I couldn’t get enough of Koyo. Autumn as one of my favorite seasons beside spring, makes me always want to hunt photos of colorful leaves (Koyo). ^^ My Japanese friend who knew that I like Koyo, asked me if I had ever been to Kawaguchiko lake and saw Mt. Fuji, as the Koyo there at the end of November was very good. I, who had never been to Kawaguchiko, really wanted to go there. Previously, my Indonesia friends who were on vacation in Japan, made Kawaguchiko as part of their destination. After deciding the time, we agreed to go to Kawaguchiko and Mt. Fuji.
We traveled to Kawaguchiko by bus from the bus terminal opposite of Shinjuku Station. According to my friend, using a bus to Kawaguchiko is more practical than a train.
Finally, we arrived at Kawaguchiko bus station. Then we walked to Lake Kawaguchiko. Along the way, the colorful autumn leaves looked very beautiful. Moreover, the weather was sunny. It was very beautiful when I saw red momiji and the gate of temple (torii) with a background of blue sky. ^^
Torii and Momiji
After walking for a few minutes, we finally arrived at Lake Kawaguchiko! Around the lake, we saw trees and leaves in various colors, red, yellow, orange, green. The lake water was so clear and a few duck boats scattered. Sooo beautiful. As we look around, there were a lot of tour buses. I also saw a number of Indonesians tourists.
Lake Kawaguchiko and Koyo
Lake Kawaguchiko and Koyo
Lake Kawaguchiko and Koyo
Lake Kawaguchiko and Koyo
In order to see Mt. Fuji clearly, we decided to use ropeway. When we bought ropeway tickets, the queue was very long, hundreds of people were waiting. As it would take almost 2 hours, we decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. We chose one of the restaurants in front of Lake Kawaguchiko which provided a menu of fish taken from Lake Kawaguchiko. It tasted really good. :9 As it was sunny and coincided with peak of autumn, the restaurant was packed with a lot of tourists. Luckily, we got a place with a nice view near the window directly facing Kawaguchiko. ^^
Lunch with fish from Lake Kawaguchiko
After lunch, we saw the ropeway queue was still very long. We decided to walk around Lake Kawaguchiko which was very spacious and beautiful. Looking around, we could see very beautiful Koyo everywhere.
Koyo
Finally, after waiting for some time, we could ride the ropeway! For sure, when the ropeway ran, we could see very pretty Koyo sceneries around. Unfortunately, as the ropeway was very full, I couldn’t take photos properly. However, human eyes are indeed the best camera, the scenery around was amazingly beautiful. <3
Koyo around the ropeway
When we arrived on the hill, we saw Mt. Fuji very clearly. Usually, when we raided a train or viewed from a high place, only the peak of Mount Fuji could be seen. However, this time Mt. Fuji was clearly visible. ^^ Because of the midday peak, the sun was really bright. My friend who wanted to take photos with the background of Mount Fuji got a backlight. ^^’ Because it was so hot, we decided to buy Matcha ice cream at a nearby cafe. So yummy. :9
Dazzling Mount Fuji
Matcha Ice Cream
After being content looking at Mount Fuji, we decided to return to Kawaguchiko Station to take the local bus to another lake, Lake Saiko. However, we missed the bus. The bus didn’t get there often. Then, we finally decided to enjoy the view of Lake Kawaguchiko during sunset with beautiful Mt. Fuji as background. ^^
Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko
After looking at the sunset in Kawaguchiko, my friend brought me to see Koyo illumination nearby. However, the road was far, we had to take a local bus. It turned out the bus was really crowded. We could hardly get on. ^^’ We didn’t try to wait for the next bus because it would take a very long time. Moreover, there was no guarantee that the next bus would be more empty. Along the way, there was very bad traffic jam. As it was on weekend, the weather was sunny, and it was peak autumn, there were so many tourists. Rarely I saw traffic jam in Japan.
Finally, we arrived! From a distance, we saw Mt. Fuji and the twinkling lights of cars that stuck in traffic jam. Even in a bad situation, there is always a positive side. ^^ Like traffic jams at night, from a height or a distance, a row of lights from the cars looks very beautiful. Hehe.
Mount Fuji and car lights
After walking a few minutes from the stop, we saw the illumination trees along the road, really beautiful! After seeing the illuminated Koyo, we decided to go home because the bus schedule to Tokyo was leaving soon.
Koyo illumination
Koyo illumination
This time the trip was very beautiful and enjoyable, of course with a pleasant travel companion. ^^ Next time, I would love to see more beautiful places in Japan. Hopefully.
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