Lake Kawaguchiko

This morning, I woke up early.  It was one of those morning where you wake up and you can feel the cool air streaming in from outside and you are perfectly cocooned in your bed, the exact perfect temperature.  I quietly snuck out to brush my teeth and get ready for a nice run.  It was cloudy and cool, perfect running weather.  I decided to head for the lake, which we hadn’t seen yet (the grocery is in the opposite direction).  When I got there, I was surprised by how close it is to our hostel and how pretty the scenery is.  A small lake, nestled in tree-covered mountains, dotted with fisherman out in the dawn.  I started my run and along the way, I saw a rose garden, a high school crew team preparing to practice, a family of three riding their bikes, and a cheesecake shop (I’ll be going back there).  When I got to the opposite side of the lake, I had the most stunning view of Mt. Fuji.  The top was in the clouds at the moment, but I still wish I would have brought my camera.  The weather was so perfect and the air was so fresh compared to Tokyo that I was in heaven.  I wish I could do this same 5 mile loop every morning.

When I got back to the hostel, I went to the kitchen, made some tea and a bowl of cereal and sat out on the patio for a bit.  When I returned to the room, Ben and Dan were awake, taking advantage of the free wireless and waiting for the front desk to open so we could rent some towels (we forgot to get them last night).  It opens in four minutes, so I am going to go grab them and clean up so we can go hiking and for a bike ride today.