Once getting to the hostel I tried to devise a plan for the Fuji climb the next day. With the bus times being narrowed (as it was off season), I'd have around 4/5 hours to go up and down Fuji, so near enough everyone stays the night in a tent, catches the sun rise and comes back down to the bus station. I'd heard before arriving that the hostels/huts were closed but noticed a few toilets on the trail map, but the hostel staff said these were locked now too... I'd met an American guy and Chinese girl in the hostel so decided to go for a drink with them in the bar downstairs. He was a programmer at Nasa and she was a language beast so I showed them up and spilt I once worked for Spoons.

I hired a bike and rode around a popular lake with Fuji in view. This was all quite rushed though as I was aiming to make it to Miyajima that night, and although most of the distance was covered by a bullet train, there were a few local trains on the cards too. So I spent a chunk of the day on a Shinkansen, which when inside feels like a weird cross between a train and a plane, with carriage attendants frequently heading up and down dishing out meals. I was next to this old suited man who was getting through a couple cans, and whipped out a cartoon porn mag - one way to get through rush hour...