Now You Can Climb Mount Fuji Virtually, Thanks to Google

Records show that approximately 300,000 people climbed Mount Fuji in 2009. Right now, "Fuji san" as the locals call it, is probably getting pretty crowded.  That's because the most popular months for people to make the hike up Japan's tallest mountain are during precisely this time of year, July and August, while various facilities to assist and support climbers are in operation.

Climbing from October to May is strongly discouraged due to the high probability of severely cold weather, which causes accidents and failed attempts that can even cost climbers their lives. Most Japanese climb the mountain during the night in order to be in a favorable position at or near the summit to see the sun rise. The morning light is called 御来光 goraikō, meaning arrival of light. 

If you have never seen Mt. Fuji for yourself, it's an incredible sight. You should go see it!  As for climbing to the top (its elevation is 12,389 feet), I don't think I'll do that. I'm quite happy to admire it from a distance.  But I have wondered what the view is like once you're up there. For those of us who are content to be virtual adventurers, at least when it comes to climbing mountains, Google has the solution. With new Street View imagery of Mount Fuji, we can now open our laptops, navigate to Google Earth and see for ourselves how trekkers make their way step by step up this majestic mountain.  And if you do decide to go yourself one day, Google can provide help by giving you this glimpse of what lies ahead so you can make adequate preparations.

Mount Fuji was named in June an official World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Officials expect that as a result of this honor, a record number of climbers will be attracted to the mountain this year.  If Google was looking for a good a reason to document the journey up Mount Fuji, this was it - and so it sent its Street View Trekker equipment on the back of a team member to accomplish the task.

To check out for yourself the route that travels up the active volcano, click here.

"The Street View collection covers the highly popular follows the highly popular Yoshida trail that takes hikers up the mountain, the full walk around the crater at the top, and the quick zigzag descent," Setsuo Murai, head of Geo Partnerships for Google Japan, wrote on the company's official blog."We hope these 14,000 panos of new imagery will give climbers a sense of the terrain to expect under their feet — especially all the night-time climbers who shuffle up in the dark to see the sunrise at the crack of dawn."

Take a look at this interesting video posted to You Tube.  

In case you're curious about the reactions of Japanese people think of Google's achievement, here are some comments in response to the You Tube video mentioned above, that we translated for you.

• お疲れ様です(^^)  /  Otsukaresama desu! / "It is good work!"
• お疲れさまでした！ ストリートビュー見ました。素晴らしいです。これぞまさに情報革­命。/ Otsukaresama deshita! Street view mimashita. Subarashii desu. Kore zo masa ni joho kakumei.  / Thanks for your good work! I looked at the Street View. Wonderful! This is absolutely the information revolution!
• googleさんすごい！！ / google san sugoi! / "Google, way to go!" 

If you are interested in learning more, there are many sources of information online. Getting started is as easy as opening your favorite search engine and typing in Mount Fuji.

 

J-World Tokyo Has Officially Opened

Fans of Japanese manga and anime just got their own – what should we call this place? – indoor theme amusement center and arcade.  The creators of Tokyo's newest entertainment facility call it J-World Tokyo, and so far the buzz about this emporium is traveling far beyond Japan’s borders.  Located on the third floor of Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City World Import Mart Building, J-World Tokyo is sponsored by Namco Corporation and inspired by manga characters featured in Shonen Jump (and sister Jump publications). Here is a brief FAQ for those of you who are curious.

Q.  Does this place feature any famous manga or anime characters I would know?

A.  You’re in luck if you are familiar with Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, Gintama, Toriko, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and Kochikame, for example. 

Q.  Who will J-World Tokyo attract? 

A. Kids, manga readers, anime watchers, and cosplayers, mostly. 

If you only look at publicity photos showing boys and girls riding rides and playing arcade games, you might think this center is just for kids. 

Cosplay photos hint at a different story, and also give you an idea what of what the atmosphere in J-World Tokyo will be like. Judging by a small sample of potentially thousands of cosplayers who post photos on the internet of themselves engaging in "costume play" (dressing up as their favorite manga or anime characters), fan demographics cover a broad range, from children to teenagers to twenty somethings. Some are even older than that, so it seems fans of various ages may be compelled to visit this "otaku" oasis if they are in Tokyo. Take a look at the photos below. This facility should serve as a great venue for future cosplay events and parties.

Dragon Ball Z cosplayers

Bleach cosplayer

Naruto cosplayer

Young Naruto cosplayer

Bleach cosplayers

 

Bleach cosplayer

Bleach cosplayer

Q.  What is the entrance fee?

A.   An entrance ticket is 1300 yen and is good for the entire day. Food, rides and attractions are not included in this price. Once you’re inside, attending attractions incur additional fees. There are two Dragon Ball Z attractions, two One Piece attractions, and one Naruto attraction.

Q.  What are some things you get to do inside?

A.  You’ll get the chance to fight Freiza along side Goku, stow away on a haunted ship in One Piece’s Soldier Dock ride, go on the One Piece Shiro Mokuba ride, check out the Heroes Arena, and unlock ninja secrets with the Naruto “Shinobi War Picture Scroll.”

Q.  Do they have an arcade too?

A.  Yes.  There is an Amusement Arena which has arcade games, UFO catchers, and interactive games featuring the manga characters.

Q.  Is there a gift shop?

A.  Yes,  visitors can purchase action figures and other manga and anime collectables.

Q.  Can you get something to eat there?

A.  Yes.  J-World Tokyo has a food court with three restaurants that should draw in guests for a closer look.  Take your pick from J-World Kitchen, Café Mademoiselle, and J-Patisserie.  Here you can feast on Prince of Tennis, Gintama, and Bleach desserts, Majin Buu Buns, Tony Tony Chopper pasta with meatballs, Ichigo vs. Renji curry, or Blue Exorcist panna cotta. The desserts are especially eye-catching and creative.

You will see some cute and tasty looking baked goods for sale.

Q.  How do you find this place?

A.  Ikebukuro is a vicinity in the heart of Tokyo.  The Sunshine Tower is is a very well known landmark. 
 The address and directions are below.

Address:

Sunshine City World Import Mart, 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Transport:

Ikebukuro Station (Yamanote, Saikyo, Marunouchi, Yurakucho, Fukutoshin, Seibu lines) 

For more information:  Here is a website in Japanese.  Here is a website in English.

Editors' Note:  This post is the result of a combined effort shared by both authors.  Nagamimi came up with the post idea and performed initial  research. Barbara/LilyOmori wrote the content and gathered graphics.