Hi, I am moving to Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi ken in two weeks, I am a keen social climber and am looking for some information on indoor or outdoor climbing in the region. Would love to also meet some people around the area who are keen to travel around and hike and climb

You are lucky; some of Japan's tallest mountains are in yamanashi.

I have been working on a website in english dedicated to Japan's 100 most famous mountains a list of mountains depicted in the 1964 collection of essays by Mountaineer/Author Kyuya Fukada. You can see it @ http://www.japangazetteer.com I still have a lot of work to be done but you can pull topo maps for all of them.

Heck, with a bit of panning around you can pull topo maps for all of Japan.

i tried to access the website and was unable to access. I will try again from another server but thanks!!! I knew there was areas around there that would be good, but wasn't sure if it was as popular over there as it is here.

Your home away from home is next to Japan's Southern Alps, which is the highest of the three main mountain ranges in your general area. It is also the least accessible of the three, without as many roads nor tourist facilities (traps?) which is fine by me. If you are into multiple-day mountain hikes (I can't, I got small children), you will love this place.

Fuji may be a disappointment. During the official climbing season (I have been told) the place is filthy and crowded beyond belief. Some say that the crowds and camaraderie is part of Fuji's charm. I see it more like a curse. Just before or after the official climbing season seems to be the best time. Winter turns that mountain into a bona fide monster, suitable for Himalaya's training grounds.

The first thing you want to do when you get to Japan is to jump on an onsen. At first I was intimidated with the whole onsen experience, now they are half the reason why I go hiking

You might want to also check out Jake Reiner at the Solar Cafe up there (www.earthembassy.org) he's been living up in that area for years and knows it well. There's also a link from the Places to Stay section as well. Great place to live up there!