Mount Fuji 3776m
'He who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool'. This is the local proverb and presumably it applies equally to women, although only recently because at one time females were expressly forbidden to climb to the summit because the goddess of the mountain would have been jealous of other women.
In 1867 it was climbed by Lady Parkes, wife of the British Minister. All the guidebooks tell me this but fail to provide details. I would love to know the reaction of the priests for example. Did she meet any resistance? I am filled with admiration for this lady who boldly resisted the edicts of centuries to claim this summit. For despite the proverb and the dismal descriptions in our guidebooks this peak is a must for any serious hill walker who visits Japan. There are many claimants for titles like 'the most climbed mountain in the world', 'the most photographed mountain in the world', 'the most widely recognized mountain in the world' and so forth. Any one of these might be claimed for Fuji but the most likely one to be true is 'the most drawn mountain in the world'. Pictures of the peak abound and are instantly recognized. Put some Japanese script at the side and a completely symmetrical cone passes for this mountain without question. In fact the symmetry is far from perfect as even a cursory glance at the real thing will illustrate. On the northeast side is a subsidiary crater formed by the most recent eruption in 1707 while the summit crater has a rim which is significantly higher on the south and more broken to the west.
We visited Japan in late September. When we asked at the tourist office in Tokyo about climbing Mount Fuji we got a simple answer. 'You can't do it, it's closed'. In a sense this was literally true because all the facilities on the mountain are open exactly for the months of July and August only. This is the time when apparently thousands climb every day and also every night since viewing sunrise from the summit is considered the best thing to do. In one way we regretted not climbing at this time which would no doubt have given us a more unusual and uniquely Japanese experience. In other ways we were relieved to avoid the reputed queues on the track which would not have been our idea of how a mountain should be.
The other problem caused by being out of season was transport. We had no difficulty getting a bus to Kawaguchiko, a pleasant town lying on a lake at the foot of the mountain. It is possible to walk all the way up from here but not in a single day. In season many buses go up to the so called fifth stage at about 2300m. In September there is only one a day departing about 10am and returning at 3.30 which does not give sufficient time for the ascent. There is a hut at the fifth stage which was actually open but we decided to do it as a day trip from Kawaguchiko by taking a taxi. We told ourselves that this was a once in a lifetime event which would justify the extravagance.
The fifth stage is a real tourist trap with souvenir shops and pony rides. There was also a large map at which we took a cursory glance and set off confidently on the wide gravel road which contours round the mountain. We expected almost immediately to find a well trodden track upwards but instead the road started to drop. Confused we returned to the map which simply confirmed that we had gone the right way. Irritated by the lost quarter of an hour we set off once more and after 10 minutes found the start of the trail in a little wood. There was another map here and instructions in Japanese and English.
The trail is smooth and easy up to the sixth stage after which it starts to zig zag from hut to hut becoming very rough in places amongst blocks of lava. There are chains most of the way. These are not necessary to hold onto but are designed to show the way. Perhaps they are useful to those climbing at night. In daylight the route was not in doubt being well trodden and marked by an abundance of litter. The trail passes along the terraces of all the huts where no doubt in season various temptations lie in wait to lure one in. Every hut was securely boarded up for the winter. Large rocks on the roof were an indication of the weather expected sometimes and indeed even on this sunny autumn day there was a strong and bitterly cold wind.
We began to think that we might be the only people on the mountain but then we started to meet a few descending. They had been up in the traditional way to watch sunrise. Wrapped up in layers of clothing they still looked cold. Although we were climbing quite fast we were starting to get cold too and donned all our spare clothing at the 3700m marker before passing through the wooden torii gate which leads onto the crater rim.
Arrival at the rim was not the dramatic moment which it is on most volcanoes as one actually arrives in the middle of a small village. No doubt in season there are yet more temptations here but in September everything is boarded up, bleak and piled with litter, a dismal spot. Added to this the wind was so strong that we could hardly stand so we were not feeling too happy. After weaving a way out of the buildings the crater appeared, larger and bleaker than I had visualised it. The true summit lies right at the far side and is occupied by the domes and other paraphanalia of a weather station. Of course we could not turn back now even though it seemed that we might have to crawl to the top. Going round clockwise it was indeed almost necessary to crawl for the first hundred meters or so but then the track moves onto the outside of the mountain where it was more sheltered and arriving at the shrine halfway round we were in an amazingly calm, warm and sunny spot where several groups of walkers were eating lunch. Here also is a post office, closed of course, from which in season one can presumably send a postcard to impress one's friends.
The summit is a weird place but amongst all the buildings, platforms and instruments is a pillar where one can pose for photographs at the highest point of Japan. There was not much of a view since clouds had built up below. This is the normal weather pattern and one of the reasons why it is more popular to come up for sunrise. Even had there been no clouds I could not help feeling that the view would have been uninteresting because the peak is so isolated and far above its surroundings.
We returned round the other side of the crater which is less well defined. In fact the path drops partly into the crater, thereby fortunately avoiding the worst of the wind. The crater is not particularly deep or impressive and of course the volcano is dormant so there are no signs of thermal activity. We were to climb far more interesting mountains which still billowed forth smoke on the island of Hokkaido. Nevertheless we were not sorry to have climbed Fujisan once. We shall look at pictures of the mountain with new pleasure in future. Perhaps we have even gained a little wisdom. Certainly it is unlikely that we shall prove ourselves fools by making another ascent.
Take a Virtual Climb of Mount Fuji with Steve Fylypchuk
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