Last Fuji Pix

As some of you (now) know, there is a post office atop Mt. Fuji. As you can see in this picture, besides some postcards, I also bought a sheet of commemorative Fuji stamps (on the left), and, believe it or not, as if it proves anything, a "Certificate of Successful Ascent of Mt. Fuji" (on the right). Why? Why not?











Peeking through the clouds, you can barely see the parking lot where I started my climb.











Everywhere you go in Japan, you see toriis, including on Mt. Fuji.











Here's another shot of a torii.











As I descended the mountain, I got closer and closer to the sea of clouds below. It's now 5:10 p.m. and, as you can see, there are still plenty of people making their way up the mountain. Throughout the short climbing season, there is a constant stream of traffic heading in both directions on the trails.












Fuji vegetation.











Just before 6 p.m., I spotted this young boy heading up Fuji. At that point he still had over 1000 meters and, I'm guessing, at least 5 or 6 hours to the top.











Who knows if that kid pictured above even made it to the top. Many people don't, as they succumb to altitude sickness somewhere along the way. I talked to one young couple, for example, who turned around just about 300 meters from the summit, because they were feeling rather sick. And here's a picture of a young boy sucking in some badly needed oxygen. Even though this scene took place at about 3200 meters, I witnessed the same thing several times all along the trail, including at around 2500 meters, practically at the start of the climb! By the way, you don't need to bring your own supplemental oxygen; it's sold at the "stations." And I'm glad to report that I didn't suffer any ill effects from the altitude. Or did I? After all, I did seem to have trouble addressing postcards. In one case, I wrote the wrong zip code, and in another case, I left off a part of a person's name (in Japanese). Hmmm...











Clearly, not everyone suffered on the climb. These three guys were probably having the most fun on the mountain!











Besides the relatively small crowds, I was also pleasantly surprised at how little garbage there was along the trail. I heard Fuji-san was full of junk, but most of the litter I encountered was of the tiny variety, similar to garbage I find on just about any trail anywhere in the world.











Back at the starting point at 6:30 p.m., a little more than 9 hours after I started the hike. There's a saying in Japan: One who climbs Mt. Fuji once is a wise man; one who climbs Mt. Fuji more than once is a fool. So I guess I won't be climbing Fuji again any time soon. But there are different trails to explore and I may want to climb her at night someday. So who knows? Maybe I'll go climb her again in the future. Fool or no fool.