Japan Diary 15: A Sunday Like a Film — With Mount Fuji in View

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Sunday, 11 October 2026 · On the road in Japan

This Sunday was a very special day. Brilliant sunshine, an extraordinarily beautiful panoramic road — and there we were, riding uphill. We climbed to almost 2,000 metres, above the tree line. And then Mount Fuji stood directly ahead of us.

Below us, the trees in their autumn colours; ahead of us, that view. It really was like a film. Sometimes the original words escape you, and all that remains is: wonderful.

We were not the only ones who had chosen Sunday for an outing, though. Plenty of Japanese day-trippers had the same idea, along with entire motorcycle clubs. The amount of traffic was remarkable. The landscape had clearly sent out a great many invitations.

Fortunately, our guide kept finding little side roads where we could enjoy the ride. Those quieter stretches were a pleasure. Elsewhere, the roads remained busy.

Unfortunately, we also passed the scene of an accident along the way.

And then there were the tunnels. We rode through so many that, at times, I had the impression the whole of Japan had been tunnelled through. Barely had we emerged into daylight before another one appeared.

The final hour became rather tiring. On the approach to our hotel, we even found ourselves stopped inside a tunnel, moving forward at walking pace, then stopping again. After all those wide-open views, it was a rather confined end to the ride.

But taking the day as a whole, it was a wonderful Sunday. The last hour was hard work. That does not take away the extraordinary panoramas, the autumn colours or the view of Mount Fuji.

At our destination, we were closer still: at the foot of Fuji. One glance out of the window, and there it was. Not with the snow-covered summit familiar from so many photographs, but without its white cap, in the clear autumn light.

A gem of a day on our journey. With a little traffic jam around the edges.

Breakfast in wedding heaven

The hotel at our previous stop had a surprise of its own. It was a good hotel — and breakfast was served in a ballroom. There we sat, our motorcycle group among the formal tables and grand lights. An unusual setting in which to begin the day.

The room was clearly also used for weddings. One floor above, I could see how a bridal couple could be given their grand moment: rows of pale chairs, flowers and a carefully arranged setting for the occasion.

Breakfast in wedding heaven, so to speak. We had come to Japan to ride motorcycles, but there was always something to discover even before setting off.

Breakfast and travel moments in pictures

At our travel group's breakfast table. — Raising a glass together along the way.

A short look inside the hotel’s wedding room.

A highland panorama with Mount Fuji in view.

On the road with the motorcycle group — Mount Fuji in view.

Fuji, autumn light and a pause along the way

Mount Fuji without its snowcap, in the clear autumn light.

Wide views across the autumn highlands. — Mount Fuji without its snowcap, in the clear autumn light.

A toilet stop with a warning

A very different memory comes from a toilet stop. Even getting there was an experience: we had to descend a long way down an iron staircase. First, though, there was a sign to read.

The message was unmistakable: drop your phone, keys or wallet, and you will not get them back. Your responsibility. Another sign warned of slippery conditions and explained that this was an old-style Japanese toilet.

At the bottom was a squat toilet. Many of the women in our group decided not to use it after all. And so even this little stop became an event of its own. You travel through Japan for the grand panoramas — and afterwards you also remember an iron staircase and a remarkably frank warning sign.