lake, so I bought gifts for my family and friends back home.
View from Kawaguchi Lake
Our final destination was Fuji Safari Park in Shizuoka prefecture, so we drove further south. At this Safari Park, you can use your own car or you can ride on the park’s bus. As we slowly drove along the road, we saw lions, bears, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, goats, cheetahs, and other animals either sleeping, eating, or playing. Once we were out, we parked the car and went to the other half of the park. This half was a normal zoo. My favorite animal of the day was a female lion that was dozing off on a tree branch.
Cute sleeping lion
As we drove back to Tokyo, the scenery gradually changed from green to grey, as mountains were replaced by buildings. It was nice leaving the city and endulging in the beautiful nature of Yamanashi and Shizuoka. If you are tired of the busy city and want to de-stress, relax and revitalize your mind and body, I recommend these prefectures because they have plenty of nature to offer, and are not so far from Tokyo.
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