It's Climbing Season! (A View from the Top)

Mt. Fuji's climbing season is off to a chilly start. Last Friday, a couple of our Gauntlet family members braved their way to the summit, tossing a few snowballs when they were able to catch their breath. The gravel "down" path was closed because of snow, making for an arduous and crowded descent via the "up" trail (all of those stairs, ugh!). The huts at the very top were closed, but climbers were able to get their summit stamps at a lower station (gotta get those stamps!).

The reward for extra trouble? A beautiful view of the crater (and no wind at the top).

Journey along (acrophobics beware)...




Fifth Station (starting point) at 6:27 AM. Looks like a lovely day.




On the way up at 6:39. Lovely? More like foreboding.




It's 7:52. Say, that looks a little steep.




8:40. Now that's steep!




Three and a half hours of climbing (9:50). No end in sight!




Looking down at 10:22. Is this really a good idea?!




It's 11:56. Almost there!




12:17. Finally made it! Oh look, the huts are closed. :(




Making it all worthwhile!

What to do with Wikimapia

Wikimapia, listed under the "Getting Around" links, is not just another map. Note all of its interactive boxes. Hold your mouse over a boxed location, and you will discover the identity of that building or complex or park. Click on a box, and more information is often forthcoming.

Need to find another Daiso store? Type "daiso" in the search box, and you'll get a list of stores, locations, and how far they are from your current map setting. Click on one, and the map will take you there. And how about IKEA? Seek and you shall find. :)

Wikimapia is also useful for finding the answers to many "What is that?" questions. For example, navigate around Tokyo or the Yokohama port area with the view set to "satellite". It's quite handy for identifying the malls in Machida, too.

The link is preset to our local area.

Suica and Pasmo Cards

This week's Stripes Kanto (February 13th edition) includes an article about the Suica and Pasmo cards. If you don't have a printed copy handy, here is the link, but it's not an edition-specific URL, so it will only display the latest edition.

It is a good overview of the cards and their uses, but I belive the information about the SUICA pass needs some clarification. It works on the private rail lines just as you would use a PASMO card. I purchased my SUICA card in Yokohama close to a year and a half ago, and I use it all over the local area and Tokyo subways. They are accepted on the buses too.

For more information, see the Wikipedia entries for PASMO and SUICA. (Tip: these Wiki pages contain many links to local rail information.)

A "Stripes Kanto" link (including all Pacific region Stripes weeklies) is conveniently located on this blog under the News and Information heading.