Though I always knew I would come to Japan, the idea of visiting Mt. Fuji wasn’t something I really pictured myself doing. It’s not that I had no interest in seeing it, I simply dreamed of other places in the country to visit (Tokyo, Kyoto, etc). That being said, when it came time to plan a trip during Obon (a Japanese three day long holiday in August), the idea of visiting the popular site somehow came to my mind. It’s a very iconic part of Japan, and it would give me a chance to explore another part of Japan. It seemed like a good way to spend my vacation!

I brought the idea up to my father, and I wasn’t quite ready for his response: “Are you going to climb it?”. The thought of climbing Mt. Fuji never really occurred to me. I wasn’t exactly in the best shape of my life, so climbing a mountain was far from my mind. Even so, the thought stuck with me, and after doing some research on the subject, I decided that it might actually be feasible. Based on reports from others who had climbed Fuji, it’s actually one of the easier mountains to climb, and doesn’t require the physical fitness of an athlete to do so. In addition, the ‘safe’ period to climb the mountain is between July and September, meaning that if I was ever going to do this, this was probably my best opportunity to do so.

Once I decided that I was indeed going to be climbing Mt. Fuji, I looked for how I would get there. After a bit of research I stumbled upon Veltra, a website that help travelers find and secure vacation and activity plans. I opted for a self-guided Mt. Fuji hike, which included a bus from Shinjuku to Mt. Fuji (as well as a return bus), mountain cabin reservations for one night, dinner and morning lunch box provided at the mountain cabin, and a voucher for entry to a hot spring after descending the mountain. For just a little over $100, the price seemed more than fair! I packed what I thought would be needed into my backpack, and hopped a train down to Tokyo!

Supplies for the trip included:

• Several layers of warm clothing (at least 3)
• Hiking Boots
• 2 liters of water
• Small snacks
• A flashlight
• Sunscreen
• Camera (of course)

Since the bus would be leaving early in the morning, I stayed the night at a  capsule hotel in Shinjuku. I go into more detail in a separate post, but to summarize: for the price and for what you get, I think it’s pretty fair, especially for a single night.

The next morning, I left the ‘comfort’ of my capsule and walked over to the area where my bus to Mt. Fuji would arrive. A little before 8am, the bus showed up. I boarded the vehicle and settled in for the ride. After I sat down, I took the time to write some postcards to friends and family back home. Why do this now? There is actually a post office at the top of Mt. Fuji, and if you bring postcards there, they will be given a special stamp that shows they were sent from the summit. I figured if I was going to be there anyway, these would make for some nice souvenirs for loved ones back home.

Although it is possible to start from the bottom of Mt. Fuji and make the climb all the way to the top, many travelers will start their journey at the fifth station, just part way up the mountain. There are ten stations in total, with the last one being at the summit. Most stations have places you can rest, and some have supplies and/or food you can purchase (though of course the prices are outrageous). Since the fifth station is where many people (myself included) start their assent, there are a great number of shops to buy supplies and stock up before heading up. When my bus arrived at the fifth station, I got out and took a look at my surroundings. I could see the shops selling souvenirs and supplies to those willing to pay, as well as groups of people ready to start their journey up the mountain (as well as some who had just climbed down). I did make one more realization …

Of course I had seen that it was raining outside from my window seat on the bus, but it didn’t sink in until now that I would be climbing Mt. Fuji in the rain. As prepared as I had come, I had not accounted for the chance of rain. Weighing my options, I ended up walking into one of the local shops and purchasing a $16 poncho (Ouch!). My wallet took a hit, but this would ensure I would be ‘less’ miserable during my climb. After doing some stretching and mental preparation, I placed in my earbuds and began walking the trail that would lead me to the top of the mountain.

There are four different trails for climbing Mt. Fuji: Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya. All have their benefits and downsides (one is easier climb but has a longer hiking trail, others have more mountain huts, etc.). The trail I would be following was the Yoshida trail, which had an average hiking eta for reaching the top, and a good amount of mountain huts along the way. As I made my way up the mountain, I looked out beyond the safety railing. Aside from some nearby greenery, the only thing I could see was an extremely thick layer of fog blanketing everything past a few yards of me. Though I wondered what the view must look like on a clearer day, something about the foggy backdrop was strangely beautiful in it’s own way, albeit a bit ominous (Silent Hill comes to mind).

My climb to the sixth station wasn’t too bad. I was making sure to pace myself, and had packed plenty of water and off-brand CalorieMate into my backpack. After resting for a bit, I continued onto the seventh station. The path to this station seemed much longer than the path from the fifth to the sixth! I began to take small breaks more frequently in order to catch my breath and rest my muscles, drinking water when I needed to as well. I eventually made it to the seventh station, and found that the easy part of my journey was now over.

Starting from the seventh station, the ‘path’ to the summit became much more vertical. the arrows that once pointed left or right to indicate the correct path might as well have been pointing straight up (in fact, I believe some of them were!). It became necessary for me to get my hands involved while climbing, and sometimes rocks were spread so far apart that short hopping was also required. My rests became more frequent, though I tried not to stay in one spot for too long. I knew that pacing myself was key. I should mention that some of the people also climbing Fuji on this day were elderly, as well as some young children (elementary to middle school age). I realize that Japanese people in general prioritize doing physical activities on a regular basis, but the site of it was still a bit surprising to me nonetheless. I was struggling to catch my breath, and here were these people not even breaking a sweat!

I should also note that bringing lots of change is a must during this climb. See, restrooms have a fee of ¥200 (about $2), so if you need to answer that call to mother nature, you have to pay the toll. I’ve read that some people can get away with not paying the fee, since it is just deposited in a box at the front of the facilities (though it is quite dishonest). During my climb however, there was someone stationed outside each restroom to ensure that people were paying what was requested before entering. I had enough change to get me through the entirety of the climb, but I still wasn’t thrilled about having to pay each time (or at all!). Although, someone does have to transport the waste all the way down the mountain (which can’t be all that fun), so that made me feel a little bit better about coughing up the dough to do my business.

Through sheer determination, I finally made it to the eighth station. The mountain huts along this station onward are generally where lodgings are for people who wish to stay the night in order to wake up early to see the sunrise. I checked into my hut, and was given a bag to store my muddied boots in. A warm meal of curry, hamburg, and rice was provided for me, which I finished without a second thought. I retired to my sleeping area shortly after in order to get enough rest before the morning ascent. It was about 8:00pm at this point, and the sunrise was estimated to be around 4am, meaning that if I wanted to be in time to see it, I would have to leave the cabin around 1:30am. The ‘sleeping area’ wasn’t exactly what I’d call luxurious. The lodge had a few long hallways with a long row of blankets along either side. Along the walls at the foot of the sleeping areas were hooks to place your boots and supplies. You wouldn’t know how the areas were divided if not for some pillows on the opposite end to suggest where people should lay their head. In addition, since this was during a Japanese holiday, it was especially crowded, so people who like to stretch out when they sleep were out of luck. That being said, at this point I was so tired that I couldn’t care less. I laid down in my assigned area and was soon sound asleep.

I managed to wake up around midnight, giving myself enough time to eat my morning lunch box and prep myself for the second part of the journey. The meal and rest did me a lot of good, as I had managed to regain a good deal of my stamina. Walking outside, I saw that it was pitch black. I took out my flashlight, selected some motivating music on my phone, and continued my trip towards the top.

By the time I made it to the ninth station, my newfound stamina had begun to dwindle quite a bit. My legs (my quadriceps in particular) were agonizing! I stopped to rest, and looked down at the others making their way up, only visible by means of their flashlights and headlamps. Despite my pain, I was grateful for the chance to witness the beauty around me. Even the moon seemed especially wonderful on this night, with clouds frequently passing by to compliment the sight. I knew I still had a little longer to go to reach my goal. To make it to the top. To have an experience. To have a story to tell. If nothing else, at least to deliver the postcards!

This might also be a good time to mention that it was still very much wet during my climb. Even when the rain did let up a little, the atmosphere was misty, and moisture flooded the air. In addition, the humidity coupled with being so far up made it pretty darn cold! I was wearing about 3 bottom layers and 4 top layers, which helped a bit, but I still felt it. I eventually saw a sign signaling that the summit was merely 200 meters away. The end was near! I mustered the strength to pull myself to the top, and in a matter of minutes I was able to proudly claim that I had reached the summit of Mt. Fuji! Victory was mine for the taking!

And then the waiting began.

I had reached the top around 3am, meaning that it would be at least an hour before the sunrise. I found an adequate spot near the edge and settled in. It was nice to rest for a bit, though it was still very cold. In fact, since I was now sitting and not moving my body around, it became clear to me just how cold I really was. I folded my frosted gloves close to my body in a feeble attempt to at least make myself a little warmer. Again, the humidity in the air didn’t help matters much. Still, I had made it this far, and I wasn’t going to climb back down until I saw the sunrise, so I simply had to deal with it.

The surroundings were still covered in a thick veil of fog, so I wondered if the sunrise would really be worth it. As it neared 4am, my question was answered. peering through the clouds, it looked like a flurry of searchlights coming and going for a span of about 10 – 15 minutes. Closer to 4, the clouds began racing faster and faster, and then,

Past the sea of clouds in the distance, illuminating its surroundings in warm colors of orange and yellow, was the sunrise. The scene in its entirety was one of the most breathtaking things I have seen to date. Pictures really don’t do justice to what I had the pleasure of witnessing on top of that mountain. Though seeing the view from the top on a much clearer day would have been absolutely gorgeous I’m sure, I was not disappointed in the slightest at the reward given to me for my struggles to make it up there. The beauty of it was short lived, as the clouds soon overtook the scene. There would be flashes of sunlight for the next 10 minutes or so, and I stuck around to admire the view. After about 15 minutes, I decided that I had my fill and wanted to head back down. I dropped off my postcards and began my descent.

I’ve read that it takes about 6 hours to climb to the top of Fuji from the fifth station, and about 4 hours to descent back down. I can’t say exactly how long it took me to ascend, but I’m certain it was over 6 hours! (I’m gonna guess between 8 – 10 hours, since I did take frequent breaks). The descent was much quicker, coming much closer to the estimated four hours to reach the fifth station and catch my bus back to Shinjuku (though just barely!). When I finally boarded the bus, my legs shut down completely. I was void of most of my energy, yet still riding the high of the realization of what I had accomplished. The bus stopped at a nearby hot spring where we could exchange our voucher for a towel and time in the baths. After such a tiring journey, it was extremely therapeutic on my sore muscles. I then rode the bus back to Shinjuku and hobbled to the nearest train station, concluding my journey.

Looking back, I am happy for the experience I had, and am glad for the way it turned out. However, if I were to do it all again, There are a couple of things I would change:

• Come better prepared to handle different climate situations (rain, strong winds, etc.) with the proper clothing and attire (this includes rain gear and lots of clothing layers, preferably water resistant). I would also recommend sunscreen (which I did have with me).
• Prepare physically before making the journey. Though it’s true the climb can be done without much physical prowess (I’m proof of that), that doesn’t mean that the climb is easy! After getting off the train to head to my apartment, I struggled to walk at a normal pace (going at about half my normal walking speed), and could barely use my legs the next day (fortunately I had the day off). Even though I was able to pull it off, some training beforehand could help make the journey a bit easier.

Besides the points mentioned above, I felt very well prepared during my excursion. I would absolutely recommend this trip to others, though I do stress that doing a good amount of research and preparation beforehand is extremely beneficial, provided you’re not looking to spend a ton of cash to buy necessary supplies on the mountain itself.