September, 2015
When I embarked on my second journey to the land of the rising sun, my main goal was to summit Mt Fuji. The climbing season runs from July to mid-September and on this trip, I just barely made the cutoff, climbing the first weekend of September. I had admired this majestic beauty from afar during my first trip in 2011 and decided that climbing Japan’s highest mountain at 3776m above sea level would definitely be a worthwhile experience. So, in 2015 I embarked on a night hike to summit Fuji in time for sunrise; Goraikou in Japanese. Hiking any mountain can be daunting AF, so here are some of my recommendations. If you are fit and have some experience you can likely do it within the day, but you can always book a stay at one of the mountain huts along the way if it feels too overwhelming. Also note that altitude sickness is a possibility, so pay attention to how you are feeling during the climb and adjust accordingly.
There are four routes, but even the most popular and crowded trail, Yoshida Trail, will take upwards of 7 hours to ascend and 4 hours to descend. As this is the easiest route and most commonly chosen, there are huts and shops along the way, which are ideal for rest breaks. The other routes include Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba trails. Even though I would consider myself fit with some climbing experience, I opted for the Yoshida Trail.
Let’s begin!
As weather conditions can change drastically on any mountain, it is best to pack with layers in mind. So, I added some layers to my backpack including a toque, a warm pull-over, gloves and a waterproof windbreaker to cut the wind. I dressed in a simple base layer with proper hiking shoes as I had read the terrain would be rocky and steep so I wanted to ensure I had a good grip! I also had a headlamp since the majority of my hike would be in the dark so I could hit summit for sunrise. Don’t forget the sunscreen, you will be thankful for that on your way down!
I do love to eat, so snacks and water would be essential for this journey. I opted for trail mix and gummy bears and 2L of water. If you get in a bind, the huts sell food, drinks and even oxygen cans to assist with altitude sickness if needed, but the higher you go the more costly these items become. I suggest you bring your own, even oxygen if you feel you might not need it. I didn’t pack any nor did I need it, but everyone is different. I also tossed in a handful of coins in my backpack to pay for toilet facilities along the way!
Staying in Nagoya, I took the Shinkansen Kodama (high speed train) to the Shin-Fugi Station and then took the bus to Fujinomiya 5thstation – travel is super easy in Japan. Upon arrival at the 5th station, I was greeted by a small base camp of sorts with everything I could possibly need prior to commencing the ascent. I grabbed some pancakes at the Gogoen Resthouse as I thought those would be an ideal pre-fuel snack. I also opted for the wooden Fuji hiking stick available at the base of the mountain as there are stamp stations along the way where they literally burn stamps into your stick to mark your progress (¥300–500/stamp). I thought “what a perfect souvenir” and my knees will thank me having a walking stick to use along the way! There is no entrance fee to climb, but a maintenance fee of ¥1000 will be collected at the start of your hike and in return you will receive a map and keychain to take home.
Let the challenge begin – I started the ascent at 8:30 pm, stopping at the rest stations as needed for a snack, to rest briefly, to add layers or use the facilities. Keeping my eye on the time, knowing sunrise was expected for 5:20 a.m., I continued to trek along, getting tired and colder the higher I went. I will admit, I under-estimated my glove choice and my hands were starting to go numb about 1000 feet from the summit. I had also underestimated the number of people who would be on this most popular trail – locals and tourists – all there with the same goal. I fell into the line with thousands of people, yes thousands, as the trail narrowed toward the summit. Finally arriving at the summit at 5:15 a.m. barely in time for sunrise. I turned around and wow – the top of Japan – what a sense of accomplishment and what a view! There was nothing like soaking in this sunrise after 9+ hours of hiking. It is an experience that just opens your soul up on a different level.
I headed to the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, the sacred Shinto shrine to receive my final stamp – the summit stamp. Unfortunately, weather quickly took a turn, winds picked up and clouds hastily rolled in. I had to forgo the Kengamine Peak, the highest point of the trail and another 30 minutes away at the summit of the Fujinomiya Trail. I opted to start the decent as the weather reminded me quickly of how weak and defenseless we can become, compared to a mountain.
Peeling off layers and applying sunscreen was necessary in the morning sun on the descent. It was an entirely different perspective in the daylight and the morning sun can be quite intense in this unsheltered landscape. I had never been more grateful for my walking stick as hiking down was slippery with loose gravel and on more than one occasion, I found myself on my rear-end.
Of course, upon arriving back at the 5th station I treated myself to a Fuji specialty, the Kokemomo soft serve ice cream. Well-deserved indeed and if you know me well, I will climb or hike anything, mountains, bell towers and stairs, for ice cream or prosecco.
Since I had been up for almost 20 hours, I believe I slept most of the train ride back to Nagoya. Upon arrival back to the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, I ordered room service, had a luxurious hot bath to soak my tired, weak legs and crawled into bed! Forever grateful for this epic experience.
