Hello again, Mt. Fuji!
This is my third time climbing this popular mountain, but my goal this year is not to reach the summit. If you’re planning to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji, please check out my past article!
★My past article★→Climbing Mt. Fuji -Fujinomiya route-
☆Mt. Hoei
Did you know that Mt. Fuji has several parasitic cones? Mt. Hoei is one of them, and it is the newest one which was created by the eruption in 1707. It is said that volcanic ash piled up and made this mountain for just a few days.
☆Route
This year, I set my goal for the summit of Mt. Hoei and climbing in the daytime instead of staying at a hut and trying to see the sunrise from the summit of Mt. Fuji.
This is my route.
- Hoei 5th Station entrance
- Forest trail
- 2nd Hoei crater rim
- 1st Hoei crater rim
- Up, up, up to the summit of Mt. Hoei (2,693m)
- Down, down, down the gravel path called Prince Trail
- 1st Hoei crater rim
- 6th Station on the Fujinomiya trail
- 5th Station on the Fujinomiya trail
☆Before climbing
There are four main trails to go to the summit of Mt. Fuji: Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya. The most popular one for beginners is Yoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture. Over tourism is one of the issues, especially in this area. This year, 2024, Yamanashi Prefecture started to collect a 2,000 yen toll from climbers who go above the 5th station and limit the number of climbers to 4,000 per day.
The other three trails are in Shizuoka Prefecture, including the trail I used, Fujinomiya. Climbers don’t need to pay 2,000 yen this year, but we need to register online beforehand. It’s not a big deal. And if you forget, you can do it at the 5th station before climbing. It might take up some time though.
FYI: I’m writing this article in August, 2024. Please gather the latest information when you climb Mt. Fuji.
☆Forest Zone
Am I really walking on Mt. Fuji?
My journey started with the silent forest, called Jurintai (樹林帯). As I mentioned before, too many people visit some parts of Mt. Fuji, but it’s not the case here. Truly, nobody was there!! We were surrounded by a lot of fresh green here, which we cannot see in the upper places.
☆Cool! This is Mt.Fuji!!
After going along the forest trail, the rocky surface and the reddish clay showed that we were really on Mt. Fuji. It was about 20°C. Compared to the underworld that was over 30°C, you can guess how cool it was on Mt. Fuji.
☆Hoei Crater Rim
Good or bad, it was mostly cloudy and partially rainy. We enjoyed this surreal world. This is the only course where we can walk the rim of Hoei craters and appreciate their magnificent beauty.
Of course, the steep continuous gravel slope to the summit was killing me! When I climbed down, some climbers asked me, “How long will this path last?” I know! It was tough!!
☆Summit
Finally, we made it to the summit. It was 2,693 meters high. Thinking about the height of the 5th station, 2,400 meters, which was our start line, it turns out we just climbed up about 300 meters! However, I saw unusual, ravishing scenery without being bothered by too many tourists.
☆Down, down, down the hill
Although it’s up to the person whether we like going up or down, I’m definitely the latter climber. I can say this because I was well-prepared and wore gaiters, foot covers to avoid gravel coming into my shoes this year. (Last year, I had a terrible experience here!)
Taking steps on the gravel slope was as if I was walking on chocolate flakes! Trotting while stomping the ground might be something we cannot experience on other mountains.
☆Goal!
After the unique journey, we reached the 6th station and had lunch at the hut, Unkaiso(雲海荘), where we had fun communicating with the owner, a tour guide, and other climbers. One of the climbers was on his way from the 0 station to the top of Mt. Fuji. Can you get what I mean? It is called “Zero Fuji (ゼロ富士),” and he had been walking from the beach at Surugawan Bay and aiming to the top for three days. He said, “I touched the sand at the beach and started walking!” with a big smile! His journey would be about 42 km. This is also a unique way to enjoy Mt. Fuji that not many people can try.
After enjoying the conversations, finally, we were back to the 5th station of the Fujinomiya trail, which was my starting point last year!
We started climbing before 9 AM and left the mountain at 2 PM. Looking back, when we went to the summit of Mt. Fuji last year, we spent about 25 hours there. Climbing Mt. Fuji doesn’t necessarily mean to go up in the darkness to see the sunrise while lining up with a lot of climbers. There are a variety of ways to appreciate Japan’s iconic mountain.
☆After climbing…
I think many Japanese people drop by a hot spring to relieve their fatigue after climbing mountains. And you can find local hot springs here and there in Japan.
This time, we went to Otainai Onsen in Gotemba City, Shizuoka. After taking a bath, just lying down in the huge break room is one of the perks of climbing mountains in Japan!
Bottom right: Shizuoka is famous for its tea. You can drink it for free here!
FYI: I’ve also written about Japanese people’s impressions about Mt. Fuji. I’ll be glad if you check it out! → “I can see Mt. Fuji!”
Working for an English language school. My source of energy is our students’ smiles full of curiosity. I love visiting my friends in and outside of Japan.
HTJ has a YouTube page! Check it out