Eight ponds, one hundred yards from the road, and every one of them clear enough to count the pebbles. Oshino Hakkai takes its water from the snow and rain of Mount Fuji, which sinks into the porous volcanic rock of the mountain and takes decades to filter down, so the springs that emerge in the village of Oshino are astonishingly pure and cold. The water holds close to a constant temperature all year, so in winter mist rises from the ponds, and in summer they feel like cool air-conditioning. Carp and trout drift through the plants, water wheels turn quietly, and thatched houses stand behind the ponds, though these days they hold shops selling pickles, soba noodles and sweets.
It is a popular stop, and it feels like it. Tour groups arrive in coaches during the day, and the pathways around the ponds fill up. The trick is to come early or late, when the village returns to being a village, and the hills are quiet. The springs were included in the World Heritage listing of Fuji in 2013, and they were an important place of purification for the pilgrims who climbed the mountain over centuries. It is a good moment to eat a bowl of hot soba and consider how much trouble people once took to prepare for a climb.
The ride continues toward Tokyo and the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno, a building designed by Le Corbusier, and one of the world's few chances to see his architecture in Asia. You can take the Doshi Road, Route 413, which heads south-east from Yamanaka lake, through Doshi village and down to the plains of Kanagawa, a twisting road through forest that motorcyclists have loved for decades. It has speed enforcement in places, so keep your eyes open, and it gets busy on weekends. The fast alternative is the Chuo Expressway, which runs east to Tokyo in under two hours with Mount Fuji visible on a clear day.
Oshino is a small village, but Fujiyoshida, a few kilometres away, has fuel stations, supermarkets and hotels. The best seasons are autumn and winter, when the air is clear and Fuji is likely to be showing. The lake region can be bitterly cold in January, and ice and snow can affect the roads, so check conditions.