Canon Japan Tour (Day 8) Yamanashi to Hiroshima
Hello, travelers. This is Kumi. I guided Canon Australia's Japan tour for two weeks. Let me show you how we enjoyed the tour. This is about Day 8, the day we traveled from Yamanashi to Hiroshima.
We arranged a bus for 5:30am, but as the members already learned Japanese people usually come earlier to be on time, we met in the lobby at 5:15 and, of course, the poor bus diver came early, so we started the tour early. :P
(*I tipped the driver. A lot of visitors believe that we don't tip at all in Japan, but we do tip on some occasions when we think it's necessary. I'll write a blog about this later)
We ran up to the Chureito (忠霊塔) Pagoda again for this view!
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6917.html
The official name of the pagoda is "The Fujiyoshida Cenotaph Monument." This was built to enshrine the people who died in the wars. Not only this one, but there are also many Chureito in Japan.
Anyway, as we arrived quite early, we saved very good positions!!
This observation deck was built in 2015 as more and more people are visiting here after Mt. Fuji was designated as the World Heritage in 2013.
Hmm... lovely! Do you see the pink hillside? That was truly breathtaking!!!
frequently stopped and took photos.
This is the bottom of the stairs. There are 398 steps. That was a very healthy morning exercise.
This is the torii gate of the Arakura Sengen Shrine at the bottom.
Back at the hotel, we quickly had breakfast,
Do we sleep on the bus? Of course not.
everyone was so keen on the activity.
Good-bye, Mt. Fuji. Thank you for showing up for three days in a row!
We arrived at Mishima Station around 9:50 and bought lunch boxes.
We got on the Kodama 643 from Mishima station at 10:24.
Oh! Hello again, Mt. Fuji!
When you take a bullet train from Tokyo, you can see Mt. Fuji (*if the weather is good) until the train goes pass Fujikawa Bridge.
Oh? They are doing something.
Let's see... ISO 400, F8.0, 1 seconds? How did it come out!? (I couldn't find the photo on Instagram)
We arrived at Nagoya station at 12:15.
Hey, hey! You shouldn't lean on the bar. :P
We got on the Nozomi Super Express 107 at 12:33 and enjoyed lunch.
How's your bento box? Good? Excellent?
We arrived at Hiroshima station at 14:50 and got on a bus.
Do people all over the world have the urge to press the button on the bus? LOL
After checking in and leaving our luggage in our rooms, we gathered in the lobby
and visited the ORIZURU TOWER.
http://www.orizurutower.jp/en/
This is a place to wish for world peace.
Very sad and beautiful... This is one of the members' artwork.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsoKadgl8bX/
We came down to the 12th floor and tried making origami cranes.
This YouTube instruction may be easy to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyC7pkT-dE0
How's it goin?
Done!!!
Of course, we spent a lot of time for the cranes' photos.
Release your crane with your wish for world peace...
Your crane may go down like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ8a-UK-aoI
and people's wishes would pile up...
and it fills the tower's wall.
One of the reasons I'm working as a tour guide is tourism may have a very positive influence on world peace. When I was 15, I visited Scotland to learn English and stayed with a Scottish family. It was my very first time to become friends with non-Japanese people and that was when I strongly started wishing for world peace so that I can stay in touch with them forever. Luckily, I still keep in touch with the family after several decades.
During this Canon Japan tour, I became friends with these enthusiastic photographers and I hope to keep in touch with them for several decades from now.
Wishing for world peace...
We arranged a bus for 5:30am, but as the members already learned Japanese people usually come earlier to be on time, we met in the lobby at 5:15 and, of course, the poor bus diver came early, so we started the tour early. :P
(*I tipped the driver. A lot of visitors believe that we don't tip at all in Japan, but we do tip on some occasions when we think it's necessary. I'll write a blog about this later)
We ran up to the Chureito (忠霊塔) Pagoda again for this view!
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6917.html
The official name of the pagoda is "The Fujiyoshida Cenotaph Monument." This was built to enshrine the people who died in the wars. Not only this one, but there are also many Chureito in Japan.
Anyway, as we arrived quite early, we saved very good positions!!
This observation deck was built in 2015 as more and more people are visiting here after Mt. Fuji was designated as the World Heritage in 2013.
Hmm... lovely! Do you see the pink hillside? That was truly breathtaking!!!
We could have stayed there for the whole day, but we went down the stairs,
frequently stopped and took photos.
This is the torii gate of the Arakura Sengen Shrine at the bottom.
Back at the hotel, we quickly had breakfast,
and headed for Mishima Station. We left the hotel at 8:30am.
Do we sleep on the bus? Of course not.
This is our final chance to capture Mt. Fuji, so...
everyone was so keen on the activity.
We arrived at Mishima Station around 9:50 and bought lunch boxes.
We got on the Kodama 643 from Mishima station at 10:24.
Oh! Hello again, Mt. Fuji!
When you take a bullet train from Tokyo, you can see Mt. Fuji (*if the weather is good) until the train goes pass Fujikawa Bridge.
Oh? They are doing something.
Let's see... ISO 400, F8.0, 1 seconds? How did it come out!? (I couldn't find the photo on Instagram)
We arrived at Nagoya station at 12:15.
Hey, hey! You shouldn't lean on the bar. :P
We got on the Nozomi Super Express 107 at 12:33 and enjoyed lunch.
How's your bento box? Good? Excellent?
We arrived at Hiroshima station at 14:50 and got on a bus.
Do people all over the world have the urge to press the button on the bus? LOL
After checking in and leaving our luggage in our rooms, we gathered in the lobby
and visited the ORIZURU TOWER.
http://www.orizurutower.jp/en/
This is a place to wish for world peace.
Very sad and beautiful... This is one of the members' artwork.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsoKadgl8bX/
We came down to the 12th floor and tried making origami cranes.
This YouTube instruction may be easy to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyC7pkT-dE0
How's it goin?
Done!!!
Of course, we spent a lot of time for the cranes' photos.
And it's time to send our wishes.
Release your crane with your wish for world peace...
Your crane may go down like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ8a-UK-aoI
and people's wishes would pile up...
and it fills the tower's wall.
One of the reasons I'm working as a tour guide is tourism may have a very positive influence on world peace. When I was 15, I visited Scotland to learn English and stayed with a Scottish family. It was my very first time to become friends with non-Japanese people and that was when I strongly started wishing for world peace so that I can stay in touch with them forever. Luckily, I still keep in touch with the family after several decades.
During this Canon Japan tour, I became friends with these enthusiastic photographers and I hope to keep in touch with them for several decades from now.
Wishing for world peace...
