A ¥4,000 (about $25) climbing fee was introduced on Mount Fuji’s Yoshida Trail last year.
But have conditions on the mountain improved, amid long-standing concerns about reckless climbing and other safety issues? I climbed Mount Fuji for the first time to find out.
I began my reporting on July 15 with a two-day, one-night climb along the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side, the mountain’s busiest route.
My first surprise came on the shuttle bus from the foot of the mountain to the fifth station, where the climbing gate is located. Nearly half of the passengers appeared to be Westerners.
“Are you wearing hiking boots? Do you have separate rainwear for your upper and lower body, as well as warm clothing?” As the bus approached the gate, a staff member wearing a green vest came around to check.
As part of Yamanashi Prefecture’s multilingual efforts to improve climber safety, the staff checked whether passengers had the basic equipment needed for the climb.
Safety Checks
The staff approached everyone, regardless of whether they planned to climb to the summit or take a day hike. Mountain weather can change suddenly, and accidents can occur even around the fifth and sixth stations.
Three visitors from France and Germany were stopped by a staff member. They were in Japan on working holiday visas and planned to hike to the sixth or seventh station and return in a day. However, they were told that the French woman’s shoes were not suitable for climbing Mount Fuji.
Hikers are asked by a Mount Fuji safety guide to show their hiking boots and other equipment at the fifth station of the Fuji Subaru Line, July 15. (©Sankei/Noriyuki Ishige)
“But these shoes have been fine for other mountains,” she said, sounding dissatisfied. Nevertheless, she headed to a rental shop at the fifth station.
I received a document confirming that I had met the equipment requirements and took it to the gate counter. After showing a smartphone screen confirming that I had already paid the ¥4,000 entry fee online, I was given a tag serving as my climbing permit.
According to Yamanashi Prefecture, 2,163 people were allowed through the gate on July 15. The prefecture does not collect data on climbers’ nationalities, but among those who paid the entry fee at least three days in advance, 52.2% used the English-language site and 47.8% used the Japanese-language site.
Watch scenes from the hike.
From Forest to Volcanic Slopes
After about an hour of walking along well-maintained gravel paths and stone-paved sections, I reached the sixth station. A building housing the Mount Fuji Safety Guidance Center came into view, with signs reading “Free Hiking Helmet Rental” and “Stop Bullet Climbing.”
Bullet climbing, in which hikers climb through the night without staying at a mountain hut, increases the risks of severe altitude sickness, hypothermia from nighttime temperatures, and falls and slips caused by lack of sleep. It can also lead to congestion on the trail late at night.
When I asked where hikers are particularly encouraged to wear helmets, a staff member said, “On the way up, the rocky sections from the seventh station and the rocky area near the summit, as well as the entire descent route.” Many climbers rent helmets from the center, the staff member said.
From the sixth station onward, there are no trees. Slopes covered in volcanic gravel and rocks stretch as far as the eye can see, leaving little shelter from the sunlight.
After about an hour of climbing a series of switchbacks through the same scenery, I finally reached Hanagoya, the first mountain hut at the seventh station. Despite the altitude of 2,700 meters (8,860 feet), the thermometer in my backpack read 30°C (86°F).
Beyond the hut was a rocky section formed by solidified lava. I put on the hiking helmet I had brought and began climbing. There were few loose rocks, but the descent could be somewhat frightening, with climbers cautiously making their way down in a crouch.
Bullet Climbing Fades Away
My destination was Hakuunsou, a mountain hut at the eighth station, 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) above sea level. I arrived at 3:40 PM, slightly behind schedule.
As I replenished my fluids and watched climbers make their way up and others continue toward the summit, one thing caught my attention: The number of climbers was not decreasing. If anything, it was increasing.
Hikers take a break on benches outside a mountain hut near the eighth station of the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, July 15. (©Sankei/Noriyuki Ishige)
Normally, hiking trails through forests become dark before sunset, increasing the risk of getting lost and other dangers. On Mount Fuji, however, the trail is exposed, with little to obstruct the view, and few people seemed to feel the same sense of risk.
Even so, Kunishige Yamamoto, president of the company that operates Hakuunsou, said, “The flow of climbers stops completely at 7 PM. Those passing at that time are people staying at mountain huts above ours. Bullet climbing has disappeared from the Yoshida Trail.”
According to Yamamoto, before climbing restrictions were introduced, bullet climbers used to pass continuously in front of Hakuunsou. But the situation changed dramatically after the prefecture restricted entry for climbers without accommodation reservations to before 2 PM and capped the number of climbers at 4,000 per day.
“People’s manners have also improved compared with the past,” Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto’s 28-year-old grandson, Kodai, who oversees operations at Hakuunsou, said, “Half of our guests are foreigners. The largest group is from Taiwan, but we also have many visitors from the United States and Europe.”
Another concern is litter, including garbage left behind by Japanese climbers.
“About one in 10 people tries to leave their garbage at the mountain hut. The rule on the mountain is that anything brought in must be carried all the way home by the person who brought it, so we want people to understand that,” he said.
A Nighttime Climb
To reach the summit in time for sunrise, I woke at 12:30 AM. When I stepped outside Hakuunsou, the entrance was overflowing with people. Chinese, English, and Japanese could be heard, along with several other languages.
The Chinese speakers were wearing blue backpack covers from a Taiwanese travel company, making it clear that they were part of the same tour group.
The temperature was 13°C (55°F), but strong winds were blowing, making it dangerous to climb without rainwear for both the upper and lower body to protect against the wind.
Temperatures would continue to fall until dawn, and with the altitude increasing, conditions at the summit would be comparable to winter. Helmets were also essential, with headlamps attached to them.
We illuminated the trail at our feet and began climbing slowly in single file.
We watched the steps of the person ahead, carefully securing our footing while conserving our energy. Even where the trail was wide enough, very few people left the line to overtake others. Above 3,500 meters, even taking a single step forward became difficult. Hiking guides repeatedly told tour participants, “When you stop, catch your breath.”
Sunrise at the Summit
At 4 AM, I passed through the final torii gate and reached the summit via the Subashiri Trail. The doors of Kusushi Shrine, located at an altitude of 3,715 meters (12,188 feet), had opened, and the area was crowded with climbers coming to pray.
The temperature was 6°C (43°F). I put on a down jacket and waited for sunrise. The surroundings gradually brightened, and at around 4:30 AM, the first rays of sunlight broke through gaps in the clouds.
Hikers wait for sunrise near the summit of Mount Fuji along the Yoshida and Subashiri trails at around 4:25 AM on July 16. (©Sankei/Noriyuki Ishige)
Shortly after beginning the clockwise route around the crater, known as the Ohachimeguri, I saw a young man taking photos while standing beyond the rope marking the designated trail and holding a Chinese flag.
When I approached him, he said he was a doctor from mainland China who had climbed Mount Fuji alone and planned to return home a week later.
“I love Japan. Japan is really beautiful,” he said excitedly. But when I pointed out that he was violating the prefecture’s rule requiring climbers to stay on the designated trail, he sheepishly stepped back to the other side of the rope and handed me his smartphone with a smile.
“Please take a photo of me,” he said.
Japan’s Highest Point
Near the entrance to the Mount Fuji Weather Station, at Kengamine (3,776 meters, 12,388 feet), the mountain’s highest point, a line had formed for people waiting to take photos.
People from various countries stood quietly in an orderly line, neither becoming irritated nor cutting in line, savoring the achievement of reaching Japan’s highest peak.
After having a light meal at the summit and packing my warm clothing and other items into my backpack, I began my descent at 9 AM. The route was a trail reserved for climbers descending the mountain on the Subashiri route.
It is a wide path covered in leveled volcanic gravel, designed to allow tracked work vehicles to travel up and down the mountain. I continued downward, taking care not to slip as the gravel shifted and crunched underfoot.
Hikers line up to take photos at Kengamine, the highest point on Mount Fuji. The building is the Mount Fuji Weather Station, July 16. (©Sankei/Noriyuki Ishige)
An Unexpected Ride Down
Thunder could be heard coming from clouds on the Shizuoka Prefecture side. Thinking it would be dangerous to be caught in a thunderstorm on such an exposed slope, I picked up the pace, only to twist my right ankle.
Still at the eighth station, I began walking slowly, using trekking poles in both hands to keep from slipping on the gravel.
After about two hours of enduring the pain, I reached Shishiiwa (“Lion Rock”), just before the sixth station. Three horses used for horseback rides by the Fuji-Yoshida Riding Association were there.
“Would you like a ride?” someone called out.
I immediately accepted the offer.
The ride cost ¥25,000 to the fifth station, where the climbing gate is located. When I set out the previous day, I had wondered why some climbers were descending on horseback.
Now, after experiencing it myself, I understood: Horses can help injured climbers who do not require emergency evacuation but are nevertheless unable to make their way safely down the mountain on foot.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Noriyuki Ishige, The Sankei Shimbun
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