Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba: A Village in the Foothills of Mt Fuji

Cherry blossoms framing Mt Fuji © A. Harrison

In Tokyo the cherry blossoms had faded, but in Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba they were still in bloom. Branches drenched with delicate flowers framed the majesty of Mt Fuji, as her snow capped cone rose in the distance.

The village of Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba sits not far from the Five Lakes area near Mt Fuji. We reached it via one of Japan’s singing roads, where groves in the road are set at precise distances, humming out a tune whenever a car passes over. Trust me, it’s quite a surreal experience when your car starts to sing.

Traditional housing and gardening in the village © A. Harrison

After buying a Fuji apple from a stall in car park, I entered a village of wooden buildings and thatched roofs. A forest covered the surrounding hills, and birds called from the cover of the leaves.

The original village of Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba was destroyed in 1996 by a typhoon. What wasn’t destroyed by the wind and rain was buried under the resultant mud slides. The village has recently been rebuilt, as a show-place for how life once was.

A modern samurai in action (c) A. Harrison

Every building has something on display, from the elegant house design and timber work, period clothes, household items and pottery, even a blacksmith shop. An old bell  on a wooden tower once sounded the alarm should a fire break out. (Looking closely, I spotted sprinklers hidden in the thatched roofs. Fire remains a major threat.)

The day I came the village was bathed in sunshine. The cherry blossoms were in bloom, and kites shaped like carp fluttered everywhere, in celebration of Children's Day. A river runs down the hill, dividing the village into two. A water wheel passed its time happily turning away, turned spreading water through the gardens and vegetable patches.

The main street is quite steep - often composed of stairs - and whenever I stopped to catch my breath (which proved embarrassingly quite regularly) I’d turn for the most spectacular view of Mt Fuji. For a mountain reputedly to be so shy, I had a day when she couldn’t stop revealing her beauty to me, whether it be driving along the Five Lakes, up at the Fifth Station, here in this village, or even in Tokyo itself.

A traditional thatched roof © A. Harrison

As I walked I passed women in the most beautiful kimonos, their wooden geta clattering along the path as they walked. One shop rented kimonos and other traditional clothing; seeing samurais taking selfies was at first a little anachronistic, but when in Rome...

I would love one day to return to the Five Lakes district and pass a month in a hotel, spending my days contemplating the beauty of the gardens and of Mt Fuji. Yet should I not return, in this one day I saw so much of the beauty this magical mountain and the her surrounds has to offer.

An old wooden bell tower (c) A. Harrison

Enjoy my writing? Please subscribe here to follow my blog. Or perhaps you’d like to buy me a coffee? (Or a pony?)

If you like my photos please click either here or on the link in my header to buy (or simply browse) my photos. Or else, please click here to buy either my poetry or novel ebooks. I even have a YouTube channel, which includes Memories of Mt Fuji

The Literary Traveller

A classic of Japanese literature, The Tale of the Genji dates from the peak of the Heian Period. It was written in the 11th C by a Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu, who was also a lady-in-waiting. Depicting the lifestyle of the upper echelons of the Japanese feudal system, TheTale of the Genji is also considered the first psychological novel.

The work revolves around the life of the Shining Genji, son of the emperor, and his favourite concubine Lady Kiritsubo.

The novel revolves largely around the art of seduction – Genji marries his first wife at the age of twelve. In an era when style and aesthetics were more highly rated than morally and substance, the high-born seem to do little else than write poetry to their lovers, and even emperors are often ignorant of their true fathers. To be beautiful, or poetic, or excel at calligraphy, was seen as a reflection of inner goodness, both in this life and previous ones.

I

n The Tale of the Genji  Murasaki Shikibu captures the life of 11th century Japan while describing humanity in all its shades and vulnerabilities. Ten centuries later I fell under her spell.