May 22, 2014 - 1 min read

Hato Bus One-Day Trip to Gotemba

Gondola ride, mini boat cruise & illumination event

By George Popescu

Community writer

Hopes and fortunes tied to a tree.

Some seriously huge sandals or rather benches shaped as sandals.

He is lonely but enjoying the view and raindrops.

Excellent view of the nearby town and other mountains.

Very traditional bridge and small pond at the top of the mountain.

These guys can catch the food in full flight.

They kept coming near the boat as many people fed them snacks.

They seem to enjoy the scenery and fishing in the ocean waters near the various islands.

Not sure how this turtle ended up vertically tied to a pole...

Beautiful designs create a real fairy tale walkway in the evening.

Many different things are added to the lighted designs to make them even more whimsical.

The illumination festival is a sight to be seen indeed, many different colors and waves of light.

One lonely snowman is driving towards the North Pole in a truck with no tires.

A beautiful horse drawn carriage welcomes you to the illuminated walkway.

A million cranes hang above your head as you walk along the walkway.

In November I went on a Hato Bus day trip to the Gotemba area west of Tokyo. We first arrived at a location called Panorama Park, where we took the gondola to the top of the mountain. Back down we got a nice buffet style lunch, followed by a short river cruise. While waiting for the boat we could purchase snacks from the store for the hungry seagulls that would assault the boat. After that we went to a fantastic illumination event, Gotemba Toki no Sumika—a spectacular illumination laser and light show. By the way, bento style dinner was included, too!

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George Popescu

By George Popescu

Community writer

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