It is said that there are only two kinds of fools: those who never climbed Fuji and those who have done it more than once. On July 1, 1995, Mt. Fuji, the 12,395 foot symbol of Japan, will open its trails for the Summer climbing season. The highest and most loved mountain in Japan will, for a brief 2 month period, experience weather conditions permitting hikers of all ages to tackle trails to the summit. Its superb conical form has been the subject of numerous poems and paintings since ancient times, and records of pilgrimages to its peak go back to 1500.
Climbing Mt. Fuji began as a religious practice and one can still encounter pilgrims along the trails today, traditionally dressed in white cotton garments and wide straw hats. Today, people climb the mountain for recreation. Careful planning can find climbers at the peak in time to watch the sunrise.
There are five climbing trails divided into 10 stages from base to summit - Kawaguchiko, Fujinomiya, Mishima, Gotemba and Subashiri. Climbers arriving from the direction of Tokyo usually ascend the Kawaguchiko trail and descend the Subashiri trail. Those arriving from Osaka or Kyoto generally ascend the Fujinomiya and Mishima trails and descend using the sandy Gotemba trail.
To experience goraiko, the name for the dazzling sunrise viewed from the summit, climbers choose one of two methods. Starting early in the afternoon and reaching the 7th or 8th stage before dark, climbers spend the night in one of the mountain huts. They rise early the next morning and climb to the summit. The other, more popular, method finds climbers starting out late in the afternoon - 4 or 5 p.m. - and climbing through the night to reach the top in time for sunrise. Generally, unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed only in the early morning before floating clouds form halfway up the mountain.
Please contact the Japan National Tourist Organization for further information and a guide to climbing Mt. Fuji.
