Day 13-14 - Mount Fuji - Wed July 7-8

This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most. It took a lot of planning as we needed to book early and bring all of our hiking equipment. Unfortunately my youngest got sick a few days before and could not make it. But my other two replicants made it. I was very proud of their achievement. 

Itinerary 

• Drove to the Fuji-San Parking lot

• Gota bus to station 5, which is a decent way up the mountain and only accessible by bus during climbing season.

• Started out climb

• Stopped at station 8, the ½ way point. Where we had rented a hut.

• Had dinner at 5:30pm and went to bed at 7PM

• Got up at 1AM and started the hike to the summit.

• Caught the sunrise around 4:30 AM.

• Got to the summit and celebrated. It was really cold. We need to put on all our layers

• Started the very long and tedious hike back to the bottom. 

Impressions

I didn’t find the hike up very hard, but I do a bit of cardio on a regular basis, and we were well equipped with proper gear. But some others on the mountain not so much. There were people that looked like they were out for a stroll in the garden. Some were huffing and puffing, barely able to drag themselves along. Others sitting on the side of the trail recovering. Many struggled to get up the steep parts. I saw a guy who had completely ripped off the bottom of his shoe and he was trying to fasten it on with what looked like duck tape. I saw a few guys carrying what assumed was their girlfriends pack in front and their pack behind. Not everyone made it. 

This became an issue on our final ascent to the summit because much of it was single file with almost no way to pass. You can only go as fast as the slowest person. It reminds me of the stories I’ve read about Hillary Step on Everest. We did get to see the sun rise but at the summit the fog was pretty thick and visibility was poor. No views of Tokyo, or even the mountain below.

The descent was a real slog. We took a different path down which was flat but steep and covered in loose lava rocks. I saw at least a dozen people slip and fall.

At the end the clouds cleared for only a couple of minutes, but I was able to get a picture of the entire mountain. Finally! I was glad that I did and a proud papa that my kids did it too.

Costs

Overall, I found it a bit pricey. The prices really went up within the last year. Of course, anything you buy on the mountain is going to have inflated prices.

• Parking - Fuji-San Parking 1,000 yen
• Bus to station 5 - 3,000 yen / person (return fair)
• Park Pass - 4,000 yen / person
• Hut - $150 CAD single / $444 CAD 3 person; booked months in advance
• Water - 500~600 yen
• Washroom - 200~300 yen per use