Looking to escape the oven heat of Tokyo and get away to the mountains for a respite, I found myself on a train heading to a town noted for pure, clean water. The steripen can stay home.

Mitsutoge Eki

Pretending to read the map.

Nishikatsura

Leaving the station, I was treated to promising views of the iconic Mount Fuji from the road.

Green Mile

Following a green painted line masquerading as a sidewalk that kept me on track.

Uruchimai

Pockets of rice fields dotted the neighborhood.

Green Centre

I’m detecting a color coordinated pattern.

Trail map

Now if I had paid attention and retained some meager language fragments from school, I could be somewhat reading this map, instead of just taking a picture of it.

Shrine

The first and not the last one I will see on the trail.

Breakfast of Champions

Scarfing down a shoyu flavored hard boiled egg and washing it down with a cold Coke. Life doesn’t get any better than this on the trail.

Trailhead

Leaving the paved road behind.

Daruma-ishi

So where do you paint the eye?

Trail

Going up the log lined trail.

Rest stop

One of many benches sprinkled throughout the trail. Surprised there are no massage chairs as well.

Mountain amphibian

Frog or toad?

Trail

My last view of Mount Fuji from the trail.

Trail

I can read. English.

Trail

Goin up the heavily rooted and stepped trail.

88 & counting

Some stone Buddhas still had their red aprons and others still had their heads.

Landslide

Stakes and ropes to keep one from falling off the ledge.

Trail

Bridge crossing coming up.

Trail

Flip or flop.

Rock climbing area

Approaching the spot where Japanese alpine climbers practice and perfect their skills.

Rock climbing area

I heard there are roughly 70 routes to choose from, ranging from 5.4 to 5.9 grades.

Trail

Picking up my pace in case an errant rock decided to come my way.

Mountain Hut

Never fails. Vending machines dispensing chilled beverages to those with the yen for them. I’m not complaining.

Mountain Hut

Panoramic view. Looking for Mount Fuji.

Kaiun-yama

Still looking for Mount Fuji at the 1,785 meters summit.

NHK broadcast

Same view that Japanese viewers get to see on New Year’s Eve. Well, they actually get to see Mount Fuji.

Benjo

You don’t even have to poop or piss in the woods up here.

Mountain Dog

Who let the dog out? Not this poor pooch.

Exit

Time to leave the mountain tops.

Trail

So many signs. Which one to follow?

Trail

Walking through open fields. I think it’s some sort of nature preserve. Half expected wild life to show up.

Trail

Back in the tree lined ridge.

Trail

Horizontally leaning tree to give balance to all the vertically standing trees.

Tenjo-zan

Going down the tree shaded trail. Crisp and cool in the mountains.

Trail

In a rut. Hiking rut.

Trail

Passing a makeshift dwelling. Didn’t stop to see if it was occupied.

Bear

I can’t read Japanese well, but I can read a picture. Picking up the pace.

Mount Tenjo

Second shrine of the day.

Kachi Kachi Ropeway Station

My trail of solitude was interrupted by the crushing mass of humanity at the station.

Kachi Kachi Ropeway Station

Most of the people milling at the station had used the ropeway to come up and go back. Three minutes versus thirty minutes. I’ll take the latter.

Scenic Point

I can’t see Mount Fuji for the clouds.

The Farmer and the Badger

Statues depicting the story of the rabbit setting fire to the heavy load of kindling on the tanuki’s back. Kachi-Kachi Yama.

Rabbit Toss

Try your luck and don’t forget to deposit a donation. Lady?

Trail

Making my way down the bench and tree lined trail.

Lake Kawaguchi

Looking down at the second largest of the Fuji Five Lakes.

Trail

Going down the trail populated with shrubs of ornamental hydrangea flower heads.

Temizuya

Purifying minds and bodies.

Shrine

The last shrine on the trail.

Junction

Back on the paved road.

Kawaguchiko Eki

Finishing my hike off with what else? Another ice cold Coke.

All pau

Hmmm, which colorful character themed trains shall I take to Shinjuku?

GPS Tracks

The 16.9 km hike winded through forested areas, summits with views (but not of Fuji) and tree lined ridges. Not a bad way to spend the day. Post hike meal at Standing Sushi Bar. Cheap, fresh and tasty sushi. It would put Genki Sushi to shame.

Note: I have been made aware the 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.

I continued my annual tradition of doing a solo post hike after Mount Fuji. My only change was that I wore my La Sportiva shoes, as they were so comfortable. Left the slippers back at the hotel.

Torisawa

The train ride from passenger packed Shinjuku and the connecting station of Takao took roughly 90 minutes to Torisawa. I walked out of the station and was pleasantly surprised to find Ougiyama trail signs across the street. No bushwhacking on this hike. Just follow the road.

Torisawa

The road took me under the Chuo Expressway, which is a major road artery connecting Tokyo and Nagoya.

Torisawa

Trail signs intermittently posted in the densely packed residential area kept me from straying into somebodys bonsai garden.

Torisawa

Hmmm, guns are prohibited in hunting area. Just have to watch out for those samurai swords. What do they hunt around here?

Torisawa

Gaining elevation. Still on the road.

Torisawa

The helpful trail signs disappeared and since I had passed a junction earlier, I stopped an old man out for a walk to ask in my mangled Japanese if I was on the right road. Hai (Yes).

Torisawa

The trail signs popped up again.

Torisawa

Beware of bears! Is this what the hunting signs were talking about? Great. Here I am without any bear bells or bear spray. All by myself. Bear bait.

Torisawa

The road bended and soon shadowed a golf course. Fah!

Trailhead

I made it to the bus stop aka trailhead, roughly 50 minutes after leaving the train station, without running into any bears. Safe and sound. Wait, don’t bears live in the woods? Or was that sh*t in the woods?

Ougiyama Trail

A Buddhist statue at the trailhead was dedicated to all the hikers that had unfortunate encounters with bears. Actually, it was of Kannon, goddess of mercy. Erected to honor the residents and hikers that died in 1907 when part of this mountain collapsed. Met a couple also hiking the trail.

Ougiyama Trail

A lot of signs to digest. Let’s see … 1 hour 50 minutes to the summit … Prevent forest fires …. Watch out for bears … What’s that old joke? You don’t have to be the fastest runner. Just don’t be the slowest one.

Tombo

A dragonfly at rest. The predator insect is the oldest known design used on pottery in Japan and called the victory insect by the ancient samurai due to the fact that the insects don’t fly backwards and for their hunting prowess.

Ougiyama Trail

I exchanged “konnichwa” greetings with the couple and passed them on the clearly marked trail.

Ougiyama Trail

Crossing this bridge over a trickling stream that lead to …

Water hole

… a blue bucket of water. Potable?

Mountain Spirit

The trail lazily switch backed up the mountain, passing a small shrine.

Ougiyama Trail

The heat and humidity were off the charts. Soaked in sweat.

Ougiyama Trail

The trail took on a slightly steeper pitch towards the top of the ridgeline, where I turned right for the summit.

Ougiyama Trail

Hiking up the pitched and rooted trail …

Ougiyama Trail

… which soon leveled off …

Mount Ouyigama

… and lead to this panoramic view of the 3,733′ summit. A sign said this was #6 of 12 nice views. No view of Mount Fuji. What nice view?

Mount Ouyigama

Another hiker soon joined me at the summit. He promptly took off his sweat soaked shirt. Reminded me to replace my sweat with sweat. Pocari Sweat.

Ougiyama Trail

I headed back down the ridgeline and met up with the couple that I had passed earlier coming up. Konnichiwa.

Trail

The trail dropped in elevation as I went down into the saddle between the mountains.

Trail

Noticed somebody coming up the trail. Konnichwa. Just glad it wasn’t a bear.

Junction

The trail contoured to the left …

Trail

… and started to pick up the lost elevation.

Junction

I continued straight on the trail for Momokura. Noticed that a lot of trees were banded with white ribbons. Shinto purification? Tree cutting?

Pine cones

Open for ovulation.

Trail

The trail became steeper as I approached the summit.

Mount Momokura

Panoramic view of the 3,290′ summit. A sign said this was #7 of 12 nice views. No view of Mount Fuji. Again. What nice view?

Mount Momokura

The summit had a nice picnic bench with tree blocked views of the surrounding mountains.

Trail

Making my way down the corridor of white banded trees.

Junction

I made a left at the junction that would take me down to Saruhashi station. No time to check out the other 10 nice views.

Trail

The trail gradually wound its way down the mountain and took me to …

Scenic point

… a bench with a view of Otsuki City.

Trail

Butterfly blocking the trail.

Trail

All downhill from here.

Trail

Google translation = Shimowada Saruhashi Eki = Going down the right way.

Water hole

Thirsty? Got steripen?

Trail

I could see the light at the end of the trail.

Mountain Shrine

The trail ended at a small parking lot and another small shrine.

Road

The long road downhill.

Mountain Shrine

Knock. Knock. Nobody home. No time for mountain mediation.

Road

The road took me underneath a bridge and out to …

Road

… ice cold refreshment. Replaced my sweat with sugared caffeinated water. Love the land of vending machines.

Momiji Tree

It would be nice to come back for the “fall” showing.

Road

Back in the ‘hood. Signs keeping me straight.

Satoimo

I was looking for the Hawaiian Plate Lunch Wagon.

Road

Where are the sidewalks?

Road

Almost there. My ride home was on the other side of the elevated bridge.

All pau

I made it to the cover of the Saruhashi train station just as the rain picked up in intensity and duration.

GPS Tracks

My two mountains for the price of one hike covered 9.33 miles with no bear sightings. Post hike meal at Hidakaya. A big bowl of hot and tasty ramen for only 390 yen ($3.90). You can’t beat the price!

Our fourth pilgrimage to the mountain of the rising sun. We arrived in Japan during the sweltering summer. Hot and humid was an understatement. Stick a chopstick in me, I’m done.

Trailhead

Today was Mountain Day in Japan, to provide “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and appreciate blessings from mountains.” With that being said, we packed our bags and left scorching Shinjuku to arrive three hours later in the crisp air of Gotemba New 5th station that used to be the old 2nd station. Must be the new math.

Gotemba Torii

The Gotemba station was a marked contrast to the almost carnival like atmosphere of the more popular Yoshida station where we had started from the previous three years. It barely left a footprint that consists of a small shop, bathrooms, bus stop and an adequate parking lot.

Gotemba Trail

We pushed off just shy of 10am to begin our hike on the Gotemba trail, which has been described as the most physically hardest route amongst the four trails leading to the summit. The starting elevation is at 1,440 meters (4,724′), which is 2,738′ lower than the more popular Yoshida trail. More elevation to climb. More cardio. Huffing and puffing.

Oishi-chaya

Last chance for refreshments and … hiking sticks. The old shop lady was calculating, probably pegged me as a tourist due to my non-native language skills, 1200 yen … (wait, longer stick) 1900 yen… (wait, stamps ) 2400 yen… (wait, flag) … okay, 2900 yen ($29). Domo arigato gozaimasu.

Gotemba Trail

Leaving the conveniences of civilization behind us.

Gotemba Trail

Japanese knotweeds with their red flowers and green leaves offered a colorful contrast against the volcanic gravel.

Mount Futago

Mari passing the twin mountains of Futatsuzuka Uezuka and Futatsuzuka Shitazuka. No detour. Stay on the trail.

Gotemba Trail

The national park covers 474 square miles that includes Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, Izu Peninsula and Izu Islands. No entrance fee. Just a 1,000 yen ($10) donation at the trailhead and you get a shiny button to pin on your backpack.

Gotemba Trail

Clouds rolling down the featureless terrain.

Old 2.5 station

Sitting down at the Jirobo trail marker at an elevation of 1,920 meters (6,300′).

Gotemba Trail

Starting at a lower altitude than from prior years, helped Mari cope with the transition to thinner air.

Gotemba Trail

What’s for lunch? Anpan and Pocari Sweat. Tastes better than it sounds.

Gotemba Trail

Hiking in the clouds. The trail had zero shade. Nature provided shade in the form of rolling clouds.

Gotemba Trail

Trail crew passing us on the way down. Hard hats. Safety first.

Gotemba Trail

On a good day, you can clearly see the summit of Fuji. Cloudy conditions made it less than an ideal day.

Gotemba Trail

Where there are clouds, rain can not be far behind.

6th Station-Goya

Our first hut and it was closed. There are very few huts on this side of the mountain, as compared to the more popular Yoshida trail.

Gotemba Trail

Zig. Zag. Switchback hiking. Zag. Zig.

Gotemba Trail

Hikers were few and far in between on this trail, along with the mountain greetings of “konnichiwa” exchanged between hikers.

Mount Hoei

Mari standing in front of Mt. Hoei, a flank volcano, standing at 2,693 meters. In other words, a pimple on Mt. Fuji.

Gotemba Trail

Mari at the 3,000 meter mark (9,842′).

Hinode-kan

We arrived at the first open hut at 5pm. No bags of rice for sale here.

Waraji-kan

Hey, that flag is bigger than mines.

Yakiin

Every hut has a branding iron specific to them that they will happily impress on your hiking stick. 300 yen ($3) please.

Waraji-kan

High above the clouds. Notice the snowboard-turned-seat in the background.

Sunabashiri-kan

Another hut. Another stamp. Another 300 yen ($3) shelled out.

Sunabashiri-kan

Scenic spot. Once we climbed above the rain clouds and showers, we were blessed with beautiful weather on the mountain.

Gotemba Trail

I hope that’s our hut. This trail was getting the better of me. Lack of sleep was not helping either. I know. Excuses. Excuses.

Akaiwahachigo-kan

Reservations for Saito? We got to our hut sweet hut for the night at 6:20pm. Prince Naruhito, future Emperor of Japan, stayed in this hut in 2008.

Akaiwahachigo-kan

All you can eat curry and hot tea. Free bathrooms. Stacked like sardines horizontally and vertically. Stuffed into musty futons. No prince treatment for us. Mountain hut living at its finest.

Akaiwahachigo-kan

We left the relative warmth of our shuttered hut at 4:14am to venture outside to a 48 degree morning to wait for the sunrise.

Akaiwahachigo-kan

The morning glow of the sun breaking through the clouds.

Akaiwahachigo-kan

Sunrise at 4:59am. Slightly delayed by cloud cover.

Gotemba Trail

Ringing the bell on our way to the summit at 5:33am.

Gotemba Trail

Nothing like cold mountain air to get your blood flowing in the early morning.

Gotemba Trail

Looking back at the sea of clouds.

Miharashi-kan

Multiple choice. Is this hiker a) passed out from the thin air b) shielding his eyes from the unfiltered sun or c) deeply disappointed to find out that the hut is closed?

Gotemba Trail

Monument to all the fallen hikers that failed to summit. Actually it’s meant to recognize and honor the people that created this rugged trail.

Gotemba Trail

Panoramic view looking down.

Gotemba Trail

The final push to the summit.

Gotemba Trail

We summited Mount Fuji around 7:30am.

Mount Fuji Summit

Standing on the edge of the crater as wind gusts threatened to blow us into the maw of the active volcano. Active what?

Gotemba Trail

Neither snow nor rain nor cold nor high altitude will stay your postcard from being slowly delivered from the highest mountain in the land. Summit temperature was a cool 42 degrees. Not counting wind chill.

Gotemba Trail

We left the summit a little past 8am. No walk around the crater this year. Too cold and tired. Next year.

Gotemba Trail

Hiking back down into the clouds.

Gotemba Trail

All downhill. Back to zigging and zagging.

Gotemba Trail

Making our way back down to our hut to get Mari’s backpack. Some huts will allow you to leave your backpack to lighten your load as you hike to the summit.

Gotemba Trail

Goodbye Fuji-san. We will see you again next year.

Gotemba Trail

Last chance to use the bathroom. All out of 100 yen coins.

Gotemba Trail

Panoramic view of the trail going down.

Gotemba Trail

That’s one way of taking the load off your back. Sledding it down the mountain.

Gotemba Trail

We left the 6th hut and the mind numbing switchbacks for …

Osunabashiri

… the start of the “great sand run.”

Osunabashiri

The trail turned into a bed of thick volcanic ash that goes down for 7 km (4.34 miles).

Osunabashiri

Clouds started to roll up the mountain, blocking the promised panoramic view of the mountains and city below us.

Osunabashiri

It paid to have gaiters or spats to prevent the fine volcanic pebbles from getting into our shoes. I saw several hikers stopped on the sides of the trail emptying out their shoes.

Osunabashiri

While at the hut, we heard that there was an injured hiker on the trail. I met this paramedic who was looking for said hiker. Kept on looking.

Osunabashiri

Running down the trail as my feet sank up to my ankles with each stride going down. It was crazy fun.

Gotemba Trail

Mari making her way down, the hiking sticks came in handy to help brake our sometimes rapid descent.

Gotemba Trail

Still no view as we made our way down, passing hikers going up the mountain.

Gotemba Trail

No stopping at the hut. Don’t want to get trapped into overpriced and unnecessary trinkets again.

All pau

We got back down around 1pm. Our bus back to the train station was at 3:35pm. So much time on our hands. What to do? Filled out a survey. Japanese language only. Here comes the rain again. Fired up my Jetboil and boiled a bowl of beef pho and a cup of hot chocolate. Chatted with a fellow American named John who was from Virginia. Contemplated sharing a taxi to the train station to cut down on the wait time. But in the end, we boarded the bus along with a dozen other smelly hikers to the train station that took us back to Shinjuku.

GPS Tracks

Our fourth and hardest hike up Mount Fuji started off cloudy and rainy and ended up with crisp weather, stunning scenery and another epic sunrise. The hike covered 10.44 miles with an elevation gain slightly over 7,600′. Congrats to Mari for finishing her fourth and hardest hike up Mount Fuji. Post hike meal at Coco’s. I come back every year to this restaurant for their Tomato Seafood Spaghetti. Add hot sauce. Broke da mouth.

Determined to get one more hike in before leaving Japan, I found a suitable trail in the town of Isehara in Kanagawa prefecture. Mari kept her mother company and the mountain kept me company today. I slapped on my slippers and caught the two hour sardine packed subway train from Shinjuku to Isehara and then hopped on the Oyama Cable Car bus that left stop #4. Cultural tip: One enters Japanese buses from the back and exits from the front.

Trailhead

I got off at the last stop and walked up a road, passed a couple stream waterfalls and found an unoccupied kiosk that had maps in my language. English not pidgin.

Koma-sando approach

A real hike always starts with stairs. Stairs with words of encouragement.

Shops closed

I was able to walk the souvenir shop corridor unmolested as they were still shuttered. The shop owners are reputedly very aggressive in hawking their stuff. Pays to start early.

Warm up

Half way there. Sweating bullets already. Hot and humid. Glad I had my Pocari Sweat with me ( Japanese Gatorade ).

Shrine with a view

Stopped briefly to enjoy the small waterfall tucked away in the forest.

Only the beginning

Completed all 362 steps. Where do I get my stamp? Cable car to the right. Sorry, closed today for repairs.

How much are the fees?

How appropriate. A fitness school at the base of the mountain. Sign me up.

Yagokoro Omoikane Shrine

Shrine dedicated to the Shinto god of wisdom and intelligence. Hope some of it soaks into my noggin.

Onna-zaka Trail

The women’s trail starts on the left and is a more gradual approach that also boasted of “seven wonders.” Most of the “wonders” that I saw were power lines, light poles, fences and construction activities. Modern wonders.

Kosodate-jizou

#2 Wonder – Child Care Bodhisattva. Legend has it that one day, his face grew child like, so if you pray to him, your children will grow up decent looking. Too late for me.

Tsumekiri-jizou

#3 Wonder – Nail Cutting Bodhisattva. Legend has it that he never cut his nails, but all of a sudden his nails were cut by themselves. Moral of the story is if you apply and work hard, results will happen. I missed the rest of the wonders. Guess I need to apply myself more to the trails.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image of Mae Fudo and Kurikara Doa shrines.

More stairs

Koko Crater has nothing on this trail. Stairs after stairs. Endless.

Oyama-dera

Watch out for swooping hawks. This temple was founded in 755 AD, by a priest that was carried off by a huge hawk and eventually reunited with his parents.

Wash your hands

Soap not included.

Gong the bell

Wake up everybody!

Cable car tracks

Looking down at the empty tracks that parallels the trail going up.

Markers

Stone slabs honoring fallen warrior monks.

Stairs

Marble stairs with chromed railings. Where am I? Disneyland?

Afuri Jinja Shimosha

Click here for the larger image. The lower level was occupied by restaurants, one of the employees couldn’t believe I was hiking to the summit in slippers. Got to represent Hawaii.

Oyama Afuri Shrine

Click here for the larger image. The upper level was occupied by the shrine, statue of the 12 Chinese zodiacs and views of the city below. The holy and spiritual mountain seemed stripped and sterilized by the marbled facade perched here. Out of place. All about the yen.

Five alarm fire

Stacks of old wooden buckets that were once used to fight fires.

Stairs

The steep stairs that goes to the last shrine on the summit.

Trail

Back to nature. Left the steps and stairs behind.

Married couple

A pair of sugi pine trees that are supposed to be 500-600 years old.

Trail

I walked the Oyama trail as it meandered up the mountain side, lost in her silence.

Tengu rock

Legend has it that a tengu, legendary bird like creature, made a hole in this rock with its beak.

Rest spot

Time to replace my sweat with Pocari sweat. Humidity was ridiculously high.

Rocky Trail

I got to test my “climbing slippers” on the assorted boulders and rocks that lined the trail.

Summit Torii

The end is near.

Afuri Shrine

Afuri refers to the high amount of clouds and rain this mountain receives. Lived up to its name, without the rain.

Summit

The socked in summit of Mount Oyama at 4,108′ elevation.

Scenic view

Click here for the larger image of a scattered view from the summit.

Kanpai

Got beer? Or was that sake?

Otoko zaka trail

The men’s trail is steeper and shorter than the women’s trail.

Going down

Passing the restaurants on my way down, the same shocked employee who saw me in slippers, clapped for me, seemingly surprised that I made it back down.

All pau

This area is known for spinning tops and tofu. I went with the non-perishable item.

GPS Tracks

The short and hot hike covered 4.45 miles up and down the mountain, that consisted more of stairs than trails.

We arrived in Japan sandwiched between two typhoons. Wunderbar. We had two days before our third climb up to Mount Fuji. Mari was checking on the constantly changing weather forecast. Clear. Cloudy. Rainy. Clear. Cloudy. Rainy. Guy Hagi is alive and well in Japan. As a precaution, we had even booked another day in case the weather looked bad. In the end, we decided to go for our originally planned day and hoped for the best.

Yoshida 5th station

The two hour bus ride took us from sweltering Shinjuku to the lush forests of the Fuji Hakone National Park as we slowly motored our way up to the 5th station perched at 7,545′ elevation.

Japanese mountain ranges

We got off the bus and enjoyed the cool air and scenic cloud capped mountain views.

Mount Fuji

The mountain. The mountain. The mountain. Crystal clear.

Trailhead

We pushed off at 10:40am, after having spent the suggested 45 minutes getting used to the thin mountain air.

Have horse, will travel

Some people prefer to do their walking with hooves. Clip clop.

Climbing route

Most of the day tourists stopped here or took the lower trail. From here on, it was mostly hikers going to the summit.

Climbing

Time to break out the hiking sticks. Serious hiking ahead.

Falling rock shelter

The mountain silence was interrupted by the blaring multi-lingual PA system which encouraged hikers to use the tunnels to avoid falling rocks.

Follow the signs

It’s pretty hard to get lost on this trail.

6th station

Mari making her way up to the Mt. Fuji Safety Guidance Center; where maps in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean are available. Pidgin map coming soon.

Walking the wall

Hiking the wall less traveled. Until somebody yelled at me to get off the wall. Thanks Mari.

Switchbacks for days

Back and forth. Zig and Zag.

Inhale deeply

Mari had eaten some dried mango earlier and it did not sit well with her, which made her slightly nauseous. She initially thought it was altitude sickness and would not be able to complete the climb to the top which would have been a huge disappointment for her. After sucking down some canned oxygen, her stomach settled down and it was back to climbing. Big sigh of relief.

Huts ahead

The clouds parted to reveal the beginning of the climbing huts that offered rest, snacks and stamps if you had the yen for it.

7th station

Mari arriving at the first hut, Hana-goya. It was still a cool and comfortable 69 degree Fahrenheit. Nice relief from the sauna that was baking the city down below us.

Rocky trail

Taking a break from the switchbacks.

Hole in the sky

Clouds started to roll up the mountain, blotting out the views.

Hinode-kan

The temperature was unseasonably warm at this altitude. Last year at this same altitude, we had already donned our fleece sweaters. Not this year. Still cool and comfortable.

Tomoe-kan

Hmmm, let’s see. Water for $3. Sunglasses for $4. Beer for $5. Chips for $2. Red Bull for $3. Fish sausage for $1. How much for the vintage hut sign?

Follow the chains

Up, up and away.

Huts in the clouds

Looking down at the huts perched on the side of the volcano.

Kamaiwa-kan

Resting at 9,154′ elevation. Getting higher.

Going up

I preferred climbing up the rocky sections over the numbing switchbacks anyday.

Red Torii Gate

The gate is rebuilt every 60 years. Is it time?

Torii-so

Most of the huts had informational signs to read up on the history of the mountain. Too bad I’m illiterate.

Cloudy skies

Clouds literally rolling down the mountain side.

Climbing up

Going up one rock at a time.

Toyo-kan

Looked like the crew and cast of Extreme Hut Makeover paid this hut a visit. New siding and flooring.

Fuji flowers

Pockets of bright yellow flowers stood out from the barren volcanic landscape.

Silhouttes

Hikers climbing towards the sun.

Blue skies

The sky’s so blue and bright, I gotta wear shades.

Fuji puka

Two holes. One in the head and one in the mountain.

Climbing out of the clouds

All smiles.

Taishi-kan

The weather was still cool and comfortable at the 10,170′ elevation.

Sunny skies

The weather continued to hold strong and promising for us.

Horai-kan

The frequent spacing of the huts provided good excuses to stop and take a breather in the thin air.

Hiking up

Mari still going strong. Second wind.

Above the clouds

Back on the switchbacks. Ugh.

Hakuun-so

Let’s eat something. Not dried mangoes.

Clouds

High above the clouds.

Ganso-muro

Started to get a little chilly at 10,662′. Time to dig out the sweaters and jackets.

Mountain shrine

Mari praying for the good weather to continue.

Almost there

Where are we on the map?

Getting higher

Looking back at Lake Yamanaka, one of five Fuji lakes and the largest. Still got to visit at least one of them.

Hut Sweet Hut

The final push up the stone steps as the bright blue sky beckoned us.

Fujisan Hotel

Hotel or hut? Don’t expect turndown service.

Tomoe-kan

We checked in at our hut at 4:40pm. Just in time for dinner. TV dinner. Temperature was a comfortable 54 degree Fahrenheit at the 11,154′ elevation.

Looking down

Checking out how far we had climbed up the mountain.

Sleeps six

Hut reservations were down due to unfounded fears of a possible eruption. More room for us. We got our own six person compartment all to ourselves. Just like a private room with its own view. The Hawaiian Host macadamia nut chocolates probably didn’t hurt either.

Just in case

I noticed the rows of climbing helmets hanging from the ceiling in case of an eruption. Last recorded eruption was in 1707. There have been talks of a potential eruption due to the recent earthquake back in 2011. Hmmm, what are our helmet sizes?

Hut with a view

Click here for the larger image.

Kage Fuji

Mirror, mirror on the mountain. Mount Fuji cast her impressive shadow on the clouds as the sun set behind us, it was one of the highlights of the climb. Quite the show.

Good night

We went to sleep early watching the twinkling Tokyo city lights.

Ohayo gozaimasu

Nothing like waking up at 1am on top of a freezing cold mountain. Thank goodness for heated toilet seats.

Rush hour

We joined the slow, shuffling line of hikers making their way up the mountain. Let’s keep the line moving folks.

Goraikou-kan

8.5 Station. Where is the other half?

City lights

Hiking up the mountain while the rest of Japan slept.

Mountain gate

Are we there yet?

9th Station

No more stations or huts until we got to the summit.

Dog Lions

We quickly took our picture next to the pair of stone statues that sat perched below the final torii gate before the summit, before we got run over by the hikers behind us.

Looking back

The stream of illuminated hikers making their way up.

Mountain ambassadors

Arrived at the cold and dark summit at 3:20am. The only illumination coming from a pair of vending machines. Refreshing and uplifting!

Not open yet

Scattered, huddled and bundled hikers tried to find any kind of shelter to get out of the wind chill. It was cold. Ice cold.

Morning glow

As we waited for the goraiko or arrival of the sun, I was holding a hot can of cocoa trying to transfer the slowly dissipating heat to my numb hands.

Saiko sunrise

Our 4:38am sunrise. Not a bad view from our 12,389′ perspective.

History

Our three year journey finally paid off. The first year we got a glimmer. The second year we got sunbeams. This year we finally got the whole show.

Mission accomplished

Third time was the charm! The summit was storm and cloud free!

Time to eat

Now it was time to get out of the biting cold wind and slurp down $7 bowls of pork miso soup to warm our bellies. Once you sat down in the huts, it was hard to get back up and go out into the cold.

Windy

The gusting winds were pushing us around something fierce, so we didn’t get to traverse around the crater rim known as ohachi-meguri and her eight peaks. Next year.

High winds

We pushed off at 6:20am from the summit to make our way down the Yoshida trail, as fine volcanic dust washed over us. We needed a shower, but not that kind.

Yoshida trail

Sliding, walking and falling down the volcanic ash covered trail. Not necessarily in that order. We didn’t run across any patches of snow this year. Blame everything on global warming.

Scenic view

Click here for the larger image.

Last shrine

One of the advantages of staying at Tomoe-kan is that you can leave your backpack there and travel lightly to the top. Then as you make your way down, the trail intersects with the hut again and you can pick up your backpack. Well not everybody. Somebody has to be the Sherpa. Guess who?

Share the trail

Miniaturized heavy equipment making their way up. This is how the trails are maintained, supplies are delivered and sick people taken down.

Last nature call

Mari took the last opportunity to use the bathroom before the final push back down. Make sure to donate 200 yen.

Last marker

Thank you Ministry of Environment.

Just water

The horse guys thought they had some customers. Guess again. Just water please.

Go back?

Next year.

5th station in sight

Just a little bit more.

Fuji lily

Splash of color.

All pau

Our third time up Fuji, where we finally got treated to the sunrise that had eluded us twice before. Finishing the sunrise hike was made even more special to Mari, as she had trouble walking eight months earlier and was worried that she would not make it up her favorite mountain this year.

GPS Tracks

Our climb up and down Fuji covered only 8.04 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 6,650′, which made the hike seem longer than it should have been. We had two hours to kill before our bus ride back to Shinjuku, so we had our post hike meal of katsu curry and udon noodles. Back for more next year? Yup, as there are at least three other trails to explore that goes up to the summit.

Two fools paid another visit to Mount Fuji to collect our sunrise. Or so we hoped. Last year we had failed to see the sunrise due to a raging storm on top of the mountain. The two hour bus ride from Shinjuku did not look promising as we approached Fuji Hakone National Park as the summit was nowhere to be seen. Fingers crossed.

That will be one dollar

We got off the bus at the Kawaguchiko 5th Station and milled around for about 45 minutes to acclimate ourselves to the 7,545′ elevation. Using the bathrooms on Mount Fuji is not free and the toilets are non-flushing with microbes added to decompose the waste. Get use to that smell.

Can’t see the mountain for the clouds

Not an auspicious start to our hike as our goal was nowhere to be seen.

Horse model

For $3, you too can sit on a horse and get your picture taken. Just like at the State Fair.

Donations gladly accepted

Before Mount Fuji was declared a World Heritage Site last year, it cost nothing to enjoy this iconic symbol of Japan. Now they have a tent set up to ask for ten dollar donations to help with the conservation of Mount Fuji. We gladly donated. A small price to enjoy such beauty.

Here we go again

Deja vu. We pushed off the trail at 10:50am with high hopes as the weather forecast had predicted no rain. They didn’t say anything about the clouds though.

Climbing route

We began our climb towards Fuji-san. Saw a lot of day tourists taking the lower trail.

Play misty for me

The clouds seemed thicker and lower than last year.

Follow the flag

Japanese tour guides often have flags with them so that the group can easily find and follow them. This was no tour guide.

Yamabushi

Greetings of ohayo gozaimasu ( good morning ) rang through the crisp morning air from white garbed monks coming down from their mountain pilgrimage. They were happy. They were finished with the hike.

Easy way down

This guy took the horse ride down. Took a load off his feet and lightened his wallet by $30 too.

Falling rocks

This concrete tunnel was built to protect hikers from falling rocks.

Sixth station

The first station hikers run across is the sixth station, where they are nice enough to pass out hiking maps. I’ll take my maps in English please. Other choices were Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Sorry, none in Hawaiian. Auwe!

That way

The signposts made it quite difficult to get lost.

All smiles

Mari smiling on the trail. Let’s see how long that lasts.

Standing on the berm

Looking down at the hikers coming up the switchbacks.

Lot of switchbacks

Switchbacks make up the bulk of the trails leading to the summit, rarely will you find a straight up trail. While this makes it easier, it also stretches out the time spent on the trail.

Lost and found?

Rows of brightly colored miniature backpacks lined the sides of this switchback.

Huts as far as the eye can see

Huts that offered shelter, snacks and stamps started popping into view.

Two way traffic

The owners coming back to reclaim their backpacks. This trail is usually one way going up. But who’s going to admonish kids going the wrong way? I gave them credit for making it this far.

Seventh station

The seventh station marks the beginning of the roughly dozen huts that dot Fuji’s backside.

Can you spot Spot?

A dog was enjoying an afternoon nap, seemingly unbothered by the passing huffing and puffing of hikers.

Only 3.8km to go

That’s 2.36 miles for metric challenged folks.

Still smiling

Mari developed a slight headache at the beginning and was struggling a bit.

Another hut

Still on the seventh station?

Got snacks?

Every hut hawked shelter, snacks and stamps. Thirsty? Try the Pocari Sweat? Not as bad as it sounds. This year, I didn’t buy a hiking stick and get them stamped at each hut. The novelty had worn off from last year. Besides, the stamp price had gone up from $2 to $3. If you get a stamp from each hut, that would cost you around $60! More money to buy Pocari Sweat.

Back to hiking

If one hikes Mount Fuji outside of the official hiking season of July and August, no huts will be open for business.

Genki desuka?

Mari’s headache wasn’t going away, so she slapped on a nose strip which helped. We saw a couple other hikers wearing the same type of nose strip that probably had headaches as well.

One stick at a time

One step and stick at a time. Slowly but surely we will get to the top.

Follow the arrows

Need medical assistance? Just a stone away.

No reservations required

Most huts require advance reservations. This one had openings.

Snow!

Higher altitudes means snow on the mountains, even in summer.

Getting higher

We were leaving the clouds below us as we climbed higher.

Our first torii

Have we reached the promised land yet? Not by a long shot.

Hiking into the clouds

It’s always surreal to be hiking into clouds.

The finger

Some hikers started yelling “look at the cloud finger!” So I had to turn around and look. Can you see it?

Stay within the chains

A lot of hikers on the trail made for a slow pace. So I veered off the beaten trail sporadically. Not recommended. Safety first.

Smile break

Mari taking one of many breaks to the top. Still smiling.

Eighth station

We finally moved up a number. Thought we were stuck at seven. From the seventh to the eight station, the huts are spaced out every 20 minutes or so. Many opportunities to stop and take a break.

Only 2.7km left

Getting closer or 1.67 miles left to the summit. The air got noticeably thinner and colder. Time to break out the jackets.

Let’s do this!

Ganbatte!

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Above the clouds

Taking a photo opportunity at one of the rest stops.

Air is getting thinner

Time to break out the oxygen tablets.

Sucking oxygen

Mari inhaling compressed air to combat the effects of the thin mountain air and hoping it would get rid of her headache.

One step at a time

Are we there yet?

Gateway to the clouds

Shashin o totte kudasai or please take our picture.

Fuji shrine

I wish I had paid more attention to a guide that was educating her group about this particular shrine perched on the slopes of Fuji. The group was foreigners comprised of Chinese and Westerners, so she was speaking English. Even more so, I should have paid attention.

1.8km to go!

Little more than a mile left!

Our hut for the night

We reached our hut, Tomoe-kan at an altitude of 11,154′ around 5:30pm. Home sweet home. At least for the night.

Damp and cramped

The musty futons from last year had been replaced by tacky, thin plastic sleeping bags that was permanently damp from the cold mountain air. Usually each “room” is shared by 10 hikers. Communal living at it’s finest. Luckily we only had to share it with four other hikers.

Sales pitch with our meal

Nothing like eating your hamburger steak and curry washed down by hot green tea while being loudly reminded that anpan, postcards and trinkets were available for sale.

What time is it?

We woke up at the ungodly hour of 1am to get ready for the final push to the summit. The only good thing about waking up this early was that Mari’s headache was gone. Going to the outside bathroom in the middle of the freezing mountain night is not fun. Thank goodness for those heated toilet seats!

Getting chilly

While the weather was not stormy like last year, the wind chill kept it freezing cold. Stark reminder that we were on top of a mountain. In the wee hours of the morning.

Traffic jam

Snails pace going up behind other hikers shuffling up the mountain to catch the sunrise. Cruel joke.

We made it!

The lion statues and torii welcomed us again to the summit of Mount Fuji at 12,388′ at 3:20am.

A better picture

And then the clouds cleared. Actually this was taken later in the morning when the crowds had thinned out.

Civilization

Twin beacons of hot and cold beverages tempted us with their neon glow. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan, even on top of Mount Fuji.

Wait for it

As we sat and shivered in the freezing wind, we bought $4 cans of hot cocoa to warm ourselves up outside and inside. Some enterprising hikers had brought their own stove with them and were busy cooking up hot ramen. The sun rises at 4:30am. So we all sat and waited with baited breath. Is that the sun we see? Not again! The mythical Fuji sunrise has eluded us again for the second time. Fools we are! After the major disappointment, we retreated into one of the huts to slurp down their $8 pork miso soup and $9 chewy ramen.

Better than nothing

At 6am, we ventured out into the whipping wind to capture our consolation photo.

Is this volcano active?

Peering into the maw of Fuji’s crater. Most people don’t realize that Fuji is an active volanco, with the last recorded eruption in 1708. One study speculates that the 2011 earthquake has made another eruption more likely.

Crater rim

Going clockwise around the crater rim that is known as ohachi-meguri. There are supposed to be eight peaks ringing the crater rim. Last year, we were unable to hike the rim due to a raging storm.

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet …

Passing the post office. Yes. A post office on an active volcano.

Uma no se

Walking up the “horse’s back”, the slippery and steep slope to kengamine or the highest peak on the crater.

Unmanned weather station

Last manned in 2004. Now a fully automated meteorological station that sweeps for incoming typhoons and heavy rain showers.

Highest point in Japan

Standing on kengamine, the highest peak in Japan at 12,402′.

Snowball fight?

The snow was still pretty thick up on the rim. Took about an hour to traverse the entire rim.

Going back down

After the wind had died down somewhat, we went down the Yoshida trail around 8am.

JSDF

Japanese soldiers coming up the mountain. Part of their training in case Mount Fuji gets invaded by the North Koreans.

Scenic point

The views were definitely better at the lower elevations than the summit. Go figure.

Bulldozers have the right of way

This is how supplies, workers and sick hikers get up and down the mountain.

Sharing the anpan

Munching on the best anpan ( sweet bean filled buns ) on the mountain. Well, that’s what the salesman said! It was actually pretty good and Mari’s favorite anpan in Japan.

Final stretch

It’s all down hill. Just don’t fall down again.

Got 3,000 Yen?

The day was drawing to a close and with no customers, this old man closed up shop and rode his horse back to town.

Almost there

We could see the 5th station where we had started from the day before.

All pau

We made it back down the mountain around noon, happy and disappointed that we missed the sunrise again. Third time is the charm? Perhaps. The Japanese have a saying that you would be a fool not to climb Mount Fuji once, but a fool to climb it twice. So what would that make us if we do it a third time? We will be back for our sunrise to find out the answer!

I’ve visited Japan 16 times but had never gotten around to climbing the iconic symbol of Japan – Mount Fuji. 17th time was the charm. Rewind seven month earlier as my wife, Mari, planned everything from the gear rental, hotel and hut reservations and bus rides down to the last detail. Details such as getting canned oxygen (never used) and oxygen tablets to give one an extra boost of oxygen at the higher altitudes (only Mari took these). Just before our trip to Japan, we learned that UNESCO had bestowed World Heritage status on Mount Fuji. Great for Japan. Bad for us – crowds. Getting off the two hour bus ride from Shinjuku, we arrived halfway up Mount Fuji at the Kawaguchiko 5th Station. Crowds of day tourists, students and hikers were milling around. A lot of students and day tourists just go to the 5th station to gawk and say they went to Mount Fuji and get back on their bus. Mount Fuji’s summit was covered in clouds. The weather report had predicted rain for today. Too late to cancel our plans, it was Fuji or bust! I just prayed that the weather reporter was related to Guy Hagi. The air at 7,562 feet did not seem thin to me at all, but it’s recommended to acclimate yourself for an hour before hiking. So we bought a $5 hiking stick, paid 50 cents to use the toilet and looked at the various tourist trinkets until it was time to go.

Ride or walk?

We pushed off from the trailhead at 10:45AM as we joined others making the climb and returning from the summit. Mari walking next to a horse drawn cart, that will take one all the way to the 7th station for a small fee. Climbing season runs from July to August. I was pleasantly surprised to find the trails not as crowded, probably because we were doing it on a weekday. Expect madness and gridlock on weekends and holidays.

Izumigataki junction

The downward slope of the trail led us to Izumigataki junction at 11:08AM and we took the right fork up to the climbing trail.

Walking sticks come in handy

The slope of the trail now started to pitch upward. Notice the trees, they would soon be gone as we got higher.

Mt. Fuji Safety Guidance Center aka 6th Station

We reached the 6th station at 11:37AM and were handed maps, that they have in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. At the time, we didn’t even know it was the 6th station. No more trees to be seen.

Switchbacks

Mari coming up the switchbacks which are safely shored up by massive fences to prevent erosion. We saw a string of huts perched on the slope of the mountain as we made our way up.

7th Station – Hana-goya hut

At 12:43PM, we reached the 7th station, first of many huts on the trail. Mari was so happy as we didn’t know we had passed the 6th station earlier at 11:37AM, and now we were at the 7th station!

First stamp – 200 Yen

Shelling out 200 Yen or roughly two bucks for the first of many stamps on my hiking stick. Every hut that we passed sells water, snacks and of course a stamp to put on your stick.

Mari rock climbing

Mari climbing up the rockier part of the trail. Fun, fun, fun!

7th Station – Hinode-kan hut

Reaching another 7th station hut.

7th Station – Tomoe-kan hut

The trail from the 7th station to the 8th station is on very rocky terrain, lot of climbing involved. Luckily, huts are spaced out every 15 minutes or so to take breaks or shelter if needed.

More rock climbing

203 minutes to go. At whose pace? The trail was dotted with informational signs that tell you how much distance and time until the summit.

In the company of Buddhist monks

This section of the trail we shared with a stream of white clad chanting Buddhist monks. One of the monks actually fell in front of me, and another monk and myself helped him back up. Hopefully I will get good karma for my actions. Fat chance.

First Torii

 Reaching the first of multiple torii’s or Shinto gates that marked the trail.

Climbing continues…

More climbing on the rocky trail, only one way to go – up.

Climbing out of the clouds

Mari popping out of the clouds.

8th Station – Taishi-kan hut

After passing multiple 7th station huts, we made it to the first 8th station hut at 2:37PM. Air was getting thinner at 3,100 meters or 10,171 feet.

Taking a break

Every now and then, the cloud cover would give us a peak at the scenery below. The rain started as we approached the top.

8th Station – Hakuun-so hut

Another 8th station hut.

8th Station – Ganso-muro hut

Matthew from New York took our photo at this 8th station that we reached at 4:00PM. He was doing it in regular street clothes, those tough New Yorkers! Matthew had actually started the climb to Mount Fuji at the bottom, so he can actually say he climbed the whole mountain. Whereas, we were only climbing half the mountain. Hey, we got to start from somewhere. I want to hike from the bottom next time, Mari not so much.

Original 8th Station

 We reached the original 8th station at 4:32PM. The temperature dropped to 8 degrees Celsius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit at an altitude of 3,400 meters or 11,155 feet.

Home for the night – Tomoe-kan hut

We got to “our” hut at 4:50PM. Reservations for Saito? Cost was about $65 per person and they throw in a free meal. It’s best to make reservations ahead of time, otherwise you might literally be left out in the cold. It was such a relief to get inside and away from the cold wind and rain. Dinner was served at 5:29PM and consisted of a cup of hot green tea, beef curry, hamburger steak and rice. After downing the Japanese TV meal, we retired to our “spacious” sleeping quarters upstairs. It was basically 12 futons sectioned off. We were supposed to keep quiet so as not to bother the other hikers that had retired early. But people walking up and down the hallway, chatting away and the PA blaring out names for dinner kept us up until around 9:30PM.

Heading into the storm

After groggily waking up at 1:00AM to the rain pounding the roof and the winds shaking the walls, we got ready to climb the last stretch to the summit and see the sunrise. One of the selling points for this hut was that they allowed you to leave your pack behind, so that you can climb to the summit relatively unencumbered. Guess who got to be the pack mule? We left the relative warmth of the hut at 2:01AM to head outside and resume our climb. There is usually a line of people waiting to make the final push to the summit. The weekday and the storm combined to cut the usual crowds to dozens instead of hundreds.

8.5 Station – Goraikou-kan hut

We met up again with Matthew at the 8.5 station hut. Too early to get a stamp, was running out of room on my stick anyway.

9th Station

The wind and rain seemed to get stronger as we got to the 9th station at 2:50AM. At an altitude of 11,811 feet, we only had 656 feet left to the summit. The Gore-Tex jackets and pants helped us to stay dry despite the pounding rain and freezing wind. The only thing we were missing was Gore-Tex gloves, as our hands were wet and freezing the whole way up.

One of two dog statues

I almost missed the two stone guardian dog statues at the summit entrance due to the storm, luckily a fellow hiker pointed it out.

What is that?

We could barely make out the summit torii as it was being washed over by the rain storm.

Hot cocoa at the summit

We made the summit at 3:29AM to be greeted by the twin neon glow of vending machines! On top of Mount Fuji! How odd and Japanese at the same time. The temperature must have been close to freezing at the top, so we all tried to find scant shelter from the wind and rain wherever it could be found. A couple minutes later, the outside lights came on and we were attracted like moths to a flame. Everybody was chomping at the bit to get inside and away from the cold. We had to wait a couple of minutes until they got everything ready. We all streamed inside, cold and shaking. At least a couple foreigners were wet and freezing as they had not come prepared and were close to hypothermia. The hut owners were charging $5 for a small cup of hot cocoa and $7 for a cup of noodles. But when you’re cold and wet, you would pay black market prices to get something warm in your tummy.

Inside or outside?

As the sunrise time came closer, I decided to venture out into the storm to try and get a picture of the sunrise. Key word – try.

Sunrise?

We made it to the top of a 12,172 foot mountain to get buffeted and pelted by a freezing rain storm, all to see a magnificent sunrise. Instead we caught a brief flash of light at 4:46am, before the clouds quickly swallowed it back up. Such is life.

Where’s the view?

Photo opportunity. At least we got a sign to take our picture with, but we would rather have the sunrise. Pretty please.

Final stamp at Kusushi shrine

Getting the final stamp on my stick. I collected a total of 22 stamps on my stick, which cost about $36. We forgot to pray at the shrine.

Safe to go down?

No chance of walking around the crater in this weather. We had to pay one of the shop owners to get our postcards mailed from the summit, as it was out of the question to walk to the post office on the crater in this storm. We also paid $8 for a bowl of pork miso soup to help keep warm. At 6:45AM, the storm was still raging but at somewhat reduced strength, so we decided to make our way down. The trail is not the same as the one coming up. It connects to the 8th Station and then switchbacks all the way down to the 6th Station, bypassing all the huts and along with that the snacks, water and benjo (toilet). 

Windy trail down

The wind was literally pushing us around as we made our way down the Yoshida trail. We hugged the mountain side going down, as this trail section didn’t have any fencing to prevent us from being blown off the trail. It was that windy!

Snow in July!

We came across a patch of snow. Not enough to make a snowman, but enough for a snowball fight.

Going back to Tomoe-kan hut

Making our way back to the 8th station hut.

Picture taking time

As we got lower, the clouds started to clear up. Prompting almost everybody to stop and take out their cameras as it was a no view hike until now.

Clouds clearing

The cloud deck started opening up to reveal the mountains and lakes.

Fuji-san’s slope

Taking a small detour to get back to our hut to retrieve Mari’s backpack.

Slip and slide

Coming down the pitched volcanic ash trail tripped Mari going down. Luckily only her ego was bruised.

Go left, not right

Here the trail continues to the left on a narrow trail that continues down the mountain.

Extreme hiker?

We saw this one hiker that was not doing the switchbacks. He just ran down the side of the mountain using walking sticks as support and brakes. Not smart and safe for other hikers. As he was running down, he was dislodging rocks onto the trail and almost fell off. Mount Fuji is not a technical hike and can be done by most people of all ages in reasonable good physical condition. Now if you want to make this hike an extreme one, check out this link!

Nice view

A nice view of the scenery below us.

Bulldozer has the right of way

We saw numerous bulldozers coming up the trail as work crews started working on excavating new trails. This is how sick people get down the mountain.

Best anpan?

We took an anpan break at sign #42 at 9:05AM. The hut we bought it from said it was the best anpan, when you are hungry, your stomach will agree with anything. It was actually pretty tasty.

Views are getting better

As we kept dropping in altitude, the clouds starting to clear up along with great views. Too bad it wasn’t like this at the top!

Scenic viewpoint #1

Mari with Lake Yamanaka in the cloudy background.

Scenic viewpoint #2

The town of Fujikawaguchiko in the cloudy background.

Coming down

We passed the last set of tunnels that are supposed to protect hikers from falling rocks.

Need a ride back?

As we made our way back down, there were a couple of oji-sans (older men) with horses calling out to hikers if they wanted a ride back. For a small fee of course.

We made it!

We made it back down to the 5th station at 11:14am. The round trip was a total of 13.8 km or 8.57 miles. We gained 1,405 meters or 4,610 feet in elevation. We were both so happy to have completed the hike to Fuji-san. As the Japanese say, a wise man climbs Fuji once, and a fool twice. Call us fools as we will be back for our sunrise!

The last day of my vacation in Japan, I decided to do one more hike before I flew back home. If you have ever been to Tokyo Disneyland, I would call Mount Takao the Tokyo Disneyland of hikes. It has a cable car, amusement in the form of temples and wall to wall people. One quick tip – if the weather has been rainy the prior week and you go on a sunny weekend, expect major crowds!

Trail 1

There are eight trails to reach the summit. I took the most popular and paved one – trail 1. Besides the wait for the funicular was easily over an hour just to get on the cable car.

Move to the side - ambulance coming down!

As I was trying to thread myself into the crowds making their way up the trail, I heard booming voices amplified by loudspeakers which were followed shortly by motorcycle cops and a mini-ambulance taking somebody to the hospital. That ambulance that came down gave new meaning to the word compact.

Tokyo

Twenty minutes later, I reached one of the scenic points where I saw the sprawling city of Tokyo.

Gate to Yakuoin Temple

I soon came across the Yakuoin Temple which was originally built back in 744. On the temple grounds, it was like a zoo as people of all ages thronged at the different shrines to pray for good luck.

Tengu

Mount Takao is closely associated with Tengu, which are mythical bird-men that can either help or hinder people.

One Yen Deposits

There are tons of these praying Buddhas or monks scattered throughout Mount Takao. Some of them have red “beanies” and “bibs”, I kid you not. People leave one yen coins on these statues to make their wishes or prayers come true.

Party time at the summit

At the top of Mount Takao, groups of people were camped out beneath the red maple leaf trees and having a great time courtesy of the vending machines at the top that supplied the beer. It reminded me of the cherry blossom viewing parties they have in March.

Now what is 599 meters in feet?

The view at the top was somewhat disappointing as the clouds had started to roll in, obscuring most of the view and Mount Fuji, which can be seen on a clear day.

Santa is that you?

Going back down, I saw one hiker dressed as Santa Claus, a very skinny Santa Claus. Yes, Virginia, Christmas is a big deal in Japan. The wait for the funicular going down was terrible, we had to wait over an hour. I would highly recommend doing this hike during a weekday, where you will experience less crowds and more time and opportunities to explore all that Mount Takao has to offer.

Being in Japan for about a week, I was experiencing “temple fatigue” syndrome, so I decided to strike out and hike a mountain called Daimonji yama in the historic city of Kyoto. The mountain has a huge chinese character that is set afire during the annual obon festival. An easy one at that, as I only had Crocs for my footwear. I took the #17 city bus that would take me to Ginkaku-ji from Kyoto station, the second largest train station in Japan. The place is huge, you can easily lose a day checking out all the place has to offer. Quick cultural note – Japanese buses are entered from the back and you pay as you exit from the front.

Ginkaku-ji or Silver Pavilion

Roughly 20 minutes later, the bus dropped me off at the Ginkaku-ji stop. The bus also has canned English announcements about each coming stop. I walked up a short road that was lined with eateries and tourist trinket shops. I took a left just before the entrance to Ginkaku-ji and walked down a narrow road towards a stone torii or traditional Japanese gate, that marks the boundary between the profane and the sacred.

Stone Torii

I took a right at the torii and started walking towards the mountain.

Shrine

After a couple minutes, I came across a fork in the road that had a small shrine in the middle and took a right to get to the trailhead.

Trailhead

This is the trailhead, don’t ask me what the sign said.

Paved trail

The beginning of the trail is paved and parallels a stream flowing down from the mountain. Being late in the day, I saw few hikers that included a small group of older ones coming down from the trail.

Wooden stairs

The trail soon turned into a wooden stairway carved into the mountainside.

Unpaved trail

The rest of the trail yielded back to Mother Nature.

Stone stairs

There were a couple set of stone stairs going up. This was probably the hardest part of the hike.

Top of Daimonji

I arrived at the top of the mountain, with slightly overcast skies to greet me. The hike from bottom to top took roughly 25 minutes.

Fire pit

Despite the overcast skies, the city of Osaka can be seen to the far left along with views of South Kyoto. The fire pit in the picture above is at the center of the giant chinese character that can be seen from the city below.

Bonfire area

The fire pits and bonfire areas are lined with pinewod and pine needles every August 16th and set ablaze at 8pm to see off the departed souls of ancestors.

South Kyoto

Another view of South Kyoto.

North Kyoto

I climbed further up the mountain to the top of the fire pits and bonfire areas. After taking in the views, I headed back down to catch the bus back. This is a short and sweet hike that affords great views of the city below.