Off to the outlet

 

Since the weather was supposed to be nice over the weekend, I decided to take a trip to the outlet mall near Mt. Fuji. I was checking the train times and a few articles on tips to get there. The stores didn't open til 10am and since the train ride was just under 2 hours, it wasn't one of those "dark and early" mornings for me.

Man, I'm glad I did that bit of research. Paying for the train fare isn't as clear cut as I thought. Since I'm crossing train companies, I can't simply use my chargeable train card. I would have either had to settle my fare at the destination, or get off once at the transfer station, go out the gates once, then come back in. The easiest way was to simply buy a paper ticket, which I ended up doing. (Note: The train I get on from is run by JR East, and the train I transfer to is run by JR Tokai. Both JR East and JR Tokai accept chargeable cards, but only within the stations under their respective operation. Can't cross over from JR East to JR Tokai so passengers need to get off at the bordering station, go out the gate, then swipe their card again to change trains).

The train I transferred to was a short 3-car train. You had to push the button next to the doors to open the doors when you get to the station. Plus, most stations along that line are unmanned. I saw a bunch of people wearing trekking shoes and decked out in Montbell gear. I'm guessing there's a popular hiking trail somewhere along the way. A lot of the hiker-looking people got off at one of the stations. At this station, I heard an announcement that people who got an error when swiping their train cards had to settle their fare when they got to a bigger station that actually has staff to help them. Yeah, I'm glad I bought a paper ticket.

The view of Mt. Fuji from the train was gorgeous! I saw some lovely autumn colors, too. The windows were dirty so the pics I took from the train didn't do the view justice. Since everything was so novel, the almost 2-hour train ride (where I had to transfer twice) didn't feel as long.

There was a long line waiting for the free shuttle bus. But, it looked like they had two buses leaving around the same time so I didn't have to wait long and I got a seat. I read that the shuttle bus took a different route from visitors driving to the outlet mall. It did go through narrow back roads. I guess that was to avoid traffic. I got to the mall and the first thing I did was get a floor map since I didn't know what was where. After consulting the floor map, I headed for Swarovski. I love their crystals. I found a cute ornament, snowflake that I could use as a pendant top, and a tiger ornament. I've been wanting the tiger one. What with all the discounts from the Black Friday sale, I got all 3 for the price of one at a regular shop. My Xmas and birthday present shopping for me is done! 😁

On my way to the next shop I wanted to check out, I came across a beef cutlet restaurant. I've been to the original restaurants in Tokyo and I know that their food is good. It's been a while since I've had their beef cutlet, so I decided to have lunch there (brunch, since I haven't had breakfast yet? ) Although it was only 11am, the restaurant was busy but I got seated right away. The interesting thing about this restaurant is that they'll fry the cutlets for only a minute so the meat is quite rare, and the diners grill the sliced pieces to their liking on the individual grill set up on the table. It was good that I had lunch when I did since there was a line waiting by the time I left. Fortified by a good meal, I headed off to explore a few other shops.

I picked up a new pair of black Skechers sneakers. The ones I'm wearing has seen better days 😂 The new pair are so light and comfy! It was like not wearing any shoes at all! The Skechers shop gave me a drawstring backpack as a shop bag. It was awesome. I had to break down the box the shoes came in, but it fit all my shopping. I'm so using this backpack as a shopping bag. It's lightweight and fit well. It'll be good to wear when I'm planning to walk a lot.

I didn't find a shop that sold glassware, tho. The kid wants a wine glass for red wine for Xmas. He asked me to find one that has a thicker stem since he snapped the stem of the last one when he was washing the wine glass. Just how hard was he holding it? 🤨 He wasn't impressed when I told him that the wine glasses at dollar stores have thick stems 😂 I only saw one shop at the outlet mall that had any wine glasses and that was a wine shop. The glasses were nice, but the stems were thin. I guess I'm going to have to go around stores.

I wanted to get back to the station while it was still light out. I read somewhere that there's a steam engine on display on the other side of the station, so of course, I went to take pics. 😂 I'm glad I left when I did. There was a loooong line of cars heading for the outlet. The later it got, the worse the traffic would get going the other way. Come to think of it, it looks like the crowd size doubled since I got there first thing in the morning. More people were coming in as I was leaving.

I saw a coffee shop that had "Coffee is art" written on the wall outside while I was waiting for the shuttle bus in the morning. I decided to stop by for a cup of coffee before hopping on the train for home. Never did I think I'd be talking US politics with a retired college professor who used to teach art 😂 While Japanese politics have seen better days, the economy is relatively stable and there isn't a huge wealth gap. Plus, because of national pride and strong emphasis on education, the politicians didn't chip away at public education to raise a generation of easily manipulated population. It was an interesting conversation. The interior of the cafe was interesting. There were old photos, cameras, and other things on display. It gave off a feeling of a forgotten era. The coffee was pretty good, too.

It was time to catch the train. After buying the ticket, I caught the train with seconds to spare. This time the train was only two cars and was pretty full. I still managed to get a seat. It was annoying to see tourist hogging the seats with their luggage. Especially since the train became pretty crowded. It's no wonder how residents in other countries are getting fed up with rude tourists.

Again, I had to change trains twice, the last transfer being to go out of the gates with the paper ticket and to go back in to swipe my train card. I had to change platforms anyway so it wasn't an issue. Both times, I managed to get a seat. The seats can get cramped with you have shopping bags with you. But, seeing how bad the traffic can get, taking the train is probably the best bet, although there is the inconvenience of having to buy a paper ticket.

I stopped by a local diner for dinner before going home. I had a dish called omu-rice (オムライス), which is ketchup flavored pilaf wrapped in an omelet. This dish is a Japanese creation, the current style started in Osaka, although menus will introduce the dish as "Western food" LOL

Although I didn't find a shop that sold glassware, I did get to enjoy a fabulous view of Mt. Fuji, a nice lunch, get myself some goodies, and an interesting conversation over a cup of coffee, it was a good day.

Behold, Mt. Fuji on a clear day

JN63JPN  9 Nov 30