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Edited by: Declan Murphy Recommended: Suggested Itineraries Favorite Shizuoka moments... Best ways to get there Shizuoka Photogallery Newsgroups: fj.rec.travel.japan, Alt-FAQ Bulletin Boards: Fun/Clubs/Nightlife Accommodation/Discounts Practise your Kanji?

(The 2010 Climb will take place July 23rd/24th. Click here for more information and to book your place.)

Introduction

Climbing Mt Fuji is a unique experience that only 1% of the Japanese ever experience. Gaijin have been told that there is an old saying about Mt Fuji. "If you never climb Mt Fuji you are a fool, and if you climb it more than once you are a fool", but then again, one of our Yamasa teachers told us '"Fuji-san is a mountain only for looking at; it not a mountain for climbing". She is obviously one of the 99%. Upon completing our climb we agreed with both sayings. We are very glad that we climbed Fuji-san but have no intention of ever attempting it again.

People from all over Japan climb Fuji-san and as a result there are many routes to take. Coming from Okazaki City we chose to start the walk from the closest start point to Okazaki (Fujinomiya/Mishima). Fortunately it is also classified as one of the easier routes. For variety we chose to climb down another path (Gotemba), which is longer but less steep. This was our adventure.

How to get there

From Yamasa there are three main options; drive, catch the shinkansen, catch the normal (futsu) train. We chose the third option and caught the normal train from Okazaki to Fujinomiya. The fare cost about Y3,260 and you will need to change trains at; Toyohashi, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka and Fuji. The trip took about four hours but you can stretch it out longer if you want to stop off and visit the local sites or have a meal on the way. We chose to leave on a Saturday morning in order to arrive at the start point just before dusk.

At Fujinomiya you will need to catch a bus to Fujinomiya/Mishima Shingogome. Shingogome is the fifth station up the mountain and most people climb from that point. It is possible to climb from much lower down the mountain but hardly anyone does it. The bus terminal is a two minute walk from the train station and during the season there will be plenty of signs (and other walkers) to follow. At the bus station, buy a return (ofuku) ticket, one way is Y2390 and a return ticket at Y3000 is a good bargain.

On the drive up to Shingogome you will notice the change in weather and at that point you will either be glad or regretful of the amount of cold weather gear that you have brought with you. There will be a short stop at a half way point. There is no clean tap water at Shingogome so use this as the last place to fill your water bottles. You may also want to purchase your walking stick here so that you can get the souvenior stamps on the stick that most walkers won't have. After about 2 hours the bus will stop at Shingogome. This is the start point of the walk where you will have an opportunity to take some photos, and a final chance to buy a walking stick and some water.

The climb up

Shingogome (The new No. 5 Station) is already halfway up the mountain and you will reach the peak after climbing past six other stations before getting to the tori (gate) marking the peak of the mountain. The walk up is marked as taking four and a half hours but we found that even though we were not unfit it did take a lot longer than expected. Remember that for safety you will be climbing at the pace of your slowest walker. We took well over eight hours to climb to the top but that included a number of long halts to rest and get some sleep.

Along the way you will pass and be passed by groups from all walks of life and age groups. Children as young as six or seven will be climbing alongside grandparents of well over sixty. The walk is by no means difficult but it does take time and the steepness and altitude means that you will often be out of breath if you try and climb too quickly. Take plenty of long stops and enjoy the climb. It is possible to see some climbers run up the mountain but lets just say that they are of a different breed to most of us. We found that each station took an hour or so to reach and we were not overtaken by too many other climbers. The track is reasonably well marked and during climbing season the route all the way up is dotted with those climbing ahead of you or climbing down. The track is just that, so don't expect well made boardwalks or stairs, it really is a wilderness area. At Hachigome (Station 8) there is also an aid station so if you are having problems it is a place to get some help.

From Hachigome the walk begins to get quite steep and by the time you get to Kyugome (Station 9), the track will almost be so steep and rocky that at times it will feel like you are rock climbing. At around this point some in your party might experience altitude sickness, the only cure for it is to climb down if it gets severe. Fortunately, maybe because of our slow accent, none of us felt the altitude and we soldiered on up to the top. Just before the peak there is a large Tori, which is a symbolic Shinto gate. It marks your achievement as having climbed up the mountain. From the Tori it is only a little further to the top.

In our case we climbed during the night in order to see the sunrise and as we started at 5pm we had plenty of time to kill before dawn at around 4:30am. We decided to rest and catch an hour's sleep at Hachigome (Station 8) and at Kyugome (Station 9). By the time we got to Hachigome it was well past moonset and we needed torches to find our way.

A note here on night vision. Even though it is dark, aided by moonlight your eyes will adjust to the available light and at night you will be able to find your way and see what is around you. Be wise about using a torch because the light from a torch will destroy your night vision and you will end up with tunnel vision, only being able to see where the torchlight falls and consequently your walk will seem more stressful than it really is.

As night falls and as you climb it will get much colder, we had good gear but even then a hat, sweater, long trousers and a windproof jacket were just a little bit not enough. Climbing you won't feel the cold but when you stop you will cool down very quickly, bring clothes that you can layer easily.

Once we got to the top we still had a couple of hours to kill so, with the 500 or so other climbers who were at the top by the time we got there, we found a rock to shelter us from the wind and we tried to get some sleep.

At sunrise we were cold and tired so we skipped walking around the crater, which can take over an hour, and bade farewell to Fujisan.

The climb down

We were glad of our decision to choose a different way down, a fun steep climb can be murder on the knees on the way down. We chose to climb down by the Gotenba route which is essentially a scree slope, by comparision, to the advertised four and a half hour climb up the Mishima route, the Gotemba route is advertised as taking seven and a half hours to climb up.

Climbing down by comparision was great fun. From Nanagome (Station 7, 3070m) the scree slope starts. The relatively shallow slope down (which is still quite steep) allows you to run down for a lot of the way and the scree acts as a shock absorber and protects the knees on the way down. Unfortunately one of our party hurt his knee and the advertised three hour decent took well over six hours. Six hours to be burnt to a crisp in the high altitude morning sun. Buy the time we reached the small tea shop at Shingogome we did not mind paying Y200 for a small can of coke. In comparison to a Y400 can of hot coffee on the mountain, it was cheap.

Please note that if you take this route down, station is the last stop before the coffe shop at the bottom (3,070 meters)

From the coffee shop it is a further 400m walk to the car park and the bus stop. As is usually the case there is the obligatory omiyage shop where you can buy Fuji-san cakes or sweets to distribute to your class on the following Monday while recounting your exploits on the mountain.

Getting home

At the Shingogome bustop, catch the bus to the Gogome JR station and from there catch a train back to Okazaki. You will have to change trains at Mishima, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka and Toyohashi. From Okazaki it is just a few minutes walk/hobble back to your awaiting bed for a well earned rest. Be sure to do your homework BEFORE starting the trip. Rest assured that you will not be in a state to do your homework on the train back as one of our fellow travellers discovered.

What to bring