I didn't know what I'd see. The view that would await me at sunrise. Arriving at the lake in the black of night meant that all but the sound of the lake was still a mystery.
My first night in our new camper on the Tour of Japan was spent parked up at the shore of Lake Yamanakako in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. The Jet lag and time difference had not subsided. I awoke at 5 o'clock as if it was normal. A pleasant lie in almost. I stepped outside of the camper to be greeted by Japan's namesake: The land of the rising Sun.
I understood the name.
The beauty of the sunrise had never been so real to me as it cast the signs of daylight over the water. All the while the great mist rolling in across the water. Rarely had I encountered water so still. Even the thousands of Koi knew now was a time of peace and tranquillity. In front of me stud the warmest welcome I could have received to the land I'd dreamt of exploring so many times, and behind me stood the might and sovereignty of Fuji-san, looking over the water like a silence guardian.
As I walked along the shore I still couldn't quite believe where I now found myself. Months of preparation and years of training do not prepare you for the reality that it could happen.
I got to share in the morning routine of the Crane which flew across the water and the morning walk of the people who called this there home. I felt like a small house with a modest garden by the water might be the ultimate retirement.
Japan had made its Entrance.