Posts Tagged ‘mt. fuji’
Climbing Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji is the tallest volcanic mountain in Japan. Its height scales to about 12,388 feet. As far as its location is concerned, Fuji Mountain is about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. Mount Fuji is adored by all the Japanese people and they call it as ‘Fuji-san’. Mt Fuji has been one of the main spotlights for various Tokyo sightseeing tours. Climbing Mt. Fuji is the dream of many Japanese people. But, it is not safe to climb this mountain in every season. Officially, the best time to climb the mountain is from early june to august end. During this time, all the trails gets crowded, however, one will always be discouraged to climb during the off season due to the bad climate.
Some quick facts about Mt Fuji include that it is 3776 metres (12290 feet) high, approximately 161km (100 miles) south-west of Tokyo and that the last eruption of Mount Fuji was about 300 years ago, in 1707. The busiest time to visit the mountain is July, when with Japanese schools have their holidays, however about a third of all climbers are foreigners. The snow capped pinnacle can quite treacherous outside of these months with freezing temperatures, avalanches and strong winds. When the snow melts in warmer weather it more resembles a lunar landscape covered with black volcanic rock. Although many people have seen the well known photograph of Mount Fuji with the shinkansen bullet train barrelling through the fields in the foreground, perhaps the easiest and best way to get to Mt Fuji from Tokyo is by finding Tokyo sightseeing tours such as bus which only takes a few hours.
The highway bus departs from Shinjuku station, however you may need to change buses at Kawaguchiko station. The official climbing season runs from July to August and crowds of young and old make the ascent each day. During this period there are around 15 buses each day leaving from Shinjuku in Tokyo. At other times transport can be limited and climbing Mt Fuji is not recommended anyway. People don’t need climbing experience, that’s why there are many small children and elderly folk along the way. Good study shoes, some water and energy snacks are a must, along with a raincoat, torch, hat and warm clothing if you intend to hike at night.
Even in the warmer months the temperatures at the top can drop to around 6°C (43°F). The way up is divided into 10 stations or checkpoints. Generally visitors elect to start climbing about halfway up Mount Fuji on the Kawaguchiko trail at station 5. They arrive by bus or car and the climb takes around 7 hours to reach the summit and then another 4 to get back down again. The round trip can be completed in a very long day. Many people choose to begin their trek at nightfall and time it so they and arrive at the peak at dawn. During July and August there are huts, toilet facilities and food stops open on the mountain for tourists to rest. On a clear day seeing the sunrise from this highest point in Japan is quite a breathtaking spectacle and is sure to be the highlight of the sightseeing in Japan. It’s definitely a worthy side trip from Tokyo and the view from the top of Mount Fuji gets etched forever in the mind.