Conquering the tallest mountain of Japan
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View from the bus parking lot, halfway up the mountain
Mount Fuji
"Fuji-san" is Japan's tallest point, standing at 3,776 meters above sea level. Though it is technically located in Shizuoka Prefecture, there are trails starting in Yamanashi Prefecture, too. The trail in the North is called the "Yoshida Trail", originating from Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi, and since that is the trail I took on this trip, most of the information utilized for this article will be based on that trail. The trails in the South side of the mountain may bring different experiences.
There are four main trails. The Yoshida Trail (yellow) in the North is the one I took with my group. Although the maps I always see refer to it as the "Kawagauchi Trail", all the markers on the mountain refer to it as the Yoshida Trail. In the East is the Subashiri Trail (red), which connects with Yoshida near the 8th-station. On the South Side, there are the Fujinomiya-guchi Trail and the Gotemba-guchi Trail. I didn't see them at all, so I can't comment on their features.
Hiking season for Mount Fuji is mid-July through late-August. At first glance, that may sound like a terrible time to go mountain hiking. Who the hell wants to be doing a serious outdoor workout in the unforgiving summer heat!?!? But then you realize, at the higher altitudes, it gets cold really fast. For every 100 meters you ascend, the temperature drops 0.6 degrees Celsius (1.08F). Essentially this means, at the top, it's a full 20 degrees colder than it is at the base (68F!!!). Going any other time of the year would mean dealing with sub-arctic conditions. Even in summer, there is still some snow at the top.
Getting There
Located primarily in Shizuoka Prefecture, just a short 50 miles West of Central Tokyo, Mount Fuji is really easy to get to. There are shinkansen stops not far away, plenty of trains that will bring you to either side of the mountain, and an endless fleet of buses that can get you there.
Buses can access points half-way up the mountain (5th Station). If you take a tour bus, access fee should be included in your initial ticket. If you do take the train in, you can catch a bus from the nearest station (Kawagauchiko Station) to the 5th-Station for 1,500 yen. I can only assume cars can get up there, too, but considering the huge lack of space up there, the parking fee must be astronomical.
