Couldn't sleep so awake at 4am, got up about 6am showers and down to breakfast by 7
Fresh fruit and a pastry with a sandwich made for later hidden in the rucksack
Weather is fresh (but then it is early)
Other stuff I forgot from yesterday. Each emperor has edit own era the current chaps begins with a h (I think)but I can't remember what it is. The Japanese use the era and the current number of years they have been on power as a date. Currently 28. The current chap is the son of Hero thingy - the famous guy during the war. So the date would be T28 and then the month and then the day so 5march 2016 is h2835
Or star date whatever .....

Time for 15 min chill so thought I would fill you in on some of the characters on the tour
Mark - ennnnnormous chap takes up 2 Seats but one of the nicest people you can meet. Stick with him he appears to be a celeb in Japan as all the Japs want their photos taken with him. Also found out he is a chief immigration officer at Heathrow and his friend with him is a border control person in Calais.
Then we have Welshy a lady from Cardiff who talks incessantly, has done everything you have and more only louder, and better. I had her life story in the first 15 minutes and btw her brother is gay don't you know ....
We have an Indian couple from Glasgow in their 60s. She is lovely - about 4 ft nothing in her sari. Gets very excited about everything - saw her this morning at breakfast, ooh what a variety and she brought her own kettle, and milk, and t bags and shortbread - ock well you never know dearie. Also told me that Kaur in an Indian name means princess and all seihk women are called this.
We have a couple of (in their 50s) hippies - the man wears tie dye pantaloons. To be fair they are lovely - Karen and Colin. They have travelled a lot but not in big groups
Another couple Richard and ? Brother and sister she is married to a Chinese chappie so is expert with chopsticks and is about 8stone wringing wet and makes sure everyone knows - and is going skinny dipping in the hot springs today.
Another guy retired and rather rotund has come on his own, getting to know him but he was a bit stand offish at first obviously well travelled.
Then we have daphne and John - they are about 80 and are always falling asleep on the bus
Well that's my observations so far.
Time to think about getting on the bus in a bit so will take more notes and finish this post later.
Right then today
On the bus we had a lesson in how to use a Japanese toilet - there are multiple options and buttons etc so that was funny. Also learnt that short sleeve kimonos are for single ladies and long sleeved ones for married women. Also they say single women have 2 horns on their heads so the have a hood thing to cover them . Like the woman in a knights tale.
Up this morning and off to lake Asha for a cruise - well a 25 minute ride on a catermaran to the hakone ropeway cable car. The weather was awful, really misty and very windy at t he top so we didn't se much.
Stop for lunch to eat our snaffled sandwich from breakfast and on to Mount Fuji. We stopped at some shops and I found the following kit Kat bars
Green tea
Wasabi flavour
Strawberry cheesecake

Once on Mount Fuji We could only drive to the first station at about 1350 metresbut there was still snow around although not as cold as I thought it would be but very misty and murky.
Then off to the Fuji lake area - there are 5 lakes , we were going to to lake K??? Where our hotel is.
Before we got to the hotel which is at the bottom of the mountain the clouds cleared and we had the best view of Fuji in 6 months. The driver partied up and I took a billion photos so I hope some turn out - we will see.
Our hotel the breeze bay hotel half way up a very steep hill - the cases were brought up by car, we had to walk. A traditional Japanese hotel where you take your shoes off at the door and they have a famous hot spring bath where you are supposed to go and bathe naked. Single sex obviously. I won't be doing that, might put everyone off their dinner
We have to wear kimonos for dinner so I have changed into mine - they provide them at the hotel so I expect there will be some amusing photos I won't be sharing. But on the plus size one size does fit all more or less.
Tiring day today as I was awake at 4am so dinner at 7 then early night
Dinner was a a variety of dishes, none of which looked like anything I had seen before. Deep fried pumpkin - yes really. Btw they only use chopsticks so I am starving as I cannot use them. With the fish it seems easier to stab it and bite bits off and I do like the locals with noodles and slurp. The louder you slurp the better the noodles apparently.
Early start tomorrow we start at 7.45 and have a 5 hour drive to Kyoto. Apparently it will be karaoke and origami on the bus !!