Beautiful nature&traditional culture in Kawaguchiko

On my day off, I made a day trip from Tokyo to go sightseeing in Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. In this blog I will introduce 3 areas I went to in the region.

Fuji Shibazakura Festival

As a lover of nature, I really enjoy the variety of seasonal flowers in Japan. Even though the cherry blossom season is long ended, there are constantly different varieties of flower going in and out of season.

Although I missed the peak season of the Shibazakura (moss flox flowers), there was a variety of flowers to see and a beautiful view of Mt Fuji.

The word shibazakura comes from the words lawn and sakura, but it is actually a completely different species to sakura. It is named so because of the split in the petals, similar to sakura flowers.

A mini Mt Fuji covered with flowers!

Although the peak of the Shibazakura had past, there was a variety of other flowers to see.

In my country poppies refer to the First World War, but in Japan they are a cheerful flower, symbolising new love and compassion.

I could really sense the lively energy from the poppies.

After a quick lunch at the garden, we went to the next location.

Saiko Iyashi no Sato (Traditional Village)

 

The next place we went was a traditional village in the style of the early Showa period.

Many of these thatched roof houses had been converted into shops, selling cute trinkets or snacks.

You can also try out hands-on activities such as washi paper making or kimono wearing.

Oshino Hakkai

This group of 8 pure springs is a national treasure and has been selected as one of the top 100 most remarkable waters of Japan.

You can see huge koi fish swimming in the water. If I was a freshwater fish, this is where I would want to live!

There were a variety of snacks sold in the village. We had a refreshing dessert made from sliced, frozen strawberries and sweetened condensed milk. Simple but delicious!

You can use the pure spring water to wash your hands before drinking it directly. The water here comes from melted snow at Mt Fuji, being naturally filtered through lava stones.

This pond is 8 meters deep, but you can see clearly all the way to the bottom! Some people have dropped coins or other items into the pond, but this is not allowed.

 

 

This ends my introduction of places to visit in the Kawaguchiko area. I think you can really feel the nature and relaxing atmosphere in these places.

Thank you for reading and see you next post!