Exploring cultural heritage, visiting a shintō shrine, and leaving a mountaintop marker during study abroad in Japan.
– Johnathan Yong, SPC Student, Japan Program, May 2019
Our experience in Japan was a week long but one day resonated with me the most. Over the trip, there were many soaring highs and a few lows, but I feel like this day encompasses all the feelings I had during study abroad in Japan.
On the 5th day of the trip, we had to wake up bright and early because we had a very tight agenda to follow. That was the day we went to Mount Fuji. Our agenda for the day was to go to the Fujisan World Heritage center, arrive at the 5th station of Mount Fuji, take a small boat ride on Lake Ashinoko, and then climb Mount Komagatake by cable car.
The shintō shrine on Mount Komagatake, Hakone, Japan.
Photo by David Monniaux, Wikimedia commons [CC BY-SA 3.0].
This whole day was my favorite; however, the coolest part was actually not at Mount Fuji, but when we took the cable car up Mount Komagatake. We traveled all the way to the top of the mountain, and seeing a shrine up there was an unforgettable experience. It was very peaceful up on the mountain, it almost felt as if someone could meditate and find oneself there.
I made a rock tower with my friend James and we got 15 rocks up before we couldn’t put any more on, so we left it at that. Hopefully, the rock tower is still there and standing until this day. Who knows? Maybe someone has figured out a way to add another rock…
– Johnathan Yong, SPC Student, Japan Program, May 2019
Thank you for sharing Johnathan!
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Cover image: Mount Fuji seen by Lake Motosu. Photo by Susanna Zema, Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 3.0].