I climbed to the top of Mount Fuji?🗻😮

Apart from checking off the list of places to visit and must-eat food places in Japan, one of the items on my list was to climb Mount Fuji. Since I was travelling in summer, I knew for a fact that this was definitely not an opportunity to be missed!

I did lots of homework before going, so here are 10 things you should know before climbing:

1. Mount Fuji only opens during the summer, and that is the only window period you’re allowed to climb, which is around early July to mid-September. You can refer to http://www.fujisan-climb.jp to find out the latest information.

2. There are a total of 4 official trails to climb up Mount Fuji, with the Yoshida Trail being the most popular one.

3. The climb starts from the 5th station, although starting from the base is possible but uncommon.

4. There are huts along the trail starting from the 5th station, and the booking period is around April to May. Each hut has its own booking dates, so start shortlisting them early!

5. Although some huts do accept online booking reservations with overseas credit card payment, most of them only accept bookings via telephone, which means you’ll have to speak Japanese.

6. You’ll have to pay ¥200 EACH TIME to use the toilet, so prepare lots of coins.

7. There are no dustbins along the way, so bring a bag to dispose of your trash.

8. The temperature starts to dip the higher up you are (around 4 degrees), so make sure you are properly dressed.

9. Do not expect a smooth path like MacRitchie or Bukit Timah Hill; it’s just a rocky road, and you might have to be on all fours.

10. Remember to buy the wooden pole stick at the start so you can collect stamps along the way!

I did a 2D1N climb, which I highly recommend because not only do you get to rest, but you also get to enjoy both the sunset and sunrise.

Here’s a breakdown of my hike:

1 pm: started my hike from the 5th Station

4 pm: reached my hut (last hut) on the 7th Station

5 pm: caught the sunset + had beer and chatted with other hikers

6 pm: dinner time

7 pm: sleep

12 am: woke up to hike

4:30 am: reached the summit and caught the sunrise

7 am: headed back down to the 5th station

If you think going down was going to be easy…🥲 I took around 4 hours, and my feet were hurting because I didn’t bring a hiking pole.

Feel free to comment if you have any questions about hiking up Mount Fuji!

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