Meeting in the mist at Sengen Shrine🏔An unfinished promise with Mount Fuji⛰️

As I ascended the stone steps of Sengen Shrine, the wind carried the unique fragrance of cedar wood. As I climbed, the vermilion torii gates appeared and disappeared amidst the greenery, and the tinkling of bronze bells in the wind seemed to softly tell the story of this thousand-year-old shrine. The moment I reached the observation deck, the view suddenly widened: beneath me lay the cascading rooftops and the crisscrossing streets, while the distant horizon was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Mount Fuji lay before us, not the sharp, majestic form beneath a clear sky, but shrouded in shifting clouds and mist. Sometimes a glimpse of snow-white peak peeked out, sometimes swallowed entirely by thick fog. Like a hermit embracing a lute, it refused to reveal its full face. Standing by the railing, observing the shifting mass of white and gray, I suddenly felt that this elusive form was even more mysterious than when it was clearly visible. It was no longer the standardized symbol on a postcard, but a living, evolving being, each moment unique. Even as I gazed, regret crept in. I longed to see its full outline once more, to see the golden glow of sunlight on the snowy peaks, to see the greenery at the foot of the mountain complement it beautifully. Those images, imagined countless times in my mind, ultimately remained uncaptured. But perhaps this is the special gift Sengen Shrine has given me. Mount Fuji, in its imperfect form, has been etched into my memory, a reminder that travel is never about "perfection," but about "care." Descending the mountain, I glanced back toward the observatory. Mount Fuji was still hazy in the mist. But I felt certain—next time, I would return with a more relaxed attitude, waiting for a complete encounter with it. #FujiMount#JapanTravelGuide#SengenShrine#TravelPhotography#TravelExpert#TravelDiary#HongKongTravelGuide