It’s been raining cats and dogs in the afternoons lately, despite the blistering heat in the morning. Most recently, on the eye of Lunar New Year’s eve, after the sudden downpour in the late afternoon saw many people posting about rainbows and double rainbows on Facebook. As I wonder what’s so special about a rainbow that got almost the entire tiny island posting about it, I happen to see that I just so have a similar picture in my own collection, albeit it being in Hokkaido.

Perhaps rainbows symbolise hope. Hope that after the great gloom, light will once again shine upon us. And with the new dragon year beckoning, it seems like my Chinese zodiac sign is in better favour this year. With greater events coming my way, I surely do hope for that.

A year has passed,
A new year beckons.
A new journey ahead,
A new life begins.

Kyoto has always been one of my favourite cities in Japan. Why? Hmm, I can’t put my thumb down for sure.

Maybe it’s the shrines, for it gives me a mystical and mysterious feel.
Maybe it’s because it’s a place full of historical culture that calls out to me.
Or maybe it’s the shrines coupled with nature’s Autumn’s leaves or Spring’s cherry blossoms that makes the view all too perfect.

Perhaps it’s the last reason that makes Daigoji Temple stand out. A UNESCO site, the alluring bentendo hall with it’s red bridge just captures my attention. It’s amazing how nature helps to bring out its beauty. Or maybe the Japanese just have wonderful architectural planning skills that helps its buildings transform into a beautiful scenery.

The typical shot-to-death scene of Mount Fuji.

Tucked away in a nearby corner of the the less known Shimoyoshida Station, my travelling group reached there a little too late for more light and blue skies. Partly because we trekked a little to far up to notice that the pagoda was actually located mid-way along the mountain. To add on to our poor luck, the sakuras were not in full bloom yet then, even though Spring had arrived in Japan.

I guess it might just be another trip back there again for a better picture. Maybe an early morning trip might do the trick?

Number of times of visiting Japan:
3

Amount spent:
~$6000

Finally getting a good view of Mount Fuji:
Priceless

It’s interesting how many times I had to return to Japan before I finally got a good view of Mount Fuji in sunny weather! Although I did catch a glimpse of it during my first trip, it was under dark and gloomy weather conditions, sprinkled with a dash of rain clouds.

(Funny how hard it is to see the snow-cap top despite how large the mountain actually is.)

While I was glad that I finally snapped a good picture of Mount Fuji, as well as visit the unfortunately under-renovation Ukai Music Forest, the trip had to end with a bang for my travelling group as we ended up being stranded in Yokohama with no trains heading for Kyoto! Thankfully, Japan is a country with many convenient hostels/inns, as we were fortunate to grab ourselves a room at our favourite Toyoko Inn for a temporary night stay, before catching the first train back to complete the rest of our trip.

What a way to remember Mount Fuji!