We wanted to go on an English speaking tour around Mt. Fuji. As it was Springtime we knew that we would have no chance to climb Mt Fuji but still wanted to feel like we had been on the mountain. Koji and Mari picked us up from our hotel in Lake Kawaguchiko. We went to Fuji-Hakone National Park where we walked through the woods and found our way to some lava caves. We explored the caves and then spent time talking about the area after morning tea. Mari and Koji made this a great experience with lots of opportunities for hands-on learning and fun experiments. It was great to hear about Mt Fuji from people who love the area and are keen to teach others. I did the tour with my 10 year old son and the experiments kept his attention and he loved exploring the cave and looking around forest. This is a great way to find out more about Mt Fuji and have fun doing it!

*I took a trip with Inside Japan Tours which included three days exploring Hakone National Park. It is so beautiful and well cultivated, but in the sense of preserving the peace and quiet of old growth forests, and also because there are many art museums and other cultural attractions in the park. We stayed at the Hakone-Fuji guesthouse, a local Ryokan near a bus stop. The ryokan had both indoor and outdoor baths, and the views over the beautiful foliage as the leaves were scarlet and gold, was magnificent. I recommend Inside Japan tours for non Japanese speaking tourists who want to "get inside" Japan and eat where the Japanese eat, travel as they do (buses, trains and walking) and stay in peaceful, gracious ryokan.

We had seen Fuji san many times, but at a distance. This time we thought we would head out of Tokyo for a day trip by bus to the countryside. We booked our tour through the internet with City Discovery and they book it with JTB (Sunrise) Tours in Japan. It was a great day, the weather was crystal clear - one of the benefits with visiting in winter, but the downside was that it was bitterly cold on the mountain. The stop for the meal wasn't too bad - fairly average (having your meal included is a must, as there really is no alternative for a place to eat).
The only problem we encountered was that City Discovery sent our reservation to Japan on the Emperor's Birthday and so JTB had no record when I went to verify my reservation. In verifying, the City Discovery offices were closed for Christmas, so JTB couldn't verify. We had no reservation and had to make plans for the next day. You would think that they would keep their offices open.