My friend once said: “It takes more effort to catch sunrises than sunsets”. I think she was right. Getting up early isn’t easy. Only three times so far have I jumped out of bed in the middle of the night and thrown myself into the dark to catch the sun going up. One was in Bagan (Myanmar), one in Bromo (Indonesia), and the most recent was in Japan last summer when I climbed Mt. Fuji.
Despite being an orophile, I had no intention of visiting Fujisan when living in the country years ago. But the last time going back, I knew in my gut I’d gotta see the icon of Japan. And conquer it, as my love for mountains demanded.
The first and foremost question about hiking is how tough the hike is. And there is no exception for Mt.Fuji, a 3,776 metre-tall active volcano. For me, what makes mountain hiking mesmerising is its unexpectedness. You really don’t know what is going to happen up in the mountains. However, it’s better to prepare beforehand, even if you are the most spontaneous person on the planet. Fortunately, there are abundant online resources about hiking Mt. Fuji, and my Bible is https://www.fujisan-climb.jp/en/, the official website for climbing this mountain, where I found most of what I needed for my trip.
When to go
Mt. Fuji is open to the public only from early July to early September as it is snowy other times during the year. Summer then is the busiest season on Mt.Fuji, so expect the crowds. I didn’t bother that much actually, no matter how much I preferred on my own. I’ve found that talking to strangers at times makes my trips more enjoyable.
Where to start
Mt. Fuji is situated in Fujiyoshida town in Yamanashi Prefecture, about two hours by train/bus from Shinjuku, Tokyo. I took the train as it was covered by my JR pass. But it wasn’t the starting point yet, although one can view Fujisan from afar in the town.
It is the Fuji 5th bus station (or Fuji Go-chome in Japanese) where most hikers choose to begin their climb. It is accessible by cars or buses with the tickets being purchased at Fujiyoshida Train Station or Kawaguchiko Train Station in the town. Otherwise, you could climb up from the foot of the mountain. But, hey, why make life harder for yourself? Well, things are only difficult in your head.
There are four main trails leading to the summit, including Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya trails. I did the Yoshida one as it was the most popular and the closest to the 5th station. Why waste time overthinking?
Let’s get rolling
After a quick lunch break at the 5th station, I started hiking. The trail started with tree-lined paths, which were easy to walk. But they soon faded into grey charcoal gravel walkways due to some ongoing constructions. I guess they were building concrete paths to the summit. In this part, I walked briskly, passing other climbers, and sweating under my T-shirt.
As soon as I reached the 6th station, things started to change. The trails got rockier and steeper. I’m glad that I brought a hiking pole with me, which came out rather handy; otherwise, I would use four limbs to propel myself upwards. The higher I went, the more unpredictable the weather got. For some moments, it was sunny, but in the next few seconds, it became dark and cloudy, which was enough for me to put on another layer. I walked slowly and steadily and took small breaks when needed. Every time I stopped for a short break, I hydrated, allowed myself some quiet moments to enjoy the view, and took it all in, although Mt. Fuji wasn’t known for its breathtaking landscape; if not, it was brown, grainy, and full of stones.
I was told about altitude sickness that could happen when climbing Mt. Fuji (in fact, it is common when you hike any mountain). Fortunately, I didn’t get hit by the altitudes. I was somehow thankful for my active lifestyle, given that it could happen to the best of us and anyone.
A short break at a mountain hut
I reached my hut on the 7th station around 5 pm after 3.5 hours of climbing. One doesn’t necessarily have to stay overnight at a mountain hut as one can choose to conquer Fujisan in one day, starting either early around 6 am or late around 9 or 10 pm. However, with time by my side, I didn’t feel the need to rush myself.
I successfully secured a place at Toriiso Hut on the hut’s website. It wasn’t difficult but you have to be quick because the hut can be fully booked in an instant. It wasn’t cheap as it cost me 8,800 yen a night without meals, and I could only occupy my capsule box for a few hours, but I guess it was part of the experience of hiking Fujisan.
Outside, the winds were blowing harder every minute. Hikers started putting on their body warmers, even raincoats and continued walking resiliently to the top or their shelter. Inside the hut, I enjoyed my short but heartwarming conversation with the hut owner. It turned out that running the hut was his seasonal job for two months. For the rest of the year, he worked as a painter for a living.
A few hours before I hit the hike again, I tried to sleep but failed, albeit my body was certainly tired. I geared up and left the hut around midnight. Outside, the winds didn’t stop blowing.
Midnight hike to the top
I wasn’t an early bird at all as many people were back on the hike already when I raised from my hut. I shivered in my jacket and followed the dim light of my headlamp to move forward. I got warmer gradually, even too warm at some point, but once I stopped for a break, I felt cold again.
The most challenging part for me was the one between the 7th and the 8 stations. It was literally a climb. As my pole became useless, it was my four limbs that dragged me forward. Another lesson to learn here: better pass the 7th station before dark. Most people preferred staying at the 8th station rather than the 7th one. I wasn’t very quick on booking the hut, but the silver lining of this was that I did have a place to rest for a while.
I climbed, rested, and repeated the pattern that I had been doing for the last few hours. But I couldn’t rest very long as I was cold. I realised I didn’t wear warm enough. My layers were too thin for the low temperature of Mt. Fuji at night. I hadn’t mastered this lesson yet since the last hike on Mt. Bromo. I had to put on my raincoat, hoping it was enough to keep me warm. Along the way, I noticed many people covered in raincoats, resting outside or walking. The cold on Mt.Fuji at night was no joke.
Once I got to the 9th station, things got easier. The trail was a long stretching path rather than steep and strenuous ones. It also meant I was a few metres away from the top, which encouraged me to speed up somehow and to feel a bit warmer.
It took me exactly 3 hours to cover the second half of the trail. Hitting the 10th station, also the top of the mountain at 3 am, I sheltered myself in a corner waiting for the sun to rise. Never in my life had I wished the time to pass quickly. One hour felt like 10 as the cold didn’t stop torturing me. Squeezing under my raincoat, I heard my teeth shaking hard.
Then came from the far corner of the sky the very first red light of the day. I dashed forward, and secured a seat in front, still shaking hard in my layers. People started filling up the space around me, shivering in their jackets. Everyone held their breath as the sun came out, inch by inch, on the horizon. The sky changed its colours, moment to moment, from red to orange then pink and gorgeous gold, until the sun was high in the sky. Below us was a sea of clouds, making the view more magical.
Getting down
At this point, I faced another harsh truth: What goes up must go down. I wasn’t done with Fujisan yet. The way down, as my friend described, might ask one to use their bottoms more than their feet. She wasn’t wrong. No matter how faster it was than the ascending path, the trail leading down wasn’t less challenging because it was made of loose rocks and pebbles. Again, I was thankful for my hiking pole. I couldn’t have managed to keep my balance, or I might have descended by bottoms more than by feet without the pole.
Final thought
What am I supposed to say after all? I loved everything I had done on the trip, from the preparation to the hike itself. It was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Every moment on the trail was totally worthwhile.
There’s a saying in Japan that roughly translates to: “Whoever climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man. Whoever climbs it more than that is a fool.” I don’t say now if I want to hike Fujisan again, but well, who knows what the future holds. Remember there are 4 trails to hike Mt. Fuji and I have only done one. My Japanese friend has climbed three times. Maybe I would too. Who knows?
P/S: Useful websites for Mt.Fuji hiking
Minh on the move 