One of the fondest memories of my trip to Japan was pulling a float and having sake in Fujinomiya. This was not planned, as I rarely, if ever, check event calendars. My itinerary is set by logistics. Local events are only relevant if they significantly impact hotel prices.

I had arrived in Fujinomiya from Nara in the evening and planned to stay two days. The evening was quiet, but I did already notice plenty of huts covering the greater parts of the inner town; especially the area around the inscribed Sengen Taisha Shrine. The next morning I went to Niriyama. When I came back around lunch time, the town was in partying mood. There were floats on the streets and plenty of people visiting the temples to pray. It was the Fujinomiya Fall Festival (3-5 Nov).

For the afternoon, I was out of town with a sightseeing bus to see more of Fuji. For a classic photo, go to Lake Tanuki. The Shiraito Waterfalls were impressive as a natural site. We visited a smaller shrine and it's important to point out that Fuji is a cultural inscription. It's the religious sites build around Fuji that make the OUV, not the volcano itself.

When I came back to town the festivities kept ongoing. Eventually, I went back to my hotel and was about to call it night. Little did I know... I could not sleep as there was huge drum noise coming from the street. I got back outside and saw a neighborhood drum battle. Two floats were facing each other, with dancers and most importantly drummers. The floats were symbolically fighting each other, quite a sight to behold.

When the drum battle was done, the floats had to be pulled back to their home base. I got noticed by a Japanese and she invited me to pull the float. Not sure if that was meant as a nice gesture. It was really strenuous work as the float needed to be pulled up a hill. The float was then moved into a "float garage" of the neighborhood, we did some dancing and some sake drinking. Fun.

Getting There

There are multiple options to see Fuji. Coming from Hiroshima, I went to Fujinomiya. It was the easiest to reach. You have to change from the main rail line running to Tokyo in Fuji.

In Fujinomiya, I was lucky as a sightseeing bus was in operation and took me to the relevant tourist stops on the slopes of the Fuji. Check with the tourist office which is located right at the train station. Or ask your hotel. I think off season it only operates on weekends and holidays (i.e. the fall festival), though. Via sightseeing bus I managed to see the Shiraito Waterfall, one traditional Shinto temple and the famous view point on Lake Tanuki in an afternoon. The last stop was a Sake shop, but I think the tourist component of the visit was reasonable. You may also be able to visit via local buses, but I couldn't figure out the schedule.

While You Are There

There are several famous viewpoints of Fuji is on the Izu Peninsula. The peninsula also holds the easiest to reach Meiji Industrial site: the Niriyama furnace. It's a short walk from the Niriyama train station.

When travelling between Fuji and Tokyo, you can go via Kamakura (T). Kamakura can be a nice stop if you are short on time. But it pales in comparison to Nikko.