Mt. Fuji was a mountain that had been on my hiking bucket list for quite some time, and what started out as a random seat sale booking to Tokyo and Osaka with my friends turned out to be one of the best decisions of our lives as we were able to hike up the sacred volcano and witness some of the most beautiful views we’d ever seen. The biggest highlight of our recently concluded trip to Japan, Mt. Fuji did not fall short of our expectations at all as to how we felt our hiking experience would be.
Mt. Fuji, or locally known Fuji-san, is a dormant volcano and is the highest standing mountain in the whole of Japan, standing at a massive 3776MASL. Being one of the few naturally cone-shaped volcanoes in the world, it was inducted as a World Heritage site in 2013, and attracts tens of thousands of hikers from around the world each year.
Although technically open all year long, “climbing season” on Mt. Fuji is usually during the summer season up to early fall (July to September). This is the season when the climbing conditions of Mt. Fuji are much more favorable for tourists and hikers alike, with snow fall on the mountain being rare while the temperature at the summit plays a little under 10 degrees Celsius. Hiking during other seasons would require permits to be secured, as well as special equipment to be utilized as the weather can be treacherous (especially during winter). There are actually four trails that lead to the summit of Mt. Fuji, each coming from different prefectures of Japan, but this itinerary covers the trail that is easiest and recommended for first-timers, the Yoshida trail in the Yamanashi Prefecture.
The jump-off point of the Yoshida trail is found on Fuji-Subaru 5th station, and although there a number of ways to reach the area, we opted for an express bus which took us from Shinjuku Bus Station Terminal to Fuji-Subaru 5th station and back the next day for Y5400 (around P2700/USD54). The ride takes about 2-2.5 hours to reach Fuji 5th.
We arrived at Fuji 5th station at around 12pm, giving us enough time to have lunch, look around for prospective souvenirs, and do final preparations before starting our hike.
A permit costing Y1000 (P500/USD10) was optional which was given in front of the information center, and that was the only “fee” we needed to pay (it was more of a donation, actually). In return, we were given a wooden charm made from the trees found on the mountain.
-A wooden amulet serves as your “permit” for the hike.
The trail from jump-off was very straight forward, starting from cemented road to a trail covered in pebbles and volcanic soil. But the real gist of the hike started once we reached station 6 when the trail became a consistently inclined and zig-zag trail assault. The lodges of Station 7 could also be seen in the distance, which marked one third of the distance covered to reach the summit.
After about an hour and a half of hiking, we reached the first aid center of station 7 where we had the option to rest up, use the bathroom, or buy a drink from the lodges. Be cautious though as the prices for refreshments start at a minimum of Y300 (P150/USD3).
The first aid center and lodging of station 7. The altitude is at about 2800MASL.
Be sure to buy refreshments and trail food before the hike as prices in the lodges are almost triple.
From station 7, the trail became a lot more rocky where some parts required us to use our hands to help keep balance and find proper footing on the rocks. Though as the hike progressed through the entire station 7, it normalized again into a soil and pebble trail.
Because station 7 contained most of the lodges along the Yoshida trail, we passed by and hiked with a large amount of people, and foot traffic tended to build from the last lodge of station 7 to the trail leading to station 8. Though, the trail was wide enough for us to advance past those hiking at slower paces.
After about four hours of hiking, we finally reached our lodge in the upper half of station 8, Hakuun-so, somewhere near the 3300MASL mark. We were greeted warmly by the receptionist and what seemed to be the head manager of the lodge. We removed our hiking shoes and were brought to the shared room where we were to sleep. The lodges along the trail are considered as shelters more than anything, as it provides you with essential shelter, warmth, and meals, with our “bed” being an insulated sleeping bag and our dinner a tray of beef and curry with rice. The cost for our overnight stay in Hakuun-so was Y7800 (P3900/USD70) which included two meals (dinner and a light breakfast supper).
After having dinner, we repacked our bags and changed into our assault gear so that we could have a warm night’s sleep and get straight to the assault after waking up and having breakfast. with our gear all readied, we went to bed to get enough rest for a 0130H assault.
A couple hours later, it was 0000H. My friends were already awake that time having their hosted breakfast, and a few moments later we were all set for a summit assault.
The team ready for a summit assault.
The temperature outside was cold, playing somewhere between 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, but the further I hiked up the trail and the more I began to sweat, it got to the point where I removed my gloves to help regulate my body heat (though I had small heat packs in my jacket pockets for quicker hand warmth). The trail was still the same; zig-zagging through a gradual ascent of volcanic soil, and continued until we reached stations 8.5 and 9, to which the trail added spiny rocks in the mix. From station 9, it was just a mere 30 minutes away to the summit.
As we continued hiking we passed by a couple of wooden torii gates, which we then realized signified how much closer we were to the summit base shelter. The next thing we knew, we finally reached the base, which was about 100m away from the summit crater! The time was around 0330H, where we could already see the orange hues of sunrise breaking through the horizon. At the summit base, hikers can have breakfast, drink coffee or tea (or even hot sake!), or just sit and rest by the wooden view deck.
Sunrise breaking in as early as 0330H.
From the base, we hiked the final few meters until we reached the summit crater rim, to which all peaks of the crater could be seen (the peak closest to the base is Dainichidake, while the true summit at 3776MASL, Kengamine, could be seen directly opposite). From there we witnessed probably one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve seen on a mountain; we took out our cameras, and shot the morning away through the glorious golden hour.
An unparalleled sunrise.
The golden hour.
The summit base seen from Dainichidake peak.
Golden rays of light shining on the true summit peak, Kengamine.
If you’re lucky, you can also witness a sea of clouds.
Sunlight and mist shrouding the mountain ranges in the distance.
After spending hours shooting images and basking in all the views of Japan from the crater rim, we bid our final farewells to the sacred summit and began our descent down the other side of the Yoshida trail. Now this part of the hike was the part I disliked the most, as the trail was completely bare and full of nothing but even softer volcanic soil and pebbles. Because the soil was softer, dust from the trail was easily blown into the wind making the hike a bit frustrating. And like in the trail up, it zig-zagged all the way making the way down seemingly endless. Although there are no lodges on the way down, there were still restrooms and first aid stations near the 7th station.
The hike down is completely bare.
Be sure to wear a face mask to protect yourself from dust.
After about 2.5 hours of hiking down through the bareness of the Yoshida trail, we finally reached our jump-off at the trail head at Fuji-Subaru 5th station at around 0930H! We were still reeling from the fact that we just hiked the highest mountain in the whole of Japan, and congratulated ourselves on a job well done.
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