Fuji City’s “normal” views of Mt. Fuji would be lifelong memories for the rest of us.

Mt. Fuji is, without question, the most recognizable symbol of Japan. So it’s ironic that despite the mountain’s constant presence on postcards, guidebooks, and travel posters, getting to see a great view of Mt Fuji with your own eyes isn’t so easy for travelers in Japan.

That’s because the summit is often obscured by clouds and mists, so a trip out to see it is always a roll of the dice for tourists. It’s a different story for local residents, though. For example, Japanese Twitter user @omochi_219 lives in Shizuoka, one of the two prefectures Mt. Fuji straddles, and recently shared a pair of breathtaking photos with the nonchalant message “Everyday life in Shizuoka.”

The photos were taken in Shizuoka’s Fuji City (because what else would you call a town that offers a view like this?) and didn’t require any trekking out to a remote location, as they were shot outside the north exit of Fuji Station. At street level, the scenery looks like any of a hundred other mid-sized Japanese towns, but as you raise your line of sight, there’s a surreal span of time where you keep expecting to see the sky, but instead are greeted with the towering slope of Mt. Fuji.

And as beautiful as the afternoon shot is, the photo taken at dusk, showing an “Akafuji” (Mt. Fuji bathed in the color of the sunset), is even more breathtaking.

A few commenters pointed out that Mt. Fuji being at the east side of Shizuoka means that those living in the western reaches of the prefecture don’t have quite so overwhelmingly amazing views of the mountain, no one could deny that seeing Mt. Fuji like it can be seen from Fuji City would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people.

“So lovely! I’ve been putting off Shizuoka for so long when planning my trips, and now I see what a mistake that’s been.”
“I like how the town still has an old-school Showa-era (1926-1989) vibe to it.”
“This is such a nostalgic view…I used to walk down this street every day on my way to school, and it made we want to just keep on walking until I got to Mt. Fuji.”
“I totally understand the ‘everyday life in Shizuoka’ feeling! The mountain is so close that sometimes you’re not even actively conscious that it’s there.”

Getting to see views like these so often that they start to feel “everyday” sounds like a nice life, but for those of us who have to take our chances with the weather on short trips to Mt. Fuji’s foothills, at least we can take heart knowing that sometimes even cloudy weather gives the mountain a unique appeal.

Source, images: Twitter/@omochi_219
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