Yamanashi – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

The Yamanashi Gem Museum: A Hidden Treasure Near Mt. Fuji

Susan Spann Blog, Travel & Tourism May 5, 2023April 30, 2023Gemstone Museum, Gemstones, Japan, Natural History, travel, Yamanashi

I found an unexpected “jewel” on the shore of Lake Yamanako: the Yamanashi Gem Museum…

Discover the Secret Icicles of Narusawa Ice Cave in Yamanashi’s Suicide Forest

Susan Spann Blog, Travel & Tourism April 25, 2022April 23, 2022Fuji Five Lakes, Ice cave, icicles, Japan, Sites of Interest, travel, Yamanashi

A few weeks ago, I took a visit to Narusawa Ice Cave, in Aokigahara (Japan’s famed “suicide forest”), to see the massive natural icicles that form there, underground.

A Sweet Ride on the Fuji View Express

Susan Spann Blog February 7, 2022March 12, 2022express trains, Fuji, Fuji View Express, Japan, Japanese trains, Mt. Fuji, Special trains in Japan, trains, Yamanashi

Last Sunday, I checked another long-time “to-do” item off my list with a ride on the “Sweets Car” of the Fuji View Express. The train runs on the Fujikyu (FujiQ) Railway, and connects Ōtsuki station with Mt. Fuji Station and other points in the Fuji Five Lakes region of Yamanashi Prefecture. The “Sweets Plan” ticket (which includes both the base fare and the express ticket fare, as well as the special sweets and drinks) covers passage from Ōtsuki to one of Mt. Fuji, Fujikyu Highland, or Kawaguchiko Stations; given my other plans for the day, I opted to end my