Road Trip To Yamanashi Ken

For my birthday last April 30, we went on a roadtrip to Yamanashi Ken, home of the famous shibazakuras and the four lakes surrounding the mysterious Mt. Fuji. It took us about 2hours and then some wrong turns to get there, but we got there alright. Thanks to the reliable NAVI that our rented car has. It is really amazing how it works!

On the way, we stopped by Ebina, an expressway pit-stop for us to refresh and stretch and feed baby Sam (Oh yes, we brought her with us.) Driving through a network of expressways, roads and then some tunnels that are quite long (the longest one was almost 3kilometers), we finally got to our first stop: the Shibazakuras. The shibazakuras are so named because like the sakura or cherry blossoms, they only bloom in the spring time and that they are like grass, thus the term `shiba`. The place was really breathtaking even though not all of the shibazakuras are in full bloom. From there, one can catch a glimpse of the mysterious Mt. Fuji in the horizon.

Our next stop was Lake Mutotsu - one of the four lakes that can be found in Yamanashi Ken. The lake itself was very beautiful - crystal clear waters, and with a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji. We circumnavigated the lake and it was a bit scary because the road was quite narrow in some areas and a cliff on another. Surrounding the lake are different areas: they got two camping sites, a windsurfing site, a boat rowing site, a fishing site and a hiking site. We stopped by a famous viewing deck, where professional photographers take photos of the beautiful Mt. Fuji, to have our pictures taken. It was picture perfect - the lake, Mt. Fuji, me, dad and Sam. After we tired of taking photos and taking in the view, we finally decided to move on.

We then visited the two other lakes, which are bigger than Lake Mutotsu but we just dropped by because it was getting late. Then we set off for home, quite dreading the fact that we have to pass through those tunnels again. It was already dark when we left Yamanashi Ken. We stopped by Ebina again for our pitstop to change Sam`s nappy and feed her so that she will be comfortable on the road, and then we got some coffee to keep us awake on the still long road ahead. I especially have to be awake because I was helping dad navigate and I was keeping him company so that he won`t get sleepy during the drive.

Finally, we got home - exhausted from the long day of sightseeing but it was one of the best birthdays ever. Thanks Dad and Sam for the trip!