Thursday 10 May 2018

MUSINGS OF THE GRANDMA IN MOUNT FUJI, SHIZUOKA

Eli Jones is climbing up Mount Fuji
Yesterday, The Jones visited Mount Fuji. It was a hard experience full of risky and dangerous situations because the family had to climb over 3,000 metres. 

The Grandma has taken profit of this trip to think about her past and about the closer future. We don't know a lot of things about Grandma's life. She's very reticent to talk about her past. We know she got married five times and she became widowed five times, too. A total tragedy for a woman who has created a great fortune taking care of all the fortunes left by her lovely husbands.

More information: Used to I, II & III

The Grandma is a woman who used to stay at home but now she's travelling constantly. She used to read a lot but now she's a fan of social networks and she prefers Twitter to The Times and Instagram to BBC. She used to live in Andorra la Vella and she didn't use to spend a lot of money because she was always thinking in the future. 

Claudia Jones in Mount Fuji
Saving was a must for her but now she's happy spending money with her family. She used to be a an extroverted person but now, after five husbands and five funerals, she's a little melancholic and she's always talking about her past life trying to remember her unforgettable moments. 

The Grandma often used to listen to music but now music provokes her sadness and homesickness. She's near the end and the most important for her is to try to help her families to accomplish their dreams and wishes.

More information: Past Continuous

Climbing Mount Fuji has been always a dream for The Grandma. Yesterday, her dream came true. The Jones climbed the highest mountain in Japan, the great volcano which stands majestuosly near the capital.

Paqui Jones in Mount Fuji
The trip was difficult. While some Jones were climbing without any difficulty, The Grandma did her best to walk without falling into the floor. The weather was good. It was a sunny day without wind. The family was enjoying the views when they stopped to rest. 

The family created two groups: the first with the most experienced members and the second with the rest of the family trying to help The Grandma in her steps. While the first group was opening new paths, the second group followed them. During the trip, they received some support of other climbers and finally, they could reach the summit.

When The Jones arrived to the top of the mountain, some people were taking some photos from there. The views are incredible and not everyday you can climb a mountain as fantastic as Mount Fuji. While The Jones were resting, The Grandma dedicated some words to God. She's not a believer but she had arrived to the summit of the mountain and she considered this action like a miracle and she needed to thank someone.

More information: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous (When/While)

While clouds were passing over them, The Jones wrote some wishes in coloured papers to throw them into the air. They don't know where their missages are going to arrive but they hope that all of them come true.

Ana Jones on the top of Mount Fuji
Japan is a country full of spirituality, a country where you can appreciate which are the most important things in life, which are not especially necessary and which are totally unnecessary.

The Grandma had some private thoughts and she remembered a recent conversation with Mr. Jor Di, the president of the Bank of Tokyo. Mr. Di recommended her to invest in Barcelona and in its metropolitan area because he was totally sure this zone was going to increase its economic activity in the next years, becoming a prosperous zone full of opportunities and a high level of life. The Grandma likes to listen to professional people who have interesting information and contacts and who can help her to choose her best option in her own business.


Mount Fuji located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m, 2nd-highest peak of an island volcanic in Asia, and 7th-highest peak of an island in the world.It is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–1708. Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometers south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped for about 5 months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Merche Jones on the summit of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013.

According to UNESCO, Mount Fuji has inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries. UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mt. Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain and the shrine, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha, as well as the Taisekiji Head Temple founded in 1290.

More information: Fuji San

Mount Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art especially after 1600, when Edo, now Tokyo, became the actual capital and people saw the mountain while traveling on the Tōkaidō road. The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems. One of the modern artists who depicted Fuji in almost all her works was Tamako Kataoka.

Some Jones climbing down Mount Fuji
It is thought that the first recorded ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times and was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era in the late 1860s. 

Ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present-day town of Gotemba. The shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo held yabusame in the area in the early Kamakura period.

Founded by Nikkō Shōnin in 1290 on the lower slopes of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture is the Taiseki-ji temple complex, the central base headquarters of Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism, which is visited by thousands of westerners and Asian believers from neighbouring countries each year who go on varying Tozan pilgrimages.

The first ascent by a foreigner was by Sir Rutherford Alcock in September 1868, from the foot of the mountain to the top in eight hours and three hours for the descent.

More information: Japan Guide


I love Mount Fuji and I think it is my love of the mountains in Japan 
that led me to seek other mountains around the world.

Tamae Watanabe

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