Fuji-san 2018

We returned to Japan’s iconic symbol after a year’s hiatus due to Mari’s recent development of rheumatoid arthritis which had derailed our annual pilgrimage to Fuji-san. But thanks to medication, physical therapy and sporadic hikes to Makapu’u Lighthouse; Mari was ready to climb Fuji again this year. Monitoring the weather score cards for Fuji before our hike date, they fluctuated daily from A to C to A. Just throw a lava rock and get the same results. Guy Hagi is alive and well in Japan.

Japan was experiencing her hottest summer ever when we boarded the hour long Shinkansen bullet train that took us away from sweltering Shinjuku to hot and humid Fuji City, where the ear-piercing racket of the semis aka cicadas aka the sounds of summer as it is more affectionately known, greeted us at the train station. We caught the 90-minute bus ride that brought us to the highest of the 5th stations that make up the Fuji trail system, as there are four different trails to get to the top. A marked contrast from our last visit in 2016, where we started from the lowest 5th station. After acclimating to the mountain air for the recommended 45 minutes by drinking soda and paying 1000 yen apiece to support the Fuji conservation efforts, we made our way to the trailhead.

Pushing off at 11:36am at an elevation of 7,874′. We were already pretty high up on the mountain. One day I would like to do a sea to summit hike to Fuji. Mari said she will pass.

Starting at the higher elevation meant we had less miles of volcanic terrain to hike up to the summit.

Mari approaching the first of seven huts or stations on this particular trail.

Two huts for the price of one. Just like a BOGO sale! Well, maybe not quite.

Dropping 200 yen or roughly two bucks for one of seven stamps on my hiking stick. Can I get two stamps for the price of one? The mark(s) of a tourist hiker.

Leaving the huts and continuing our rocky climb on the third trail in the system.

Stopping to admire the colorful Japanese knotweed plant growing at the lower elevations.

Mari being niele (nosy) while passing paramedics administering care to a Chinese hiker that hurt her arm and who were still looking for an Australian hiker that fell off the trail.

Climbing carefully on the trail to avoid injuring an arm or falling off.

Life always finds way to exist in even the most seemingly inhospitable environments.

Arriving at the 7th station. The old station that is. I like to think of these huts as similar to Starbucks coffee shops; a place to sit, grab free wi-fi and pay for overpriced drinks and snacks.

While the swirling clouds robbed the views from us, at least it kept us from overheating on the trail.

Sign posts to guide and keep track of your hike in terms of distance and estimated time. Your mileage may vary.

Excuse me, I think the trail is over on this side. I guess there is no such thing as universal signage.

This is how supplies, garbage, workers and sick people get on and off the mountain. Hope we don’t fall into any of those categories.

Exchanging greetings of konnichiwa ( hello ) on the trail with other hikers coming and going.

Workers replacing the ropes on the trail. Constant upkeep. Keep on donating 1,000 yen.

Maybe it’s just me, but shouldn’t the old station be before the new station?

Hiking above the clouds never gets old.

We were hiking at well over 10,000′ and the air was still comfortably warm enough to do without any jackets, just like our last visit in 2015.

Every trail has a medical station to assist hikers dealing with the common complaint of altitude sickness. Thanks to canned oxygen and tablets, we were doing fine and continued on the trail.

Passing through heavy duty barricades that protects against frequent rockfalls.

The trail being on the other side of the mountain, is the only one that offers views of the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. Unfortunately, the only blue we saw today, was that of the sky.

We left our low denomination coins and took promising wishes with us.

Looking ahead to our hut for the night as we still had plenty of daylight to spare.

Mari was pacing herself on the hike. 20 paces. Rest. 30 paces. Rest. Repeat until you get to your destination.

We arrived at 4:52pm where the air was calm and the altitude was a little over 11,350′. Just in time for dinner.

Our hut for the night. Reservations for Saito?

We checked in and were shown our “room” for the night. $65 on the mountain gets you a sleeping bag, curry dinner and two cups of hot green tea. Nothing more. Nothing less. Outside temperature was a comfortable 59 degree Fahrenheit. The winds picked up slightly later on, but not enough to give one a chill.

Enjoying the pinkish sunset views, until the air temperature finally dropped and forced us back into the hut and our musty sleeping bags.

We decided to sleep in and miss the traditional sunrise hike at 2am to the summit and just catch the sunrise from the hut in the morning. One slight problem with that, as we found the sun rises on the other side of the mountain. Mari was content to sit outside our hut, due to her pounding headache, so I slippered my way around the bend to catch the rising sun at 4:30am.

Walking back to the hut in the cool, crisp mountain air. Ohayo Gozaimasu (Good Morning).

Mari still had her pounding headache due to the thin air and was thinking of ditching the summit hike and just going back down. Luckily Ibuprofen and persistence paid off, so we were back on the trail at 5:58am.

Descending hikers are supposed to yield to the ascending hikers, but I don’t think everybody got the memo.

The skies were strikingly blue this morning as we dealt with the traffic jam on the trail. Sunrise hikers have to deal with worse, borderline gridlock traffic on the trail.

Last hut on the trail before the summit.

The air was quite thin at this point, so Mari’s pleading to get down didn’t travel well to my ears.

I guess this brightly colored beetle was making her way down from the summit. Konnichiwa.

Rock by rock, we made our way up the increasingly steep trail.

Mari started saying “maji?” (seriously?) more frequently, as the trail became even steeper as we approached the top.

We arrived at the Torii gate at 8:15am, which marks the gateway to the summit of Fuji. Fools five times! Congratulations to Mari for pushing through and making it despite her doubts. Mind over matter.

The summit weather at 12,388′ elevation was a marked departure from our first visit in 2013, where we experienced a storm pounding the top. The air was comfortably cool and the wind noticeably absent. The perfect (non) storm to climb to the highest point, Kengamine Peak. Unfortunately, the climb had taken the wind out of Mari’s sails, as she had to save her energy for the hike back down.

Trying not to get too close to the 820′ deep crater that still had snow sitting at the bottom, but a lot less as compared to our last visit in 2014.

We dropped off postcards at the highest post office in the land and got the final stamp on my hiking stick at the shrine. Mari forgot to add a 10 yen stamp to one of the postcards. Luckily, the postal worker found us and let us know that postage was due.

After we had corrected our postage due problem, we started to make our way to the Yoshida trailhead.

Giving the maw of the crater a wide berth, as even though the last eruption occurred in 1707, Fuji is still considered an active volcano. Fuji is actually three volcanos in one; Komitake at the bottom, Kofuji in the middle and Fuji at the top. So we can say we hiked three volcanos for the price of one!

This section of the trail was quite empty, as we had the clouds to keep us company.

Descending down to the cluster of huts where hikers gather to watch the sunrise pop up, eat, rest, socialize, and use the bathrooms. Not necessarily in that order.

Thanks to the excellent weather we were enjoying; we decided to sit outside, soak in the views and have hot miso soup for breakfast.

We left the summit at 9:50am going down the cloud soaked Yoshida trail.

Making our way down the countless switchbacks.

I take it that hitchhiking is not big in Japan.

Not enough to make a snowman, just enough for a couple shave ices.

The rolling clouds seemed to be slowly chasing us down the mountain.

A small bird, called awahibari, darted through the blue sky and alighted on a rock, chirped and flew off.

Leaving behind the cluster of huts as we hit another set of switch backs going down.

Intermittent signage and maps on the trail keeps one on track.

Most hikers took this opportunity to “lighten the load.”

Puffs of volcanic dust followed the steady stream of hikers going down the switch backs. Just like the Pigpen character in Peanuts.

Warning signs to use the shelter does not seem to work in the native and foreign tongue.

I told Mari that she could take the horse ride back down the trail and take a load off her sore feet, but like a trooper, she said she would walk it out the whole way.

Stopping and smelling the pink flowers on the trail.

Yielding to some pint sized hikers. They sure start them young in Japan.

Mari pining to go back and enjoy Fuji for another day.

The horse ride going back down was getting cheaper and smaller.

So many arrows pointing too so many trails. Which one to follow? Just go straight.

The long and boring walk back to the 5th station. Are those horses still available?

We finished our hike at 1:30pm as we jostled and joined the crushing mass of humanity at the popular Kawaguchiko 5th station.

After securing our bus ride back to Shinjuku; we ate Japanese spaghetti, pork bowl and lingoberry ice cream to replenish our caloric deficit. Pass on the spaghetti. Keep the Coca-Cola flowing.

Our last photo with Mount Fuji in the background before the rolling clouds blotted her out. We soon boarded the two hour bus ride back to our hotel, showered and had some cheap and tasty ramen for dinner.

We were blessed with excellent weather, albeit cloudy views, on our two day hike that covered 8.2 miles hiking the world’s most climbed mountain. Hats off again to Mari for completing the entire hike.

Mari filling in the other eye on the Daruma, as the first eye was her wish to be able to summit Fuji-san again. Time to get another Daruma for next years trail. A little background on the Daruma doll. They are seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck. When purchased, both eyes are blank white. The user will set a goal and paint in one of the eyes. Once the goal has been completed, the other eye is filled in.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

Tagged as: fuji-san, fujinomiya trail, fujiyama, hoei-sanso, kengamine peak, mount fuji, mount hoei, yoshida trail