Mt. Fuji Camping with friends | 2-Day Yamanashi Trip

Mt. Fuji Camping with friends | 2-Day Yamanashi Trip

In his novel Sanshirō, Natsume Sōseki once wrote about Mt. Fuji: “It is Japan’s greatest treasure. There’s nothing else we can boast of.” Set during Japan’s rapid transformation in the Meiji era, Sōseki saw Mount Fuji not just as a natural wonder, but as a symbol of something timeless — a quiet, lasting beauty that the Japanese hold close to their hearts. Mt. Fuji lives in every corner of Japanese culture: in the haiku of Matsuo Bashō, the nostalgic melodies of old enka songs, Hokusai’s iconic woodblock prints, and across countless books, films, and photographs. It’s deeply rooted in the Japanese soul, and somehow, it reaches people across the world, like me. As someone who loves Japan, I used to dream of seeing Fuji with my own eyes. Maybe because its image had already been planted in my mind — through poems, paintings, and stories I’d come across over the years. And then, on my 30th birthday, I finally saw it up close for the first time just as I’d imagined… but even more breathtaking than I’d ever expected. Since then, every time I catch a glimpse of Fuji, I just want to pause and take it in. I think a lot of people feel the same. This time, after a cloudy afternoon and only a sliver of hope we’d see the mountain, I woke up after a night of camping with friends, gently unzipped the tent… and there it was… Mt. Fuji, glowing in the soft morning light — calm, peaceful, eternal. Please turn on subtitles to enjoy the vlog ^^ It was a cloudy summer day in Tokyo. We’re on a road trip from Tokyo to Yamanashi for a camping getaway, super excited to camp and (hopefully!) catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. The tall buildings slowly give way to lush green mountains — a good sign we’re getting closer. But we kept wondering, “Will we actually get to see Fuji today?” The traffic was a pain, so it took us over three hours to get here. We were starving by the time we arrived and made a beeline for the supermarket to grab food for our BBQ later A little bummed that it’s just as cloudy here as it was in Tokyo. We pitched our tent, got the fire going, and kicked off our BBQ. But Mt. Fuji was playing hide and seek with us—nowhere to be seen. I was thinking “Hey Fuji, come out and say hi! Don’t be shy!” 😄 It was already close to 5PM, and still no sign of Fuji—just one giant cloud sitting in the way. Since it’s only Friday, the campsite was almost empty—just the four of us there. It was so quiet, with the vast sky and the beautiful Shoji lake it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Then around 6:30, the clouds finally started to move, and Fuji showed up bathed in soft purple and orange light from the sunset, its reflection glowing in the lake and we kept saying: “It’s sooo beautiful!” “Nervous much? That rock almost skipped out of the lake!” Daiki: “Haha seriously, what kind of throw was that?!” Daiki: “Wait, wait—what was that?!” [laughs] 😂😂😂😂 Daiki: “I couldn’t even see it haha” Trying to beat each other at rock skipping—who’s the real pro? Daiki: “A battle of amateurs.”😂 We just kept skipping rocks like that—honestly, it was sooo much fun! And every time my rock actually skipped, it felt sooo satisfying! 😂 After a while, I actually got a little better at it 😂 The sky started to get darker, and everything around grew quieter. The crackling fire Yae-chan built made the whole place feel so cozy. We were roasting marshmallows and talking about our favorite movies Don’t you think little fires somehow make everything around feel more peaceful? “Cheers!” A chill dinner after soaking in the onsen at a nearby hotel. We grilled up the pizza we grabbed earlier, had some late-night chats and went to bed around 11PM. Sleep tight, everyone! 😴😴😴 Good morning! It’s about 4:45 AM when we woke up unzipped the tent… and there it was… Look at this—Mount Fuji in the soft morning light! Isn’t it incredible? Yae-chan had already boiled water before we even woke up, and now she’s making coffee—it smells amazing. We were bringing our chairs out by the lake This is exactly the view we were dreaming of when we picked this campsite. We’re so glad we woke up early and didn’t miss this beautiful moment everything around us is still so quiet and calm Yae-chan’s cooking breakfast—sunny-side-up eggs in a little pan, it reminded me of Sophie’s first breakfast in Howl’s Moving Castle. Yae-chan can literally do it all. Pretty sure she’s the only one who’d survive if we got stuck on a desert island! [laughs] And now it’s Yohei’s turn—he’s making some miso soup for us! The first rays of sunlight have started to appear, and breakfast is almost ready. I just wish this beautiful morning could last a little longer. After breakfast, the sun had fully risen, casting shimmering light across the surface of the lake. The wind had picked up, and the water was no longer as still as it was earlier but the peaceful atmosphere here stayed the same. Mount Fuji, in all its quiet summer beauty, still looked just as graceful. I wonder what it might look like from here in autumn, winter, or spring… Hopefully, one day, I’ll see it from here again—with snow still on its peak. After packing up our tent and cleaning up, we headed out to explore a bit more of Yamanashi. Our first stop: the Narusawa Ice Cave You can buy tickets right here—admission for adults is 350 yen. The Narusawa Ice Cave was formed when Mount Nagao erupted the lava collapsed and created this cool little cave. To check it out, you’ll need to head down some stairs, and parts of the path are pretty steep so definitely don’t wear high heels here! It kinda felt like we were going on a mini underground adventure. The deeper you go, the colder it gets, which makes it a perfect place to visit in the summer. Since it stays around 0°C all year, people used this cave to store seeds and silkworm cocoons. We came out and are about to try this parfait here – it’s the Shingen Kinako Parfait. It smells amazing and tastes really good! Sweet, but not too sweet. It’s lunchtime, so we’re heading out to eat Yoshida Udon – a famous noodle dish from Fuji Yoshida. Daiki had it before when he hiked Mt. Fuji and wanted to try it again. There’s a beautiful Torii gate here, and a lot of tourists are taking photos probably trying to get a shot with both the Torii and Mt. Fuji The place we’re going to eat at is called Miura Udon Our Udon just arrived 😋 Staff: ‘Please be careful, it’s hot!’ Minh & Daiki : ‘Whoa, that’s huge!’ The broth is super flavorful! The noodles are thicker and chewier than regular udon, I can’t even hold it 😂 Minh: “The Udon noodles is too thick that I can’t even slurp them” Yae-chan: ‘The noodles are so heavy, my arm’s getting tired!’ (laugh) Minh: “Cleaned the bowl!”😋 Daiki: “Thanks for the meal” After lunch, we headed to Lake Kawaguchi to see the lavender flowers and catch a view of Mt. Fuji from there There’s even free parking here — super convenient, right? Mt. Fuji looks so beautiful from here — no wonder there are so many tourists around There’s even a Fuji-shaped stone mound, and it’s covered with rocks brought from mountains all across Japan Pretty cool! Besides the lavender, there were also hydrangeas, roses, and lots of other beautiful flowers in bloom But since it’s super hot and we’ve got a long way to go, we’re about to head back to Tokyo I’m so glad we had such a wonderful camping trip and got to catch that beautiful view of Mt. Fuji Thanks so much for watching! If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to like, leave a comment, and subscribe to see more from me. I hope to see you in the next vlog! 🥰

Today, we’re heading to a really special campsite where you can enjoy the stunning view of Mount Fuji reflected on the surface of Lake Shoji.
We left Tokyo on a cloudy summer morning, feeling a mix of excitement and a bit of worry — wondering if we’d even be able to see Fuji through the clouds.
But that moment when the mountain finally appeared in front of us, beautifully mirrored in the lake… it was honestly emotional.
After finishing our camping trip, we headed to the mysterious underground world of Narusawa Ice Cave. This lava cave, formed by an eruption of Mount Fuji, is home to ice pillars and walls that never melt, even in summer, leaving us breathless at their stunning beauty. Next, we savored Yoshida Udon, a local specialty of Fujiyoshida City, at the popular “Miura Udon” restaurant. Afterwards, we took a relaxing stroll around the serene scenery of the Kawaguchiko area.
Come along as we share all the feelings we experienced on this journey — soaking in the beauty of Mt. Fuji, the very sight that Natsume Soseki once described as:
“It’s Japan’s greatest treasure. There’s nothing else we can boast of.”

Please turn on subtitles to enjoy the vlog 😊
Hope you enjoy this vlog! 🥰

Chapters:
00:00 – 2:50 Intro
2:51 – 4:04 Driving from Tokyo to Yamanashi
4:05 – 7:25 A beautiful afternoon filled with joy, Mt. Fuji, Lake Shoji, and the sunset
7:26 – 8:00 Quiet night at the campsite
8:02 – 11:57 Waking up with Mt. Fuji, peaceful morning by lake Shoji
11:58 – 14:00 Exploring Narusawa Ice Cave
14:00 – 15:18 Lunch time: Yoshida Udon — a local specialty from Fuji Yoshida
15:19 – End Visiting Kawaguchi lake to enjoy Mt.Fuji and flowers

And Thanks for watching, and don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Japan adventures! 🇯🇵🌸
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About me:
My name is Minh Ng, based in Tokyo, Japan and I’m sharing the beauty of Japan and my life here through this channel.
I hope you will have a relaxing time watching my vlog 😊

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