A thousand photos later

Photographing Mount Fuji had been one of my dreams for as long as I could remember. Ever since I was young, I'd imagined visiting Japan and seeing this iconic mountain with my own eyes. And now, after all these years, I was finally there, in Fujikawaguchiko, with my camera and all the time I wanted to explore!

Instead of joining one of the popular day tours from Tokyo, I decided to organize everything myself and spend a night near the mountain. Accommodation in the area was pretty expensive, and finding something affordable wasn't easy, but I'm so glad I made that decision. I wanted the freedom to explore at my own pace, choose my own photography spots, and hopefully catch both sunset and sunrise.

And I definitely made the most of it! I spent the first day wandering around, photographing Fuji from what felt like a thousand different angles. Every time I moved somewhere else, I found another beautiful view and couldn't resist taking more photos. But the highlight was an absolutely gorgeous sunset over Lake Kawaguchi, with the beautiful autumn colors and Mount Fuji rising in the background.

I took so many photographs that day that, when the next morning came, I actually decided to skip sunrise! I was already so satisfied with everything I'd captured that I didn't feel the need to wake up early and do it all again. And honestly, that was one of the things I loved about traveling solo: being able to follow my own rhythm, spend as much time as I wanted taking pictures, and change my plans whenever I felt like it.

Even my accommodation turned out to be a lovely surprise! I stayed at a place called Dog Land Someday (ドッグランドサムデイ), which had paintings and pictures of dogs, especially golden retrievers, all over the place. As someone who absolutely loves dogs, I couldn't help smiling at how unexpectedly perfect this little detail was!

Looking back, the entire journey from Tokyo and back was absolutely worth it. I'm so happy I chose to stay overnight rather than rush through on a day trip. Finally seeing and photographing Fuji, in those beautiful autumn colors, felt like fulfilling a dream I'd carried with me for so many years.