The first sizable snowfall hit Central Japan a couple days ago, just when some friends and I were planning a snowboarding trip near Mt. Fuji. I got a great shot of the mountain yesterday morning when we were heading towards the hill from our hotel near Yamanaka-ko on the north east side of Mt. Fuji. There is a fresh layer of snow on the mountain and the silhouette is different from the usual view you get from the south side when you take the bullet train or Tomei Expressway.

I stopped to get some gas and asked the station attendant what it was like to wake up every morning to see such a fantastic sight. He said that you get used to it pretty quick and it is just another part of the scenery like anything else. He added that there is not as much snow on it as in other years. He was obviously quite aware of how the mountain should look in winter...