Climbing Mt. Fuji

My biggest concern about climbing Mt. Fuji was what the weather was going to be like, especially since the weather forecast wasn't all that promising and my climbing window was rather narrow. In fact, I planned to climb on Monday, August 3, and about my only other option was going to be Tuesday. But that really wasn't much of an option. So when I arrived at the airport in Fukuoka on Sunday and was told that I wasn't able to check in for my flight to the new Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport since the weather in Shizuoka was so bad, you can imagine how I felt. Nevertheless, despite the initial delay, my plane actually took off on time, and, even though we were told that our flight might be diverted to Nagoya, we landed where we were supposed to. (Check this: The folks at JAL told me that if we did divert to the other airport, we would have to make our own way back to Shizuoka, nearly 200 km away! Huh?)

Believe it or not, I didn't get my first glimpse of Fuji-san until I woke up early on Monday morning. I spent the night in a town called Fujinomiya, since that was where I was going to be able to catch a bus to the trailhead in the morning. At about 5:45 a.m., I awoke and immediately thought, "I wonder if I can see Fuji." And there she was, right outside my hotel window. And the weather was great. So I knew the climb would be a success.











There are several trails leading to the top of Fuji (3776 meters). For logistical reasons, I chose the Fujinomiya trail that starts out at 2400 meters. Before I even started my hike, I could go shopping and dining.











Many people buy a traditional walking stick before they begin their hike and have it branded (for a slight fee) at each "station" along the way to the top, generally from fifth to ninth. I elected to do without the stick.











Many people told me to be careful on Mt. Fuji (two climbers froze to death about a week before I climbed, for instance) and there were several signs along the way warning of falling rocks, but I was never worried. Fuji was more difficult to climb than I expected, but still far easier and far safer than many other climbs I've been on. Despite the warning signs, I never once felt as if what I was doing was unsafe.











You encounter poor translations throughout Japan, including on Mt. Fuji! What's a PHSU?












Lots of people climb Fuji late in the day or throughout the night so that they can see the sun rise from the summit, like these two guys, who have made it most of the way down Fuji by 9:30 a.m.
If you look closely, you'll see people spread out higher up on the trail. There were a lot of people climbing, but no where near as many people as I expected, which made for a nice surprise.















A climber resting on the trail at about 2700 meters.












Two more climbers enjoying a relaxing moment on the trail at about 2800 meters.











A lot of people who climb Fuji are climbing a mountain for the first time in their lives. Hiking boots do come in handy, but some people climb in regular ol' tennis shoes.