If there was a mountain I always wanted to climb, it would be the famous Fuji-san. Having seen numerous postcard-worthy pictures of the snow-capped peak, with its equally famous blooms of cherry blossom trees at the base, it was my dream to finally experience it with my own eyes. Although staying at the base gives you an equally (or sometimes even more) beautiful view of the mountain, it just felt wrong to travel all the way across the Pacific and not go up to the top.

Although Fuji is not far from Tokyo, getting there required a bit of research. We took the JR shinkansen to Otsuki station, then switched to the Fujikyuko line to get to Kawaguchiko. This line is served by an adorable vintage train that contains even a library! At Kawaguchiko station, we rented two large coin lockers (700 yens each for one day) to leave our suitcases and continued with only our backpacks. The bus that takes us to the base station (5th) leaves from the train terminal. The trip takes about 45 minutes.

Fuji is separated into 10 stations, where huts are available to stay the night (camping is prohibited on the mountain). That means, if you’re willing to spend the money, you won’t need to bring sleeping bags or food in your pack. Having a light backpack makes the journey much more pleasant, especially if you’re a beginner like me.

From all the reviews I’ve read, the highlight of the climb is watching the sunrise from the summit. Therefore, we’ve timed our ascend so that we would spend the night at 8th or 9th station, and climb the rest of the way right before sunrise. If that’s your plan as well, then I highly recommend you go during the offical climbing season (July 1st to end of August) …and I speak from experience. We went on June 27th and most mountain huts were closed! When almost past the 8th station, the sun was starting to set. We were left wondering whether we would have to go back down to climb all the way up again the next day…or just stay out the whole night, neither of which was a very good idea. Luckily, the owner of one of the last huts was there preparing the amenities for the start of the season and accepted to take us in. I’ve never felt so relieved! (On the good side, we had the entire dorm to us…but still decided to squeeze into one bunk bed to keep warm :D)

Around 4am, we braved the wind and the cold to climb to the peak (about 1.5 hours). We each had a few Oreos to keep us going. My fingers and my toes, and later on, even my nose and cheeks were starting to have frostbites. But as soon as I saw that crescent of orange fire peeking through the thick layer of clouds to smile at me, I forgot everything else. Fuji is not even close to being the highest mountain on the planet, but in that moment, I felt like I was on top of the world. Maybe, even almost in space…(okay maybe not)

To all of you who think of making the trip, please do! You’ll definitely enjoy the adventure and be proud of the accomplishment…even if you have to say a few swear words during the process when the icy winds hits you in the face and your toes threaten to fall off.

TIPS:

– Definitely book a night in a hotel in Kawaguchiko, or other cities near the base if you’re taking another trail up. You’ll be glad to have a hot shower accessible by then time you come down.

– Don’t be so excited about reaching the top that you forget to check the map before coming down (as we did 🙁 ). There’s a different path for the return that takes about 1/3 of the time (about 2h). We walked back the same way (5h) and wanted to die.

– Bring lots of 100 yens to donate when using the bathrooms on the slopes. Someone has to carry water up the mountain for that usage…

– We had a headlamp and found it useful for the trek up before sunrise. Bringing hot packs to keep you warm is also a must.

– Dress accordingly. On the 27th of June, it was 25 degrees down at the base but definitely a -10 at the summit. So we started the hike in shorts and ended with full winter gear at the top. 

– For other info about climbing Mt. Fuji, click here.

Do you have any suggestions for other climbers? Or recommendations of mountains every aspiring climber should hike? Please share your story with me!