🇯🇵 Shimizu, Japan: Mt. Fuji Ghosted Us, But I Found Silk
A cloudy cruise stop in Shimizu, a hidden Mt. Fuji, a peaceful shrine, and the Japanese silk shop that saved the day. Because sometimes the best travel memories aren’t the ones you planned. 😂🇯🇵
Today we arrived at Port Shimizu, Japan, where the weather was overcast but warm enough that I didn’t need a sweater.
Small victory.
At this stage of the trip, “not needing a sweater” counts as a full weather report. 😂
This time, Ted and I decided to join one of the ship’s organized shore excursions.
Which meant it was time for the traditional cruise field trip routine:
Get off the ship. 🚢 Go through passport control. 🛃 Receive absolutely no stamp in the passport.
Rude. 🥹
Then find the assigned bus along with everyone else who had apparently received the memo to get there before us.
🚍 The Glamorous Walk to the Back of the Bus
By the time we boarded, the bus was already full.
So Ted and I got to perform the glamorous cruise-tour aisle walk all the way to the back.
Honestly, I should have insisted on the first-row handicap seat.
By the time I reached the back, I felt like I had already completed the first excursion. 😂
But eventually everyone was seated, accounted for, and off we went.
About 45 minutes later, we arrived in Fujinomiya.
⛩️ A Beautiful Shrine…and One Missing Mountain
Our first stop was a beautiful shrine.
Locals were praying 🙏, the setting was peaceful, and everything around us was gorgeous.
And then it hit me.
Wait a minute.
This is one of those places.
One of the famous Mt. Fuji viewing spots you see in photographs with perfect blue skies, cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, dramatic scenery and a magnificent snow-capped Mt. Fuji rising in the background.
You know the photos.
They’re spectacular.
So what did we get?
Clouds. ☁️
Mt. Fuji apparently looked at our tour bus arriving and said:
“Not today, bestie.” 😂
No Fuji for Aidalyn.
🌿 When Nature Gives You…Spiderweb Mildew?
We still wandered around, took photographs and enjoyed the shrine.
There was a beautiful pond reflecting the surrounding scenery, and even without our celebrity mountain making an appearance, it was a lovely place.
And then I found something else to photograph.
A plant covered in spiderwebs with what appeared to be mildew caught throughout the web.
I had never seen anything quite like it.
Very unusual.
Apparently nature decided:
“Fine. Fuji isn’t coming out. Here’s something weird instead.” 😂
I’ll take it.
🌂 And Then the Rain Started Coming
The clouds continued getting darker, and it looked like rain was on its way.
Ted and I looked at each other and made an executive decision.
We were going to skip the other two stops and start making our way back toward the bus.
Responsible mature travelers.
Very sensible.
And then…
I saw a shop across the street.
There was a kimono in the window.
And silk.
Oh dear.
👘 I May Skip Sightseeing. I Do NOT Skip Silk.
Naturally, I crossed the street.
Because apparently I am perfectly capable of saying:
“I don’t think I can manage two more sightseeing stops.”
But show me beautiful fabric in a Japanese shop and suddenly…
It’s a miracle! She’s healed! 😂
Inside were beautiful pieces of silk.
I looked.
I touched.
I negotiated.
And, of course, I bought.
I walked out with some gorgeous pieces and immediately felt completely validated in my decision to abandon the rest of the excursion.
Mt. Fuji may have ghosted us…
But the silk shop showed up. 😂
Priorities.
🥜 Good Friends Bring Snacks
At the last stop, our friends Pamela and Robert kindly bought us dried peanuts with caramel. 🥜
Which was very sweet.
Literally and emotionally. ❤️
And after that, it was time to head back toward Shimizu, return to the port, and get ourselves back onto the ship.
Which brought us to the most important decision of the entire day.
🍕 Forget Mt. Fuji. Where Are We Eating?
We had skipped lunch.
This is never a wise decision.
So once we were back on board, Ted and I faced the eternal cruise dilemma:
Do we go to the main dining room and behave like civilized adults?
Or…
Do we attack the buffet like two exhausted tourists who haven’t eaten all day and have absolutely no shame left? 😂
I’ll let you guess which option looked more attractive.
❤️ Would I Do Shimizu Again?
Absolutely.
Would I like Mt. Fuji to actually make an appearance next time?
Also absolutely.
But that’s travel.
Sometimes you arrive expecting the photograph you’ve seen a thousand times and Mother Nature has other plans.
And sometimes the unexpected part of the day—the quiet shrine, the strange spiderwebs, caramel peanuts from friends, or the little silk shop across the street—becomes the part you remember.
Besides…
I came back without a photo of Mt. Fuji, but I came back with silk.
I’m calling that a win. 😂🇯🇵
