In our workshop leaders' close to thirty years in Japan, they have visited the Mt. Fuji region more times that they can count, for the annual JDS Mt. Fuji Photography Workshop tour, Essence of cherry blossom photography workshop, Essence of autumn photography workshop, and the annual Hokkaido photography tour. One of our workshop leaders has his first home/cottage in Japan is just 30 minutes drive from Mt. Fuji, so he is often exploring the region for his personal adventures such as camping, day trips with family and scouting the region to uncover more of authentic Japan for participants for future Japan photo workshops. One location he always returns to during his explorations is the Dragon Cafe near one of the Fuji Five Lakes. Actually, there are six lakes, but 95% of the people our team knows still refer to them as Fuji Five Lakes, so our team sticks with that. The entire area is a nature photographer’s dream come true as Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees, surrounds the Dragon Cave, a natural rampart. The forest itself is a phenomenal, legendary forest that spans two thousand and four hundred hectares across the Northwest base of Mt. Fuji, and all the trees in the forest grow in volcanic planting pots, as there is no soil in the forest, also there are countless caves throughout. Incidentally, our workshop leaders highly recommend sticking to the walking paths if you visit the forest or you may never be heard from again, especially if traveling alone, as it’s easy to get turned around in the forest to say nothing of the razor sharp volcanic lava tubes with openings spread out all over the labyrinthine forest, which is what this Dragon Cave is. If you travel with JDS, you’ll have nothing to worry about, as our workshop leaders know almost the entirety of the Aokigahara like the back of their hands. When our Japan photo workshop leaders introduce the cave to visiting photographers, many have said they sense the energy from this vortexal power spot, and the leaders share part of the legend associated with this massive cave system, a location fit for a dragon. Many people automatically assign a male gender to a dragon when first thinking about them, but the most famous tale associated with the cave is a Dragon Princess (Ryujin no Miko) who would venture out of the cave to the nearby Fuji lake and play with the local fishermen. In exchange for their time spent keeping her company, she extended her kindness, offering the fishermen mystical treasures and bountiful catches when fishing in the Fuji Five Lakes. The female dragon association has also made this location popular for fertility, as many couples believe if they make a wish for a healthy family that it will be granted, the Dragon Princess gifting more good will to those who pray and make offerings at the mouth of her cave. Whenever our team visits, they always take in the energy and Shinrin Yoku, and although our workshop leaders don’t pray for anything at the Shinto Shrine in the cave fertility related, our participants and our team always seem to walk away with magical photos.
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