4am wake up (no wait, decision to get up and stop kidding myself each short snooze is going to become real sleep)
4.30am walk to vantage point for sunrise. Very special to see it slowly popping above the clouds while sitting on the edge of Mt Fuji. Quite magical.
5.30am breakfast – bento lunchbox again. I cannot wait to eat bacon and eggs back in Australia.
6am resume climb
8am reach summit. Oh my god. Can’t believe I did it. Not gonna lie, so glad that’s over.
Then I’m told we’re not there yet! What?! But seriously, what?! Oh there’s a weather station where everyone takes photos and is the actual measure of the 3776th metre. It’s just up that huge steep hill that people are puffing their lungs out on, just over there. No thanks, I said, but was told you haven’t climbed Fuji unless you do that bit. Of course I dragged my tired arse up that painful incline. And here is the result:
Then the ‘smile and make a peace sign like it was a breeze and I feel happy right now’ pose:
Walk around the circumference of the top for an hour (yes that meant more hills). Got to see the dormant volcano though so that was awesome:
9amish reach famous post office, address Fuji postcard to My Family and post to Mum’s.
9:30amish begin descent. Thank fuck it’s not another 7 or 8 hours like I thought (language barrier, or just not telling me because of it) but this down route is only 3 or 4 hours. Ok I can do that.
Noonish lunch. Curry rice again, (I’ve never eaten this much rice in one week before, not being converted either) and the worst coffee.
1.30pm finally we reach the finish line!!!
Last couple hours were quite fun actually.
2pm drive back down the mountain to the hot spring. I’ve never been so excited to shower and soak in a bath in my life. Thorough shower, hot pool, outdoor pool with massage bead things on the bottom (heaven on my sore swollen feet), sauna and salt scrub, cold pool, steam room, cold pool, hot spa, hydrate. Aaaah. Just what I needed. Probably my last onsen for a long time so I’m glad I left feeling satisfied with my visit.
4pm cab to station, train to Tokyo where we’re staying. I wish we were just going home, I’m completely empty and my lack of tolerance for the language barrier and patience with things that annoy me like unnecessary running or having someone micro manage me is showing and I think offending.
Brainstorm how I can get home so I can be by myself, have a normal conversation, relax and just sleep and quickly realise I can’t afford anything but a six hour train ride which I’ve probably just missed and I don’t have a home so not actually escaping. Feeling trapped, overwhelmed by my lack of connection (phone, wifi), money, job and house again. Fuck. Oh and now the two hotel rooms have become one, no privacy or sleep again, brilliant! I’m going to have a breakdown to someone who can’t even hear the words blubbering out of my mouth. Walk away before you yell or cry. I did. I used the hotel wifi to message my friend then call because this vent had to be huge.
10pm going to sleep, please let me sleep.
same frog, new pond 