Winter swimming in Lake Kawaguchi at approximately −6°C air temperature, with snow-covered Mount Fuji rising above the opposite shore.
Lake Kawaguchi was certainly not inviting me in that morning. The air temperature was around minus six degrees Celsius, while the wind and humidity made it feel even colder. Nevertheless, I entered the lake for a winter swim with one of the most remarkable backgrounds imaginable.
Mount Fuji rose above the opposite shore, its snow-covered summit clearly visible in the cold morning air. The first sunlight painted the clouds with soft shades of pink, while the calm surface of the lake reflected the subdued colours of winter.
The water itself could not have been minus six degrees, because the lake would have been frozen. That reading referred to the air temperature; the water was naturally several degrees above freezing. My body was not particularly interested in that technical distinction. The moment I stepped into the lake, every instinct delivered the same message: this was seriously cold.
Yet the experience was extraordinary. There was silence around me, freezing air on my skin and Mount Fuji standing directly ahead. For a brief moment, the cold stopped being an obstacle and became an essential part of the landscape. It was not simply another winter swim. It was my cold encounter with Fuji.
- Date
- 2026-01-01