After our tromp through the Aokigahara suicide forest (and avoiding any dead bodies), we arrived at our destination–a lava ice cave near the base of Mt. Fuji. Apparently, there are quite a few of these all over the place around Fuji. The one we went to was rather remote, and there was a moment of wide-eyed apprehension when our guide pointed to this literal hole in the ground to a dark abyss underworld and told us we were going to climb into it.
The first thing we had to do, of course, was gear up.
Of course, Mt. Fuji is a volcano, and it would be expected there would be lava remnants around. I found this rock liquid formation near the entrance to the cave as well as porous laval rocks with ice frozen in them.
There are other caves that have stair ways and handle bars built in for the safety of visitors. Our cave was a little on the raw side.
When we descended into the abyss, we found ourselves in pitch black darkness.
Thanks to our little head lights we were able to see some of the hidden wonders. Our guide told us that the temperature inside the cave remains pretty much the same all year, so it’s a sort of natural refrigerator. In short, the cave is full of ice.
It was actually quite treacherous because we were basically scrambling up and down ice rocks and walking across platforms of ice. Good boots saved us from a lot of injury.
It’s definitely a cool experience, and I highly recommend the tour guide and company that took us on this adventure through suicide forest and lava ice cave.
Next up, we’re finally on our way to my favorite city in Japan, Kyoto, starting with Kyoto Train Station.
