Maybe it’s the perfect sloping symetry or the delicate dusting of snow on the mountaintop. Then again it could be the accompanying scenery of framing foliage and the stillness of Lake Kawaguchi. Getting away from the noise of the city has something to do with it. Or even just the fact that we’re in Japan and it seems appropriate. Whatever the reason, Mount Fuji is giving us a serious zen experience.

I’m not kidding. If I could remember my third grade Language Arts lessons, I would write a haiku right now. I would make a block print. I would meditate. I probably wouldn’t shave my head.

Gazing at Mount Fuji melts away the tenseness in your shoulders. Gazing at Mount Fuji calms a fussy child demanding a lollipop. Gazing at Mount Fuji is an even better antidote to the US election than a K-pop band singing love songs from your youth.

Gazing at Mount Fuji inspired my husband and child to collaborate on the following song lyrics: “Fuji-san, Fuji-san, we are having so much fun!” A clear hit. Somebody call a K-pop band!

Mount Fuji inspires serious reflection and ponderance in people of all ages. I declare to no one in particular that the further you get from Mount Fuji, the closer it looks. My husband believes that ramen tastes better while looking at Fuji. My daughter came to the careful conclusion that Mount Fuji is the vacation home of Elsa from “Frozen.” This all makes sense.

As the train makes its way back to Tokyo and Fuji slips behind its famous haze, I miss it already. Mount Fuji, will I ever find another mountain as perfect as you or will I be chasing this zen for the rest of my life?