Mt. Fuji, but not really!

(This picture was taken next to one of the lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji...I can't remember which one...and yes...it was raining and cloudy..again!)
(This is the beautiful country side along the way to Mt. Fuji (granted- we couldn't effing see the tops of the mountains because of the stupid weather.)

(Another picture of the lake. You can see the cute swan boats that you can take around the lake....we didn't do it, though...too cold..too much rain!)

(This is as close as we could get to the sleeping volcano, Mt. Fuji, because of the damn weather. Usually you can get to the 5th station, but not on the day we went. So, the tour guide felt bad and took us to the place below.)

(I can't remember what this place is called, but it's in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. These ponds you see were formed millions of years ago and are filled with beautiful speckled trout and rainbow trout. Fishing anyone???!!)

So, this was our trip to see Mt. Fuji. But, because of the nasty weather, we weren't allowed to go to Mt. Fuji--it was closed!! That's right, closed! I felt like the freakin' Grizwalds in National Lampoons Vacation. How the Hell do you close a mountain??? I never found out, but they just effing closed IT!!! We got up at like 4:30 in the morning and took a 2 hour bus ride to see the stinking thing and it was FREAKING CLOSED!!!! DAMN IT!!! If I could have taken hostages and gone anyways like the Griswalds do in the movie, I would have...but, I didn't feel like spending the next 85 years in a Japanese prison. So, I remained calm and did what any normal person would have done...I bought a shit load of useless souvenirs at the gift shop at the visitor's center...because that was as close as we could get to the "Sleeping Giant."

My Japanese students warned me about going. They told me not to go because if I went, I would be sent back to the states. According to them, there is an urban legend that surrounds Mt. Fuji. According to the legend, if a foreigner living in Japan goes to see Mt. Fuji, the foreigner will be sent back to their homeland. So, they begged me not to go in the first place. Now, they believe that God has spoken. They believe God caused the bad weather to keep me from seeing Mt. Fuji, so that I can stay here longer....crazy, huh?!!

Just another day in Weenie's World!