Have you ever seen the movie “Journey to the center of the Earth”? Where three explorers go down an old tunnel and end up discovering a fantastic new world at the center of the Earth with its own atmosphere, ocean and eco systems? A world so unbelievably fantastic that it just blows your mind?
Well, sorry to disappoint but physically speaking the subterranean caves of Mt Fuji are a little less exciting than that. Never the less you can experience a significant phycological aspect of Japan here.
The Caves are surrounded by what is known as “Suicide Forrest.” The Samurai were perhaps most famous for ritual suicide, and although the heart and spirit of Japan is not as strong as it was in the past, it still plays a significant part of life here today. In my experience, a shared emotional view of life, originating from Zen Buddhism, is a part of the collective reasoning behind such events all occurring in the one area. Parts of the forest here are so deep and indistinguishable from each other that once you go in you can never find your way out. I have been to the caves several times and I always say a prayer of respect before leaving.
Don’t worry about getting lost however, the forest is beautiful, and the paths to the caves are a short walk from the road and are all well marked. Narusawa Ice Cave is a lava tube, as are the other two caves, the wind cave and the bat cave.
Narusawa Ice cave is one hundred and fifty six meters long, as narrow as one and a half meters in some parts and eleven meters in others. The ceiling height is about three and a half meters. The average temperature inside the cave is about 3C which allowed the Samurai of old to deliver cut ice blocks to the Shogun in Edo. Before the days of electric refrigerators in the early 1900s ice cut here was sold and placed in ice boxes to keep food from spoiling.
The Fugaku wind cave was used by silk farmers from the Edo period to the Meiji period (1600 to 1900) to keep the eggs of silk worms. This cave was ideal because it allowed for a stable temperature and lower humidity needed to hatch the eggs. The cave is two hundred and one meters long and has a ceiling height of 8.7 meters allowing for good air circulation throughout the basalt chamber.
The largest cave is the bat cave at three hundred and eighty six meters long. All the caves in this area were first formed in 864AD with the eruption of Mt Fuji. About five hundred bats live in the cave of which there are five different kinds.
The most popular cave is the ice cave. You can catch the bus from Kawaguchiko station of Fujikyuko railway or if you have a car its 30 minuets from lake Kawaguchi exit of Chuo Expressway.
English Speaking Lifeline in Japan 03-57740992