Monday, July 7, 2014

Photo Diary: Mount Fuji

{top, Bugis Street / jacket, Fox / pants, H&M / shoes, Doctor Martens}

I’m a city girl, through and through—I like being surrounded by a concrete jungle, I enjoy the comforts of air-conditioner and internet access, and just basking in the general feeling of being in the twenty-first century. It’s odd that in Japan, I could let the chilly mountain air replace the air-conditioner, and seeing the greenery up close fascinated me far more than any photo on a digital screen could ever hope to.

Standing in the freezing air in summer clothes (it was around 9 degrees Celsius), with my frozen hands wrapped gingerly around my camera, I felt something akin to freedom. Mount Fuji was a magnificent sight to behold, all dark and jagged and covered in layers of pure white snow, basking in cushions of translucent, flimsy clouds. We were lucky enough that the mountain saw fit to emerge from behind the curtains of fog and clouds to allow us a glimpse of its majestic silhouette for a few minutes before it retreated again. It was a sublime feeling, and I even managed to capture the beautiful flight of a strikingly handsome bird (though it may have just been a common crow).

The Hirayu Great Falls were a rushing burst of exhilaration and wonder, all packed into one large fall of sparkling water. I stopped so many times to take photos of the miniature flowers and dewy leaves hidden within the grass that I lagged far behind the entire group, but it was worth it—if you look closely, you can see a small piece of dandelion fluff falling off the main head of the flower.

A traditional Japanese dinner and futon awaited us at our hot springs hotel, and I must admit that I was completely befuddled at the array of plates and bowls in front of me, and in the end my hunger manifested itself into something like “I don’t care which bowl I’m supposed to eat first, I’m just going to eat whatever is nearest to me and looks good.”.

And even now, looking back at these photos, I miss the cleanliness, the purity of that place—imagine that, me, a city girl, missing the mountains. 
xx

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