Mt. Fuji

My friends drove on the left side of the road, plundering through the ice and snow as we inched closer to the fortress. We stepped out of the car. I noticed the temperature began to change. I tucked my knitted yellow scarf under my chin, huffing and puffing as my breath visibly swirled in circles.
As I snapped shots of the scenery, I noticed one of my gloves were missing. Startled, I felt
a light tap on my shoulder. I spun around. There, an elderly Japanese man with fine smiling lines was clasping my glove in his hand. He extended his arm and dropped both knees
to the ground, as if I was the Duchess of Cambridge.
I was startled, and massively struck by his true kindness. I nodded and fumbling the few Japanese words I knew, trying to say “thank you” as best as I could.
As I wandered towards the mountain, Japanese children, about five or six years old
were dragging sleds up the ledge with their parents. The kids were dressed in bright vivid colours of winter jackets and yellow snow boots, faithfully being pulled by their parents who trudged up the hill. One of the little girls were dressed in hot pink and blazing orange snow pants. She appeared to have bottled-up energy that instantly began to
spill out.
“America-jeen! America-jeen!” she said. She pointed at me, her eyes lighting up. I supposed it meant something like I was an American.
I waved and said ‘sayonara‘ as we hopped back into the car which ended at the station.
Near an overly-crowded shop at the foothill of the mountain I ordered a green tea ice
cream cone. The bright green shamrock color drove me to search for the last few Yen coins I had in my pocket, knowing I couldn’t pass up this pleasantly delicious green surprise.
I was very aware of my surroundings. I didn’t blend in very well with the crowd, standing out with fair skin and light colored hair made me feel like I was being stared at like a goldfish in a fishbowl. But the Japanese were friendly to foreigners like me, treating me with the random welcoming nod.
As the train rolled in from a distance, I heard chiming sounds like a Jack-in-the-box toy while I stood in line. An itty-bitty baby peered out from underneath her mothers arms, staring intently at me with her gorgeous black eyes. Young boys with classically pressed uniforms and high mandarin-styled collars tapped their thumbs quickly on cellphones. A young girl with high knee socks and plaid skirt brushed a silky strand of black hair behind her ear. Her smiling eyes were shaped like moon beams as she laughed, covering her giggles with her fingers as she leaned in to chat with her friends.
Before the sliding train doors could block its view, I peered over my shoulder and winked
at Mt. Fuji. It stood proud and tall in the clear sunshine, waiting to greet more countless visitors like me.
“I’ll be back”, I whispered under my breath.

❦