Today we are docked at Shimizu, which is the closest port to Mt Fuji. Our excursion took us to Hongu Shrine first. This is a Shinto shrine. The gate (which looks like a bird perch in shape) is called a tori, ans you should bow before walking through it.
After that, we went to the Mt Fuji World Heritage Centre. The building is designed to look like an upside down version of the mountain. Inside, you walk up a spiral ramp to the top, where there is a viewing platform. Unfortunately, the mountain (who is female) is shy and is often hiding behind a bank of cloud. That was the case for us today. So we had an ice cream in the cafe to make up for our disappointment.
Despite missing out on the view of the mountain, I found it really interesting to see the ordinary Japanese houses along our coach route. The areas around the airport and the cruise port were very industrial and all modern high rise buildings. They have so many earthquakes here that there aren't a lot of older buildings.
Back on the ship, we took part in a couple of trivia quizzes but didn't win. There are more Aussies on the ship than Americans, so the competition is a lot stiffer!
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