Mt. Fuji
Why Climb Mt. Fuji?
Probably few other countries have their cultural identities so wrapped up with one geographical symbol as much as the Japanese identify with Fuji San. The mountain itself undoubtedly is more attractive from a distance than from close quarters, but the experience of climbing through the early morning mist along with hundreds, if not thousands, of other hikers to watch the sun rise in the east is to participate in what for many Japanese is a spiritual rite. To be part of the experience is not just about seeing the sun rise over the heart of the empire, but also participating in the climb itself, with the convenience of the stations, huts and sightseer infrastructure, is to understand from the inside that great Japanese phenomenon, packaged tourism.
When to Go.
The official Climbing Season is from July until the end of August . During the two months, the mountain is usually free of snow, the weather is relatively mild, access by public transportation is easy and the mountain huts are open. The peak season for climbing Mount Fuji is during the school vacations which last from around July 20 to the end of August. The peak of the peak is reached during the Obon week in mid August, when Mt. Fuji becomes not a climb, not even a hike, but more of what you might call an extended queue. It is during this period that Mt Fuji gets its reputation as an ugly mountain, a massive pile of volcanic detritus, full of rubbish everywhere, with smelly, dirty toilets and obnoxious pushy old women being well, obnoxious and pushy. Don’t go during this period. The best time to go to the mountain is on a week day in the first two weeks of July. There is something distinctively Japanese about the camaraderie and experience of ascending the crowded mountain paths as in essence one extended group. In a country of one hundred and thirty million it’s impossible to even climb mountains alone.
Getting there.
From Tokyo by train the Chuo line runs to Otsuki and change to the Fujikyu railway to Fuji Yoshida and Kawaguchiko (2hrs 31minutes Chuo Line Commuter Rapid ¥2,390 arriving Kawaguchiko 9;35 p.m). There is a bus service to the Kawaguchiko 5th base station (2300 meters) and from here you start the assent proper. By bus from Shinjuku Station ¥2600 (one way), 140 minutes daily from July 1 to August 31 (6 round trips per day) and on weekends/national holidays in the off-season (2 round trips per day). If going by bus try to time your arrival for latter in the evening and thus avoid having to sit around in Kawaguchiko for hours. The hike up the mountain is about nine hours. In colder moments arriving at the summit too early will cost you a fortune in hot Sake.
The Mountain.
As you might expect with something that seems to float in the heavens and occasionally erupts bringing death and destruction, Fuji has been held sacred since ancient times (Kojiki, compiled 712 AD and Nihon Shoki, compiled 720 AD). Surprisingly the volcanic pile only began to rise about 25,000 years ago and assumed its current shape by 8000 BC. The name Fuji was most likely derived from either the Ainu shamanistic people “ape huchi kamuy” and means ‘women of diety and fire’ or is a more recent Japanese invention dating from the tenth century and means “never die”. Both ‘fu’ and ‘shi’ syllables come from Chinese kanji pronunciation.
Fuji San is also known as the “Mountain of Immortality.”. It was thought inside the volcano lay the true gift of immortality. The development of the spiritual aspect of Fuji can be linked to Daoism, Shinto and Buddhism where it is viewed as being the spiritual symbol of the coexistence of Man and nature. There has accumulated a huge corpus of myth regarding the mountains divine origins, resident deities, and spiritual powers. Since Buddhism, the mountain was believed to be the abode of Dainichi Nyori, the Buddha of All-illuminating wisdom.
The mountain gave rise to its own religion, Fujiko, which had different sects based on which direction Fuji san was viewed. For example: worshiping the mountain from the north (modern day Tokyo) would be considered an Edo religion. According to early Shugendo myths the mountain was first climbed by the wizard-sage En No Gyoja around 700 AD, although it’s more likely reaching the summit was made in the early twelve century. Women, however, were not allowed past the second station until 1871 because they were thought to irritate the Gods and cause bad weather.
Climbing the mountain.
The popular way is to start climbing the mountain around 10pm from the Kawaguchiko 5th Station and hike through the night to reach the summit around sunrise. Most people try to time their ascent in order to witness the sunrise from the summit. Also, the chances of the mountain being free of clouds are highest during the early morning hours. The clouds rise with the daytime temperature and usually within hours you won’t be able to see anything. If you’re a smoker, be kind to yourself and buy a small canister of oxygen (actually a good idea for anyone) for ¥2000 to keep you going through the night. Temperatures vary greatly over altitude so you will need to carry warm clothing for the summit. Remember the human body is weakest around four o’clock in the morning, just when you need to made the final push to the volcanic lip that forms the summit.
Mountain Huts
The Kawaguchiko Trail is lined by about 15 mountain huts between the 7th and 8th station. There is a good assortment of hot food and ramen to keep the climber going through the night and some good quality sake. An overnight stay typically costs around ¥5000 per person without and around ¥7000 per person with two meals. During the peak, expect the huts to be extremely crowded.
Reaching the summit.
The last section of the climb will take longest as the crowd tends to bunch up on the narrowing path and slow down. Once over the rim there are an assortment of welcoming inns to take your money and provide you with anything hot. Be ready to take those pictures at sunrise (which can last for about 15 minutes) and be asked to take every hikers photo as well. Finally take in the view for an hour before starting your way back.
