Mt. Fuji is one of the symbols of Japan and at 3,776m it is the country’s highest mountain. Although it has lain dormant since 1707, it is still classified as an active volcano. Best viewed in winter or early morning when the air is clear, Fuji-san stands alone and is always a spectacular sight. It has been the subject of countless works of art, such as the ‘Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji‘, a series of (woodblock prints) by Hokusai. Many tourist spots have grown up around the mountain and many of those, such as Miho no Matsubara in Shizuoka Prefecture, are famous simply because of their view of the mountain. People often predict the weather from the shape of the clouds hovering above the summit.

Fuji-san has long been regarded as sacred by some sects and climbing it started as a religious pilgrimage. The official season for climbing the mountain is July and August during which some 200,000 people make the pilgrimage, although these days mostly for fun. There is a saying that every Japanese should climb Mt. Fuji but only a fool climbs it twice. Certainly the time I ventured up the slopes the biggest problem wasn’t the steep climb but rather the rush-hour crowds of grandparents and kids determined to make progress slow for everyone. To be honest, with its surface of black volcanic sand and rock, the mountain is at its best from a distance but the view of the sunrise from the summit can make the climb worthwhile. The summit is around 20 degrees colder than the base so warm clothes are a must. There is a bus from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station to Go-gome (5th station) on the mountain (2 hours 30 minutes), from where it’s a 5km, 5-hour climb. There are several simple lodges along the way where you can get your climbing stick stamped and have a rest or a bite to eat. A 10pm start, allowing for the crowds and an occassional rest-stop, should see you at the summit in time for a memorable sunrise.

Still known today as a center for the production of traditional Japanese umbrellas, manufacture of wagasa began in the Kano district of Gifu City in the middle of the 18th century. At that time the state had feudal organization and the local lords had a great deal of economic and political autonomy within the domains to which they were assigned. The feudal lord who was transferred in to rule the feudal domain around Gifu had to contend with a local economy that was devastated by floods. He saw an opportunity to stimulate local industry and to provide the means to supplement the living of the impoverished lower samurai (warrior elite) by encouraging them to make umbrellas.

The local area had a long history of paper making. Mino-washi, a local product, was a strong handmade paper due to the long fibers it contained. Good quality bamboo was to be found in the valley of the Kiso River, and it was easy to obtain sesame oil and lacquer from the local mountains, indispensable for water proofing. These advantages made the area well suited to umbrella making, since the basic construction of Japanese umbrellas involves affixing paper over a frame of bamboo-strip ribs, and then applying oil and lacquer for waterproofing.

Production peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, when over a million umbrellas per year were manufactured. Since then the metal-and-cloth Western-style umbrella has become generally used, and the number of people who use Japanese umbrellas has dwindled. These days the local craftworkers make only few tens of thousands of wagasa a year.

The traditional Japanese umbrella uses only natural materials and, requiring several months to undergo the various separate processes that are needed for completion, the skilled hands of a dozen seasoned craftworkers contribute to the finished item. In addition to the usual type of rain umbrella, Gifu Wagasa also come in various other types including large red outdoor parasols that are used to provide shade on outdoor occasions, such as tea ceremonies. Then there are smaller colorful buyo-gasa that figure in performances of traditional Japanese dance, Gifu Wagasa are an indispensable part of traditional Japanese art and culture.

Have you ever felt during a massage that the masseuse was just not strong enough to push through the ridges of tension in your shoulder blades, and at the same time not gentle enough to melt the tension in your neck or legs? Then try Japanese Hot Stone Therapy, a post-modern combination of gentle massage with ancient tools of muscular penetration. Japanese Hot Stone Therapy is based upon ANMA, the oldest form of East Asian Massage. It was developed over 7000 years ago and is a kneading, rotation, and vibration based technique. Japanese Hot Stone Massage is much more than placing stones along side of the body, or sliding stones over the body. An expert will “hook” into a muscle with the stone and then gently rotate and/or knead the muscle…then apply pressure and use a rapid vibration technique to further relax the muscles and drive the heat deeper. It is quite an experience to feel the deeply relaxing, penetrating heat from the basalt stones alternating with the toning and refreshing coolness of the marble stones. The use of extremes of temperature has long been scientifically and medically proven to be of benefit to the body. Those who wish to relax and tone their muscles with a minimum of effort see this in the use of ice packs for muscle trauma and the use of saunas. Stone massage makes you feel deeply relaxed, allowing you to let go of all the stress that is held within your body.

Chocolates are delicious snacks for all ages. Whether you like it really sweet or slightly bitter, Meiji Chocolates have something in store for you. Their chocolates are interesting. They have Apollo, Choco Baby, the Meiji Chocolate bars that come in milk chocolate and dark chocolate and they also have samplers of their chocolates, the fancy ones. They are exported so you could try finding them in your local shop.

Meiji Chocolates really experiment on their varieties of chocolate. Apollo, for example, is a sweet concoction that is popular for its strawberry-choco variant. It has a conical shape with ridges. It is also available in chocolate-vanilla.

Chocobaby is neatly packaged in a plastic dispenser with a flap. And it has little chocolate beads in it. Think something like Tic-tacs or mints. And the nice thing about the container is that you could actually use it for other things like placing your pins there and other little things that you would not like lying around. (Make your own container from this!)

One time there is a feature on Pocky. Meiji happens to have Yan-yan. They are not as thin as the Pocky biscuits but the fun thing about eating them is that you are the one who will dip the biscuit sticks in the chocolate, peanut butter or whatever dip your Yan-yan has.

It seems like Meiji Chocolates are not just popular in Japan. They are also known internationally. Who could resist the yummy snacks and the cute packaging they have? Eating them could be quite an experience. If you could find a sampler of Meiji chocolates, that is good for you so that you could figure out which ones you like a lot. And if you happen to like them all, you could have a little bit of all them as you wish.

Unbeknownst to many is the Tosa Inu, the star if an age-old Japanese tradition of dog fights. Dog-Fighting has been a popular sport in Japan since ancient times. Like Sumo wrestling, it was an elaborate, ceremonial affair, a sport conducted mainly by the Samurais, and the fighters, especially the winners, were feted and accorded much prestige.

The Tosa Inu is also known as the Japanese Mastiff or Japanese fighting dog is probably the only dog in the world which is still used quite legally to this day for dog fights. However, the Japanese developed a type of fight according to their mentality that bears no comparison with the notorious pit dog fights held illegally in other parts of the world. Considered a National Treasure in Japan, the sight of a Tosa Inu arrayed in full ceremonial fighting regalia and traditionally brought into the fighting arena by two handlers, makes an impressive and unforgettable impact.

The Tosa Inu is a massive, regal dog, standing well over 30 inches at the shoulders and weighing up to 150 pounds; the much larger Tosa Inus, weighing 200 pounds and more, are now extinct. Females are somewhat smaller than males, and they are never used in fighting.

Despite their notoriety as fighting animals, the Tosa Inus make incredibly affectionate and loving companions. They are devoted to their families and are very patient and tolerant with the children. Extremely intelligent, with excellent guarding instincts, they are dogs one can depend on. Apart from guarding, they have been successfully used as Search and Rescue Dogs and in Therapy Training.