When I reached the top of Mt. Fuji ...

Carl SMITH (New Zealand)

The first thing that strikes you when you get off the plane at Narita is a sign that says "Foreigners." It's something that if you dwell on it, can affect your mindset about what you're about to experience. Fortunately this is my second time to Japan. I remember the first time I visited, I was continuously asking myself, WHY? Why is there a sign that so blatantly separates 'me' from 'them'? Why do you need someone to guide cars off the road and into a car park? Why is he wearing a safety hat and carrying a light stick? But I'm not here to ask more questions - this time I want answers.

I came back to Japan to experience all the things that make this country what it is today. To experience past and present, to triumph over cultural barriers, and at the end of the day to look back and say, "I know what makes this country and its people tick." What better place to start than Tokyo, a city like no other, crammed with 12 million people, neon lights and skyscrapers; the stereotypical 'urban jungle'? You couldn't find a city more different from my hometown Auckland, a city spread over almost the same amount of land, but with only just over 1 million people.

From my previous travel experiences around the world I've already come to the conclusion that the best way to understand a people is to be involved in something they hold in high esteem or respect. Before I left Japan the first time I was here, I made a promise that I would return and conquer Mt Fuji. I didn't realize it at the time but this was eventually the experience that gave me most of the answers I was looking for. So I set out with four other foreigners to tackle the great Mt Fuji. I'm sure we all started out with different reasons to climb to the top, and that when we got half way we all asked ourselves, "why are we doing this?"

But something that was unexpected to me and I'm sure to my climbing partners was the camaraderie we felt. As we climbed we were greeted with warm smiles and words of encouragement, which for me reached a peak when we reached the summit where I was happy to share a can of Asahi Super Dry beer and some chips with a Japanese man who spoke less English than I spoke Japanese. It was becoming clear to me what we had all just gained from the experience - a form of acceptance.

Now that I am back in New Zealand, the differences between our cultures and countries are much clearer. During my last visit to Japan I made some very close friends and experienced more than I could ever have hoped for, which has left me with a desire to learn more and to gain a further understanding of Japan, its history, its language and most importantly, its people.

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