spiritual

bare mountain
full of mystery
fuji san

Three different views of Mount Fuji yet all similar. From whatever direction or distance one sees Fuji San the presence and shape remain the same. That is, as long as you can see it. The three scenes are.

1. Sunset from a temple high on a ridge above the city of Gotemba
2. Approaching Tokyo on the Shinkansen from Osaka.
3. From a car on the ropeway above Lake Hakone in the Hakone National park.

When I was younger I dreamed of climbing Mount Fuji however being lucky enough to see the sacred mountain each visit to Japan has been more than enough. Besides climbing is only a dream now. ON my last visit with a school trip My group stayed in the Hakone National park. Two evenings in a row I took them to the temple site for a sunset and both times the cloud hid Fuji. Touring the national park was a rain filled heavy clouded sightless day. Finally on our last morning before travelling to Tokyo I escorted the disappointed viewless students and teachers to a recommended lookout even though the atmosphere was heavy and again cloudy. As we stood there straining eyes with a few false alarms I implored everyone to say a pray to Fuji. A few giggled and then suddenly the clouds parted and for a couple of minutes there stood the mountain rising up before us. Then in seconds it disappeared and rain began falling. I did hope none of my group considered me some kind of holy man calling up Mount Fuji. It was pure luck and unpredictable weather conditions.

This is my contribution to http://Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 343 BARE and Full Visit this link to read many fascinating haiku responses from other poets.

Mount Fuji

fuji san
shinkansen window
look up up up

My first glimpse of Mount Fuji was in May 1990 from a shinkansen window as we travelled from Hiroshima to Odawarra. I almost missed it because of the distractions flashing past outside the train as it hurtled along. Suddenly the cloud cleared and through the smog Japan’s sacred mountain appeared, hovering in the sky. Close up there is something awe inspiring about Fuji San

fuji san

glimpse of white

shedding winter snow

fuji san

                                                                                                                                                  Mount Fuji seen from across Lake Hakone. At the top of that wooded mountain in the middle foreground one looks down across a valley to the city of Gotemba nestled at the base of Fuji and then your eyes are drawn upwards to the majesty of that Japanese icon. More images of that view at sunset will come.