Things To Know

There are a few important things to know about how I’m laying out this guide / post:

The Route

As I mentioned before, it’s much harder to come up with an itinerary for someone visiting for the second time. This particular route is one that I personally like because it gets you to some places that the regular Japan tourist probably wouldn’t venture. It gets you outside of the regular Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto circuit, and you have a chance to see a big change in weather / temperature.

There is one problem with this route, though: You’re missing out on all of Western Japan in favor of the North / Northeast. So, keep that in mind when you’re deciding your second trip. Personally I like the North over the West, though, so that’s the whole reason why we’re focusing our time there during round two!

JR Pass

Just like with your first trip to Japan, you’re going to want to get a JR Pass. I’ve always used JRpass.com in the past, but I’m sure any of the JR Pass websites should get you what you need at a reasonable rate. For this trip, getting a JR Pass is 100% necessary. It may seem like a lot to spend ~$500 on a two-week ticket, but it’s going to save you so much in the long run. We’re going to be covering more distance via Japan Rail compared to last time, so don’t forget to order one of these!

Finding Places To Stay

Also like last time, I’m not going to go into much detail on where to stay. That’s going to be up to you. I’ll give you information on the general area, you find a hotel / ryokan / hostel inside that area.

Packing

I’d recommend packing a small rolling suitcase or backpacking it. You’ll be on the train a lot, so big luggage is just going to cause trouble. Pack light, wash your clothes often, and enjoy the ease of smaller luggage. If you have anything that you want to take back with you (and you will), I’d recommend sending it to yourself via postage, or just waiting until you’re in Tokyo / the airport to do your shopping.

Day 1: Fly Into Narita, Transfer And Fly To Sapporo

This time around, we’re just going to fly into Narita and then leave right after to go to Sapporo. Due to potential delays and all that, there are a couple of options here.

1. You could just do a direct flight to Sapporo, if that’s something you’re able to do.
2. You could schedule a transfer for soon after you get in.
3. You could schedule a transfer for later in the evening (if you arrive in the morning) or the early next morning.

I like “the next morning” personally, but it’s up to you. Point is, we’re flying into Narita (because I’m assuming that most people fly into Narita – if you’re not, then adjust accordingly) then getting on another plane to Sapporo. Note that this flight to Sapporo should be ONE-WAY.

Sidenote: If you have the time, and you should, be sure to go pick up your JR Pass at the airport station. You can get them in Sapporo too, but it’s easier if you just get it out of the way.

Days 2-4: Sapporo, Otaru, Nikka Whiskey

Welcome to Sapporo! I hope you found a nice place to stay. Depending on when you visit, it may be very cold and snowy or it may be moderately warm and sunny. Whichever it is, there’s fun things to do in both situations! I’d recommend spending your days doing something like this:

1. Explore Sapporo: There’s a lot to see and do in Sapporo, though most of them have to do with food. Be sure to eat some Jingisu Khan, go to the fish market and have some of the best seafood / seafood donburi you’ve ever tasted, go up the TV tower, visit Ramen Republic AND Ramen Alley, go to the Sapporo brewery, eat some melon, some soft serve, and some melon soft serve, and see the “Boys, Be Ambitious” statue (there are sheep and stuff too).
2. Otaru: Once you’ve gotten Sapporo out of your system, be sure to go to Otaru. It’s a moderately short train ride to the North and you get some awesome ocean views as your train rides right along the coast. If it’s winter and stormy out… the waves crash up against a wall just feet from the train. It’s awesome. In Otaru, at least in the summer, there are tons of shops. The place is pretty famous for its seafood, its various sweets companies (like, ridiculously famous and crowded), and canal. There’s plenty to do here and you can easily spend most of a day walking around.
3. Nikka Whiskey: If you don’t spend your whole day at Otaru, or you have priorities more in line with mine, you’ll want to keep riding the train to Nikka Whiskey Distillery in Yoichi. You will be able to taste some of the best whiskey you’ve ever had, and the tour/story of the place is pretty interesting too. Be sure to go to the bar and sample everything in the book. Don’t be tempted to buy any alcohol-related souvenirs (unless you’re planning to drink it while in Japan), though. You can’t mail alcohol in Japan, and carrying these bottles around will be a pain. You can buy pretty much everything Nikka at the duty free stores in the airport, and they’re often cheaper too.

There’s more to do in and around Hokkaido, depending on when you’re visiting. If you’re there during the winter, things like skiing and snowboarding will be options. If you’re there during the summer you might want to explore the outer reaches of this Northern Island, or go to Showa Shinzan for some hot spring time.

Days 5-6: Travel Day / Hakodate / Aomori / Sendai

Since we’re taking the train from Sapporo, you’ll have a lot of time to stop, look around, and then get back on (thank you JR Pass!). Do keep in mind that during the winter trains are often delayed, so make sure you’re flexible! Whatever you do, I’d recommend stopping and staying in one of these places for one or two of the nights, otherwise you’re in for a 12ish hour train ride back to Tokyo.

1. Hakodate: This city was the first in Japan to open its ports to foreign trade back in 1854 so it has some interesting architecture and influences going on. That being said, there was a huge fire in 1934 that wiped out a lot of it, so keep that in mind. It also has the Goryoukaku Fort, which is an awesome star-shaped fort (hard to see from the ground, though). The history of this fort is pretty interesting too, but I’ll leave that to your own curiosity should you choose to follow it.
2. Aomori: Probably my favorite place of the three, this city is at the Northern edge of Honshu (the main island) and also where the shinkansen starts and ends, depending on which direction you’re going. If you can get to Aomori, the rest of the ride back towards Tokyo should be pretty fast and easy. I don’t think you could spend several days here (at least on a 2-week trip), but if you do be sure to check out the Modern Art Museum, the Jomon Museum, and anything you can find that’s apple related. Basically, Aomori = Apples, so if you’re here during apple season then… good for you! Also be sure to try the vinegar, black garlic, and whatever other foods you can get your hands on. Aomori food is pretty awesome, and will be a nice refresher after all the Jingis Khan, beer, and seafood that you ate in Sapporo.
3. Sendai: Of course there’s Sendai as well, which is very close to where the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011 hit. The city itself is pretty much business as usual, though if you go outside the city to try to visit places like Ishinomaki (to go to Cat Island?) you’ll still see a lot of cleared land from where the tsunami hit. There’s plenty to do in Sendai, though when I’m there it’s usually to go to Cat Island, so… there you go. Sendai is also a good spot to stop for the night if it’s getting late and trains are running out.

Days 7-10: Travel, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji

Days 7-10 are going to depend on how long you spent in Northeast Japan. First you should spend some of it traveling to Tokyo. If it’s early enough, keep going to Mt. Fuji. If not, stay the night and then leave again in the morning. Don’t worry, we’ll be back.

In terms of “Mt. Fuji”, though, there are a lot of options. There are so many places on and around Mt. Fuji that are worth visiting that I’d need an entire other article or two to go through them. So, you’ll need to do the research for that on your own. It’s going to depend on things like whether or not you want onsen, whether or not you want to climb it, or whether or not you want to ride roller coasters. If it’s the last option, then be sure to go to Fuji-Q highland. There’s onsen there as well. Two of my favorite roller coasters are at Fuji-Q, and I don’t say that lightly.

Anyways, spend a couple days in and around Fuji. If you run out of things to do here you can always move on to the next section early and then go back to Tokyo a little early too.

Days 10-12: Things You Missed

These days are for things that you missed last time. What did you want to do that you couldn’t? Snow monkeys? Nikko? What else? There had to have been something, even if it’s just going back to Tokyo to sit in an arcade all day to play Gundam Extreme.

Alternatively, you could also head West for a day or two. I wouldn’t go too far (as that will be another trip… let’s say your third one), but feel free to look around and see the things you want. These are free days after all, and Mt. Fuji provides a nice “middle ground” between Tokyo and the West.

Days 13-14: Tokyo, Shopping, Going Home

Once again there has to be some time for shopping / Tokyo touristing. There’s always a lot to do in Tokyo, though I tend to avoid the city as much as possible. Come back, get your omiyage done, and head on out. Don’t forget to pick up your Nikka Whiskey at the duty free shop in Narita (and leave some space in your suitcase as well).

For A 1-Week Trip

To turn this into a 1-week trip instead of a two, you’ll want to cut out the Fuji part, the “things you missed” part, and then shorten up your time during days 5-6 to just one day if you can. Of course, you can now adjust more appropriately on your own since you’ve been to Japan before and know what you like and don’t like, but that’s where I’d use the ol’ trip razor.

I hope this helps some of you to plan your second trips to Japan! Let me know in the comments what kind of second trips you’d plan if it were you. Surely it will help out some other people planning second trips who don’t have the same tastes as me :)

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In this article, I’ll talk about Edo Castle, the NPO (non-profit organization) that wants to rebuild it, and what some people in Japan think about it. Then I’ll share some of my ideas for Japan’s “THAT PLACE.”

Is Edo Castle the symbol of Japan?

You’ve probably heard that Tokyo will be hosting the 2020 Olympics. Naturally, the Olympics will provide an excellent tourism opportunity for the island country, and one organization is hoping to use 2020 as a grand unveiling of their project: The NPO江戸城再建 (Rebuilding Edo Castle NPO) aims to garner enough consensus and financial backing to rebuild what used to be the tallest part of the former Edo castle city-compound.

To get an idea of how big this area was, visit this fascinating page at JCastle. Edo Castle’s outer moat stretched 15 km, while the inner moat was 5 km long. Without stopping for anything, it’d take you about 3 hours to walk the outer moat and 1 hour for the inner one.

Modern-day Tokyo does not have a castle. There’s the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda ward where the royal family lives. There’s a moat and a kind of mini-castle called the Fujimi-yagura. But neither of these are a castle fortress like Nagoya or Osaka’s, and those behemoths are only around half the height of Edo-jo’s tallest tower.

Like a lot of historic places in Japan, the original Edo-jo location didn’t change as much as the important buildings themselves did. Edo was established in the 11th century, but it wasn’t until 1457 that the place got a proper compound and was called a “castle.” This Edo-jo landed in the lap of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ever ambitious, he devised a large-scale expansion of Edo which included a 59 m. high donjon (central tower). It got built, alright. And then was destroyed, and rebuilt, and destroyed, and rebuilt, and destroyed one last time in the 1657 Meireki Fire. It is said that when the flames spread from the donjon to the surrounding Edo urbanity, 100,000 people died — a fifth of Edo’s population.

Rebuilding the Castle

According to the NPO’s website, after the fire, the shogun’s half-uncle insisted that “Giving relief to the disaster victims and to rebuilding the districts of Edo come first. So forget the tower.” But the shogun and others were so prepared and ready to fund a third rebuilding of the tower that they managed to reconstruct the stone base before coming around to their senses.

And that was it. The tower didn’t get rebuilt. It had stood, then fallen, rinse and repeat, for a mere 50 years of the shogunate’s 250 year government. So then why does this NPO, founded in 2004, want to rebuild this unlucky central turret?

They assert that Edo-jo is necessary to “give future Japanese a historical legacy that is representative of Japan’s traditional and unique spirit” and which would attract visitors from around the world “with its charm and vibrancy”. They argue that currently, tourists mostly come through Tokyo, but when they do, all they get to see is Asakusa or Akiba, “And that’s a little sad, isn’t it?” The really cool stuff is all at a distance from the metropolitan hub.

Their plan is to rebuild a historically accurate 6-floor citadel on the same old pedestal that never got a purpose (except distressing OCD tourists with its mis-matched bricks). The costs would be around 40-50 billion yen (400-500 million USD), and would have to get special permissions for: 1) being such a tall wooden structure, 2) looming over the residence of the imperial family, and 3) being rebuilt on the yet-untouched, unexcavated pedestal remains.

Japan’s Thoughts on Edo-jo

Though the NPO has existed for nearly ten years, in the wake of the recent Olympics news, an Asahi Shinbun article described the Rebuild NPO Project. Japanese responses were various. Let’s start with one that will give you Deja Vu (remember the shogun’s uncle?) :

「そんな無駄金あったら震災復興に使えよ」 “If you’ve got that kind of money to waste, then use it for the recovery of disaster-struck areas.” —Anonymous

Move on to those concerned about taxes:

「寄付だけでやるなら反対はしない。税金は一切使うなよ！」“If they do it solely on donations, then I have nothing against it. But don’t you dare use a penny of my tax!” —Anonymous

Stop at the dream door:

「…東京に江戸城とかカッコヨクね？え。なんでみんな批判てきなんだろう。めっちゃカッコイイじゃん。たぶん、超みんな行くと思う。おれ、めっちゃ行きたいもん。」 “…Wouldn’t it be cool to have an Edo castle in Tokyo? I wonder why everyone’s criticizing it. It’d be so awesome. I bet literally everyone would – I would definitely want to go.” —Takuya Sebec Kawamura

And stare down the dream-crusher:

「バッキンガム宮殿、紫禁城、凱旋門。全部本物。東京には歴史的ランドマークがないことを痛感自国の歴史に無知なだけ。東京の事をまともに知らない人間が外国で日本を売り込もうとするから恥をかくのだよ。そもそもレプリカ造って「歴史的」ランドマークだなんてありえないでしょ？」 “Buckingham Palace, Beijing’s Former Palace, The Arc de Triomphe – they’re all the original thing. The people who feel that Tokyo doesn’t have a historical landmark are just ignorant of their own country’s history. The people who flat out don’t know anything about Tokyo are those in other countries. Coming from a platform of “Let’s make Japan into a market for them” is embarassing. And anyway, it’d be ridiculous to build a replica of a landmark and call it ‘hisorical’.” —Mahito Kanayama

Country without a Monument?

A country of earthquakes, monsoons, fires, and constant humidity is naturally a country where frequent reconstruction is built into even the most admired landmarks (e.g., Ise Jingu, home of Amaterasu and the Yata Mirror). But here are three things that could be symbolic and monumental for Japan with no cost, just a bit of marketing elbow grease, and without straying much from Tokyo.

Tenshu-dai

It’s possible that the “Rebuild Edo-jo” folks are onto something. Maybe the remains of the tower, the Tenshu-dai pedestal itself, should be Japan’s symbol. You might think that sounds stupid, as if I’m suggesting your unfinished porch should become the logo for a new restaurant or something. But reconsider the history of the Edo donjon: the third time people thought about rebuilding the tower, somebody said “Let’s put that gold where it’ll count,” and what’s more, the shogun listened. The shogun and the rich folk took care of their town. Edo grew bigger. Edo became Tokyo, and all without that looming tower as part of its identity.

Sometimes its the negative space that’s important. To quote Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them”. Standing on the spot where the shogun’s power-tower used to be, you can gaze unhindered towards the sky and dream. How’s that for a symbol of Japan?

Mount Fuji

Without Googling, can you think of a monument in Somalia, in Argentina, or even in Canada? If you’re from those places, it might be easy. But if you aren’t, it becomes clearer what the NPO for Rebuilding Edo-jo is going for: international recognition. Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Moscow’s Kremlin seem very representative of those cities, their culture, and are literally big things to visit.

Comparing those monuments to spots in Tokyo does make me wonder what Japan’s centrally-located monument could be. Of course, finding something super historical, big, and impressive is a tad difficult considering not much of those things survived the WWII Tokyo Air Raids.

Except, you know, Mt. Fuji. That survived the war. It happens to be the subject of hundreds of Ukiyo-e prints and is surrounded by beautiful tea-farming, lake-dotted countryside. It’s not in Tokyo, though, and it isn’t open all year for hiking. Furthermore, with all the international visitors to Mt. Fuji, apparently some invasive flora has found its way to Mt. Fuji’s ecosystem. Yet, if Tokyo looked closely at the mountain’s naturally grown reputation and also its efforts to chisel more tourism, surely they would build a plan for how to stack a Tokyo landmark up to Fuji’s height.

Asakusa

With skillful marketing, Asakusa’s Senso-ji-area could easily be made into that building-sillhouette or camera zoom that screams “Japan” and makes obaachans proud. Asakusa began as a fishing village, then got famous when two fisherman dragged a golden Bodhisattva from the river. They built Senso-ji, a temple, to honor the Kanon Bodhisattva and people came from everywhere to see. Later, a shrine was made to honor those two fisherman. Asakusa transformed, much the way Edo-jo did, from humble beginnings into something incredible. Asakusa also had a hip-cool-Shibuya kind of phase, but now, with a five-story pagoda, a temple, a shrine, a marketplace, and a giant lantern at the Kaminari-mon, Asakusa is as much a tourist destination for Japanese citizens as it is for international visitors.

This is despite the fact that most of its buildings (e.g., Senso-ji, the lantern, etc.) are not original. Various fires, plus the WWII Tokyo Air Raids, destroyed many cultural landmarks here, but Asakusa meant enough to be rebuilt. For comparison, unlike the gigantic Edo Tower, Asakusa’s gate has been at the same spot, with more or less the same features despite multiple reconstructions, for about 400 years. If it’s good enough to make some famous Ukiyo-e artists depict it, it’s right up there with Fuji in being a monument of Japan. If Tokyo capitalized on the Kaminari-mon and its lantern, the symbolism would be on par with the Olympics’ torch lighting the way for some cross-cultural, cross-generational bonding. Due to its long history, the lantern as a symbol could be picked up by both the younger folks and the older generation in Japan.

So What’s Japan’s Symbol?

When I went to Japan, I didn’t know about any landmarks aside from Tsukiji Fish Market and Mt. Fuji. My bucket-list destination revealed itself after hours of Ukiyo-e research for a class: the Kameido Tenjin Jinja taiko bridge. It’s just a red bridge that used to be so circular that it was dangerous. Now it has steps so it doesn’t even look that drum-like, but it was still quixotic to stand there, looking at all the skyscrapers, looking at those stupid helper-steps (I can handle a slope!), and imagine what it was like from those Ukiyo-e I’d seen of the exact spot I was standing.

We find symbols in the smallest and simplest things, so while it might be helpful for Japan’s economy to market one, which one is still clearly a debate. Whether you fall into the Edo-jo or the Edo-no camp, I hope I’ve helped you think a little bit about Japan’s historical monuments. And even if you’ve never taken a marketing class, I want to hear what you think could be ‘that symbol’ and why you think so.

Sources

• Hashi. “The Imperial Family’s Mysterious Treasure“, Tofugu. Jan. 18, 2013.
• Japan National Tourism Organization. “The 62nd Regular Removal of the Grand Shrine of Ise – Shikinen Sengu”
• JCastle. “Edo Castle Project”.
• “Municipalities Make Efforts to Attract Foreign Tourists – a Case Study of Fujieda City”. Hiragana Times. July 2012
• National Geographic, Education. “Mount Fuji: Symbol of Japan“
• Numata, Ryoichi. “Mount Fuji Habitats Threatened by Foreign Flora,” Japan Times. Sep., 15 2013.
• Rebuilding Edo-jo Association. “Edo-jo Saiken Q&A”.
• Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods, p. 356. Oxford University Press, 1999. Originally published 1845.
• “東京五輪のために500億円かけて「江戸城」再建？“. Asahi Shinbun. Sep. 9, 2013. Translation “Edo Castle to be Reconstructed in time for 2020 Olympics?” at JapanCrush.

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Bonus Wallpapers!

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For me I think the distinctiveness comes from how the slope of the mountain curves inward. That’s what really makes this mountain look so unique. Plus, you can’t go 50 shaku in Japan without running into a picture, woodblock print, illustration, or body pillow that doesn’t have Fuji on it. Mt. Fuji = Japan.

But, for how long will this Mt. Fuji honeymoon period last? Despite just recently receiving the honor of becoming a World Heritage Site, possibly as positive reinforcement for the 300+ years without a temper tantrum, Mt. Fuji may soon look quite different if its upcoming eruption has anything to say about it. Just like most impending disasters though, the eruption of Mt. Fuji is supposedly “long overdue.” It could happen at any moment! Maybe it’s happening as I write this blog post right now! Or, maybe it will happen in the next 100 years. Nobody knows for sure, but everyone knows that a big one is coming… eventually.

But, in order to understand its future behaviors we have to look at a younger and more rambunctious Mt. Fuji of the past. Let’s take a look at the history of the terrifying mountain-shaped pressure cooker of doom known as Fuji.

Before Mt. Fuji…

Through eruptions, plate movements, collapsing, and earthquakes, the Mt. Fuji you see today was miraculously formed. But, Mt. Fuji didn’t always look the way that it looks right now. In fact, there were several other volcanoes in Mt. Fuji’s place before it, so let’s take a look at some of those.

Komitake Volcano

The Komitake Volcano currently makes up the northern part of Mt. Fuji, and became an active volcano 700,000 years ago. You can visit the Komitake Volcano peak even today if you climb the north face of Mt. Fuji and visit the fifth station. It is 7,500 feet and 2,300 meters above sea level, a little more than half the height of today’s Mt. Fuji. It’s also almost entirely covered by current-day Mt. Fuji. Think of it like a nice big hug.

Old Fuji

Before there was “Fuji” there was “Old Fuji.” Around 100,000 years ago, on the South side of Komitake Old Fuji erupted, sending out brass-colored volcanic mud flows in all directions. It’s generally believed that due to all the scoria, volcanic ash, and lava that it spewed it was able to form quite a large mountain reaching up to 10,200 feet (3,100 meters). That’s approximately 1/3 the height of Mt. Everest but actually very close to the current height of Mt. Fuji (which is 12,389 ft / 3776.24 m). Old Fuji didn’t completely envelope Komitake, though I do think it’s fair to say there’s a new sheriff in town at this point.

New Fuji

Following the Old Fuji period there was around 4,000 years of inactivity. Then, between 5-10,000 years ago New Mt. Fuji became active, spewing out a bunch of lava, magma, scoria, ash, and certainly much more. This all covered Old Fuji as well as Komitake, combining into a sort of mega volcano. Yes, the three volcanoes Voltron’d together to create a formidable volcano power.

Mt. Fuji was just getting started at this point in history, though. It exploded and exploded staying extremely active, so much so that some geologist called it “the department store of eruptions” (What does that even mean? Geologists think they’re soooo funny.).

The Eruptions Of New Fuji

New Mt. Fuji’s reign of terror really began in the Jomon period of Japan (around 3000 years ago). Four big eruptions really rounded out this era. They were known as the Sengoku Scoria, the Osawa Scoria, the Omuro Scoria, and the Sunazawa Scoria. Here’s a little tidbit of knowledge: The Osawa Scoria wast the only one to spew ash to the West. Most Mt. Fuji eruptions get carried East into Edo/Tokyo, but I guess the East Winds were feeling especially gusty that day.

2,300 years ago marked one of the largest Mt. Fuji related disasters in my mind, though. The eastern face of Mt. Fuji collapsed and liquid mud flowed down to the Gotenba area reaching as far as the Ashigara Plains in the east and the Suruga Bay to the south. That’s a lot of covered area. It’d be terrifying to see something similar happen in this day an age (and according to some new research, it seems like it’s totally possible… more on that later).

From the 8th century onwards, records get a lot better and information on Mt. Fuji eruptions becomes more accurate. It’s also when we start to get a better feel for how often Mt. Fuji erupts and what the warning signs are. In 864 AD, Mt. Fuji’s northeast side erupted for 10 days shooting cinders and ash as far away as Edo Bay. It also filled up a large lake with lava, which ended up dividing the lake into two smaller lakes. The lava that did this also became the base for the infamous Aokigahara forest, which is also known as “suicide forest” for the many people who go there to commit suicide. So in a way the lava continues to take lives, even to this day.

After the 864 eruption there were around ten more eruptions until 1083, when Japan made a collective sigh of relief at 400 years of inactivity. Then, Mt. Fuji became active again between 1511 and 1707, the last eruption happening a week after the Great Hoei Earthquake.

A lot of people looked to this earthquake as a warning after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. Big earthquakes trigger volcanic eruptions, which is exactly what happened in the case of the Great Hoei Quake. A particularly large eruption occurred spewing tons of ash and scoria as far as Edo (Tokyo). After this big one, though, things got quiet. Too quiet. Since 1707 there haven’t been any eruptions to speak of. What is Mt. Fuji doing? What is it waiting for? WHO is it waiting for? I suppose we’ll just have to wait to find out.

An Increase In Pressure

Nowadays “New” Mt. Fuji isn’t all that new anymore, so I guess that’s why people just call it plain old “Mt. Fuji” now. Perhaps if there’s another Mt. Fuji in the future they can call it “Neo Mt. Fuji” along with Neo Tokyo. It would have a nice ring to it, I think. Anyways, let’s see what current-day Mt. Fuji has been up to…

After the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, many people started to worry about Mt. Fuji as well. it’s not uncommon for a big earthquake to trigger volcanic activity, and the Tohoku Earthquake was certainly a big one. After the quake, Fuji lava chamber pressure increased to 1.6 megapascals. Considering volcanic activity can be triggered by as little as 0.1 megapascals, this led many to believe that something big was about to happen.

Then nothing happened. To be fair, there’s plenty of room for waiting, though. Volcanoes are slow, patient beasts.

Although researcher professor Masaki Kimura of Ryukyu University claimed that the eruption should have happened in 2011, he also placed a 4-year margin of error onto his prediction. So if he’s right, Fuji should erupt sometime between right now this very moment and sometime in 2015. We’ll all hold our breaths until then.

But there is a lot of evidence backing up the thought that Mt. Fuji will erupt in the near future. More than just magma chamber pressure, seismic activity around Mt. Fuji has been gradually increasing as well. Cracks in the crust have been growing. Tunnels have collapsed not due to earthquakes but due to “deformation,” which means the mountain itself is bending and shifting. Water levels in lakes have been rising, possibly because magma levels are rising as well, melting off more permafrost and creating more liquid water. Just like Mt. Saint Helens before it erupted, Mt. Fuji has been experiencing increased “phreatic eruptions” (eruptions of steam and water). Things do not bode well for the Fuji.

On top of all this, a recent discovery of a fault-line underneath Mt. Fuji has been made, with a theoretical output of up to a magnitude seven earthquake. This isn’t the worst part, though. It could also be the same fault-line that was responsible for the giant Gotenba mud slide and there’s no reason for that not to happen again if all the stars align just right. In fact, Mt. Fuji has “collapsed” like this five times in the last 100,000 years, so chances are better than the lottery, at least.

So, it’s not really a matter of “if” Mt. Fuji erupts anymore. It’s more a matter of “when.” When it does happen, it’s thought that the eruption will occur on the Northeast corner (though the main crater could erupt at the same time as well). That being said, nobody really knows what a volcano is thinking, so we’ll just have to wait and see. My guess is that it will line up with the big upcoming Tokyo-area quake that everyone’s waiting for, also poised to happen at any moment now.

Then again, you could just listen to this guy’s prophecy instead.

So, be sure to ride a couple of the greatest roller coasters in the world before it blows its top. If I had to make an estimate as to when I think Mt. Fuji will explode… well… just be sure to read this article after it already happens, because then I can edit this post and write in the exact date, pretending like I knew all along.

KOICHIDAMUS OUT.

*Drops mic on ground*

Sources: Historic Eruptions Of Mt. Fuji, The History of Fuji Volcano, Mt Fuji may erupt by 2015, says Ryukyu University professor

Most people know about Tokyo’s Disneyland and a decent amount know of Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan (also known as USJ, which is eerily similar to Universal Studios in Orlando btw) but not many know about Japan’s lesser-known amusement park, Fuji-Q Highland (富士急ハイランド). Fuji-Q Highland was built many many years ago in 1961, and has seen many rides come and go. Their claim to fame erupted in 1996 with the introduction of the Fujiyama coaster, and since then Fuji-Q has been the proud home to many many more. There are also a slew of entertaining Fuji-Q commercials to be found on YouTube. Seriously, they’re super weird. Check ‘em out.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-16-LDTTJow']

Fuji-Q is chock-full of present and past record breakers, so there’s no doubt you’ll find your fair share of thrills here. If you aren’t the biggest fan of roller coasters, there are plenty of other attractions to experience, including many anime-related offerings.

Fuji-Q is also open practically all year (talk about dedication, places like Cedar Point are only open mid-May through October and even then it’s pretty spotty in the last two months). The only days that Fuji-Q is shut down are public holidays and one additional day out of each month. Looks like the party never stops at Fuji-Q.

Where You Can Find It

Located in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Fuji-Q Highland is right near the base of Mount Fuji (prime real estate to be sure). Some people go to Mt. Fuji itself and climb it (pshhh). Alternatively, let others go climb the thing and go here instead.

View Larger Map

Fuji-Q Highland has roller coasters, The Haunted Hospital (the world’s second largest haunted attraction to Erebus I believe, located in Pontiac Michigan), and Thomas Land, a play-land for children with the theme of Thomas the Tank Engine (who is strangely popular in Japan for some reason), along with many anime themed attractions as well. You can check out a slightly outdated but highly detailed map of the park here, and a more updated but less detailed one here.

Evangelion World & Other Anime/Game Inspired Places

Home at last!

Fuji-Q is also home to ‘Evangelion World’ which was inspired by the manga/anime/movies of Neon Genesis Evangelion. You can play around recreations of particular scenes, check out life-sized models of most of the characters, and even have your photo taken inside of an Eva cockpit. The attraction certainly caters heavily to those already familiar with the series, but the place is pretty impressive regardless. Here’s a great video walk-through of the place:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W6HzmOziMk']

The massive recreations of the Eva units themselves are also very impressive. They are positioned dramatically and have fancy lights and videos playing along with them to make everything seem super epic and awesome. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the world of Evangelion than this place. The park also has other anime themed attractions such as Gundam Crisis and Sengoku Basara Battle.

The Haunted Hospital

As I mentioned above, Fuji-Q is also home to the world’s second largest haunted attraction, The Haunted Hospital. The Haunted Hospital itself is a huge maze which can take up to an hour to complete. Oh, and did I mention it’s terrifying?

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNNlMZgqcPU']

You need to get in line for this one early though because it is one of the most popular attractions in the entire park.

Note From Koichi: I had only been to crappy non-Japanese horror-houses before coming to Fuji-Q Highland. You walk through it (none of this stupid on-rails stuff) and it’s filled with terrifying situations and actors, all dressed up as zombie-hospital people. They actually chase you too, though we found that if you slow down, they slow down with you. Even though we knew it was all fake (did we really, though?) we were terrified the whole time, constantly running about, feeling worried about moving on to the next area, and in general just having the time of our lives. This really is one of the best (if not the best) horror houses in Japan – make a point to go here if you come to Fuji-Q. Oh, and if you’re too much of a crybaby, there’s doors every once in a while you can escape out of. Behind those doors is a well lit corridor (I imagine) full of crying people (not imagined).

Roller Coasters

Talk about a drop, amirite?

Fuji-Q Highland also has its fair share of roller coasters. The four most well known would have to be the Fujiyama, Dodonpa, Eijanaika, and Takabisha rides. Their stats are as follows:

Fujiyama

79 meters tall, 130 km/h, opened in 1996 and was once the world’s tallest roller coaster. As of 2007 it was the world’s 8th tallest, 5th longest, and 10th fastest roller coaster. The name Fujiyama comes from Mt. Fuji, and you can get a great view of it when you’re at the top of the coaster.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT1tNG98qAM']

Dodonpa

52 meters tall, 172 km/h, opened in 2001 and was once the world’s fastest roller coaster. As of 2007 it was the 3rd fastest in the world but still has the highest acceleration at launch time (which it reaches in 1.8 seconds!) The name comes from the sounds made from a taiko drum, which you can hear whilst in line.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvJRY7nOEQ0']

Eejanaika

76 meters tall, 126 km/h, opened in 2006 and is only the second 4th Dimensional roller coaster ever built (the first being X² at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California). As a 4D roller coaster, its seats can rotate 360 degrees forward or backward in a controlled spin, thus allowing Eejanaika to invert 14 different times, even though the actual track inverts only three times. Because of this, it holds the record for having the most inversions on a roller coaster. It also surpasses the first built X² in both height and speed.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_lYE0Uhno']
(caution – the video contains some vulgar, but highly entertaining profanity).

Takabisha

Opened on 16 July 2011, Takabisha contains a 121 degree free-fall, as well as seven major twists over 1000 meters of track, and a drop of 43 meters. Not to be bested, America retaliated with the release of the Green Lantern coaster in Six Flags earlier this week on December 15th, which boasts a drop of 122 degrees. Pretty intimidating drop if you ask me.

Roller Coaster Stats via Wikipedia

So how many of you have been to an amusement park in Japan? The only one I’ve been to is USJ and it was a little light on thrills. How does Fuji-Q compare to the likes of the better known Tokyo Disneyland and USJ? Let us know in the comments below.

Note From Koichi: Even though the awesome John wrote this post, Fuji-Q is seriously one of my favorite amusement parks ever (could you not tell from the title?). If you’re in it for thrills, this is one of the greatest places to be. From roller coasters (which are awesome) to the haunted hospital (even more awesomerest), I can’t remember an amusement park that was more exciting. Seriously, you should go here instead of climbing mount Fuji, even though it’s right nearby. This place ought to be the attraction of the area, not that really pretty, super-famous mountain nobody really cares about. Some people may think this is crazy, but I was going to Mt. Fuji originally, just to climb the dumb thing, and then I came across this place. Do you think I went to Mt. Fuji? Nope. I don’t regret it one bit, either. Oh, if you come here, though, show up early. The lines get long and take a while to get through (it’s kind of known for having slow, crappy lines). Prioritize what you want to ride / see beforehand, too – I’d go Haunted Hospital first, and then hit some of the crazier roller coasters next. Then, you have time to walk around and take your time while being spun 14 different times on a 4D roller coaster. Oh how casual of you.

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P.P.S. Do roller coasters make you cry? Follow us on Twitter. It’s not scary at all, we promise.

You’d think after all these years of Godzilla attacking Tokyo, they’d know not to build mountain sized buildings in Tokyo Bay (isn’t that where Godzilla lives!?). They’re just asking for something bad to happen to it. No wonder they aren’t coming out with new Godzilla movies any time soon – they’re waiting for this thing to come around.

For 300 – 900 billion dollars, Japan could build a self-sustaining “Utopian” mountain in the middle of Tokyo Bay. It would be supported by gigantic pillars, house up to a million people, and most likely snow naturally near the top. It would take up six square kilometers, and shoot 13,123 feet into the air…that is approximately 700 feet taller than the genuine Mt. Fuji, but who’s keeping track of details like that anyways? Certainly not the 1731 ft tall Sears Tower, which would be around ten times shorter than this monstrous mountain / building thingy. If something like this were actually built (highly unlikely) all the people living too close to Mt. Fuji to see it will finally be able to look out into the distance and enjoy something almost entirely not as beautiful as the real thing.

Now, I’m not sure how something like this would be constructed, so don’t ask, but I imagine Transformers would take a large part in things. Asimo isn’t quite ready yet. Either way, if they actually do start building this, I will so travel to Japan every year for the next 800 years to watch it get completed. From a business perspective, the X-Seed 4000 is a very interesting concept. It would create tons of new jobs and tons of new homes – yet, it would be all in a very enclosed space. I imagine in a “city” this large it would be very difficult to get to the mainland so something like this would be very enclosed, have its own economy, and even have its own society. A mountain-sized city could create an economic boom all by itself with all the new businesses it would have to open up (that is, after they pay off their 900 billion dollar mortgage).

Here are some more pictures of an older version:

Look at all that wasted space! That building in the middle must be the Soilent Green Gazebo

No more light for the fishies

*I hope you enjoyed this article – we’ll be getting more back into Japanese language lessons and Japanese culture lessons soon. There has just been so much good news out there lately, and we enjoy sharing it with you all!

Sources: Gizmodo and Inhabitat