Second Winter Fatality on Mt. Fuji

 

Sadly, another climber died while on Mt. Fuji last Monday morning. A Japanese man in his thirties was descending near the 9.5 station about 8:30 am when he fell, then slid about 1.5 km on ice and struck rocks near the Hoei Crater, resulting in his death. His body was recovered by a police rescue team. 

And that’s not the end of the story for that day. A foreign tourist in his 30’s who was also descending the mountain, witnessed the Japanese man’s fall before he also fell at about 3,670 meters. He slid over 1,400 meters in about 1.5 minutes. According to his GPS watch, his average speed during the slide was 60 km/h, with a maximum speed of 78 km/h. He came to a stop when he collided with rocks near the Hoei Crater, injuring his leg, tearing his clothes and backpack, and scattering his gear. It took two hours for him to crawl and find his phone to call for help. It took another two hours for a police helicopter to rescue him. He is recovering in the hospital. 

There are risks involved in climbing Mt. Fuji, especially when the mountain is closed to climbers. This is a sad ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcRjw0UPTtQ

Flower Viewing at the Shibakawa River

Two friends and I went to the Shibakawa River area to view the cherry trees in bloom. This is a special time in Japan.

Friday Finish - Christmas Tree Ornaments

I just finished these into Christmas Tree ornaments.

I also made these two, but gave them away before I finished and photographed the others.

Fuji City Folklore Museum

This free two story museum focuses on local history and culture in the Fuji City area.

Fuji City is known for paper production. The display below shows how toilet paper is made.

There is a large display on how Japanese paper is made.

This room shows a classroom. I thought this was extremely interesting.

I recommend visiting this interesting local museum!

Work In Progress Wednesday

Knot Garden progress

The Tale of Genji progress

Current Gas Prices Here - The Japanese government is subsidizing the price of gas to keep the cost of regular below 170/liter. What is the cost of gas where you live?

Rin Cafe

After visiting Fuji Safari Park, my friends and I went to Rin Cafe for coffee. It is a unique cafe with an offering of special coffees.

The menus are large double sided boards and available in English and Japanese. I chose Kobe Mocha Blend.