Fuji Shibazakura Festival | Review by 一個漸漸喜歡上慢旅的人

每次去日本逛超市時，這款 S&B 本生山葵醬是我的必買清單之一。不僅使用上很方便，隨時想吃都能輕鬆擠出適量的山葵泥，非常適合拿來搭配日式醬油一起沾生魚片或各類日本料理。最推薦的私房吃法是沾一點在簡單的毛豆上，風味瞬間大大加分，香氣十足又解膩。不管是居家料理還是宵夜配酒，都是廚房裡不可或缺的常備好物。

I've always liked this way of traveling—even when revisiting the same place, if some time has passed and you go with different people, you can see completely different scenery. I visited Tenjoyama Park at Lake Kawaguchi more than ten years ago, and this time I returned with friends. We leisurely rode bicycles while enjoying the lake and mountain views, parked them next to the ropeway station, and slowly made our way up the mountain by ropeway.

As the gondola gradually climbed higher, Lake Kawaguchi below and the view of Mount Fuji became clearer and clearer. After reaching the top, you can first visit the charming rabbit shrine. In the chilly weather, nothing felt better than sitting beside the Tanuki Teahouse and slowly enjoying a cup of hot tea and grilled dango. There is also a lesser-known hidden spot here. If you walk a little farther toward the back, you can catch a gorgeous view of Mount Fuji through the gaps in the trees. We were lucky that a few lingering cherry blossoms were still decorating the branches at the time. The entire experience, from riding the ropeway up the mountain to strolling around the summit, was relaxing and filled with wonderful memories.

When I think of Japan’s most representative spiritual symbol, it has to be Mount Fuji, the sacred mountain in the hearts of the Japanese people. This perfectly shaped volcano is not only an iconic sight for countless people, but also the first classic image that comes to my mind whenever I think about traveling to Japan.

I remember my first trip to Japan. I was riding a long-distance bus through the mountain roads, and while everything inside the bus was quiet, the driver rounded a bend and the enormous, snow-covered Mount Fuji suddenly appeared outside the window without warning, in all its magnificence. Ever since then, whenever I have the chance to visit Japan and know that I’ll be able to see Mount Fuji, I can’t help finding a quiet place to stop and admire it in silence.

This trip to Japan could be called a pilgrimage made especially for Mount Fuji. Hoping to witness the legendary morning reflection of Mount Fuji and Red Fuji with my own eyes, I specifically chose to stay by Lake Kawaguchi and got up in the dark before dawn to head out. The lake was perfectly still that morning, and the surroundings were so quiet that I was completely absorbed in the moment. As the sky gradually brightened and the light and shadows shifted, a perfectly clear reflection of Mount Fuji appeared on the water, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Then, unexpectedly, the dreamlike Red Fuji appeared in the morning light as if it were an added bonus. The breathtaking view made me gasp inwardly—it was all so beautiful that it looked just like a painting.

I sat quietly on a rock beside the grass, greedily watching every change in this sacred mountain in the light of dawn. But every journey has its little unexpected incidents. It wasn’t until I had finished enjoying the scenery and was about to leave that I realized I had unknowingly been bitten by an insect near the grass. My ankle had swollen so badly that I could barely put on my original shoes. Although I had to urgently change my itinerary and search everywhere for a pharmacy to buy medicine, when I think back on how incredibly lucky I was to witness Red Fuji with my own eyes, even this small accident became an unforgettable part of the trip. With a heart full of emotion and memories of a close call, I returned safely to Taiwan.