Climbing Mt. Fuji?

[Gengar]

So my dad is coming for a week during around the 26th of this month and we want to go climb Mt. Fuji. I heard that you need to stay a night at a inn preferrably while on top, and I was wondering if it was possible to reserve one now. Does anyone know where I can find websites on these inns? Do you have any personal recommendations? What are some tips about reservation / baggage / prices / climbing in general?

Thanks in advance

[well_bicyclically]

So my dad is coming for a week during around the 26th of this month and we want to go climb Mt. Fuji. I heard that you need to stay a night at a inn preferrably while on top, and I was wondering if it was possible to reserve one now. Does anyone know where I can find websites on these inns? Do you have any personal recommendations? What are some tips about reservation / baggage / prices / climbing in general?

Thanks in advance

not an Inn, more of a group sleeping space. think of a deep closet with a wide middle shelf, and you have the idea of what to expect. you sleep for a bit, fully clothed, next to other hikers... who snore! These huts are used for those who arrive near the top in the late evening and very early morning. You would want to get up and out quietly at around four a.m. to continue the hike to reach the top for sunrise. No reservations needed/taken. Just pay as you need.

the hike, for me, was like eight hours of stair climbing... single file.... and cold. You will need proper shoes and lightweight but breathable clothing which also keeps body heat.

if you or your dad are not in shape, I would not advise the trek. the view is not that great anyways... and depends a lot on the weather.

[Super Grover]

not an Inn, more of a group sleeping space. think of a deep closet with a wide middle shelf, and you have the idea of what to expect. you sleep for a bit, fully clothed, next to other hikers... who snore! These huts are used for those who arrive near the top in the late evening and very early morning. You would want to get up and out quietly at around four a.m. to continue the hike to reach the top for sunrise. No reservations needed/taken. Just pay as you need.

the hike, for me, was like eight hours of stair climbing... single file.... and cold. You will need proper shoes and lightweight but breathable clothing which also keeps body heat.

if you or your dad are not in shape, I would not advise the trek. the view is not that great anyways... and depends a lot on the weather.

I concur, but then again I'm from where you can see the Rocky Mountains from all over. For us, the actual climbing up was no big deal, and the scenery was the same for hours and hours. The weather that day was extremely changeable and we were under prepared. Not fun. The descent was less fun. If a person has any knee trouble, going down can be agonising. Walking sticks are a must for the elderly.

[Mr. Ludd]

You could start from the 5th station around 5 or 6 pm. This will give you plenty of time to get there before sunrise without having to stay in a sleeping closet. Also a lot cooler in the dark and nothing to look at on the way up. Bring warm and nasty weather clothes with you. It can get mighty cold on top waiting for the sun, and, the huge mass of closet people rushing up.

[zoomingjapan]

Do you know how to use Google?
Obviously not ....

Also, please keep in mind that towards the end of July and esp. in August it's extremely crowded. You'll share your "bed" with many others and it's less for sleeping and more for resting your body and get used to the high altitude...

Yes, you can reserve them now. Actually it's recommended to do so in advance!

First you need to figure out which trail you're gonna use and then you can look for mountain huts that are on the way. I suggest getting on at the higher stations (e.g. 8th or 9th).
Here's a list for the Yoshida Trail: http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanash...l/lodging.html

[ruserious]

So my dad is coming for a week during around the 26th of this month and we want to go climb Mt. Fuji. I heard that you need to stay a night at a inn preferrably while on top, and I was wondering if it was possible to reserve one now. Does anyone know where I can find websites on these inns? Do you have any personal recommendations? What are some tips about reservation / baggage / prices / climbing in general?

Thanks in advance

If you start from the 5th stage, you can make it to the top and back down in one day, easily. I've done it. No need to sleep in an on-mountain hut.

The taxi ride from a nearby hotel is kind of pricey, though.

[Effected After]

I've climbed it multiple times and never stayed in a hut, but for someone who isn't in great shape, it may be preferable to stay in a hut.

[TooNice]

Do the different trails off the 5th station have different characteristics (other than the length and number of huts)? Also, is it viable at all to sleep / rest outdoor at the peak? I was told by a friend who has done it that the night sky, at least on a clear night can be quite pretty (she got to see shooting stars). So ideally, I would like to reach the peak at night, rest to witness the sunrise, then make the way down. I will be doing this with a group of friends and we are all relatively fit.

[Effected After]

Just make sure you bring really warm clothes - as in winter clothes. It is freezing up there, and after spending hours climbing and sweating, the body is even more prone to cold than usual. When climbing at night, I bring a beanie (toque for the Canadians), gloves, and a wind-proof jacket, as well as a change of socks and shirt. It's REALLY cold.

The different trails do have different characteristics. I've never done the north (Fuji-yoshida side), so I can't say. But the Fujinomiya side is quite rocky, and involves stepping up onto a lot of big rocks as you climb (tiring), while the Gotenba side is mostly scree - gravel - and you can expect to only advance 1-2 steps for every three taken.

If you come down the Gotenba side, as you get towards the bottom you can actually hook around to the Fujinomiya side, and go down the old crater where the mountain blew out a few eruptions ago - this is pretty cool. When you are actually in there, it's HUGE. People coming down the crater are tiny compared to the size of the crater. I like it.

But the main thing I have to say is BRING WARM CLOTHES. Many people find out the wrong way that they didn't even come close to preparing for how cold it is at the top at night.

[TooNice]

Thanks for the insight. Duly noted about the clothes. Just to confirm, subject to adequate clothing have you seen people stay rest outside at the peak overnight?

I quite like the idea of visiting the old crater, so I think that I will suggest that Gotenba -> Fujinomiya route (are there sign-posts leading to that place)?

Is there a particular trail that you would recommend on the way up from a sight perspective? I am not overly concerned about the difficulty of the trails.

[cucashopboy]

Thanks for the insight. Duly noted about the clothes. Just to confirm, subject to adequate clothing have you seen people stay rest outside at the peak overnight?

I quite like the idea of visiting the old crater, so I think that I will suggest that Gotenba -> Fujinomiya route (are there sign-posts leading to that place)?

Is there a particular trail that you would recommend on the way up from a sight perspective? I am not overly concerned about the difficulty of the trails.

I've not been up that route, but the other paths I've used have all been extremely well signposted and the path obvious. I don't imagine the Gotemba path would be any different. I'd advise you to go the other way though - Fujinomiya -> Gotemba. The trailhead is at Gotemba is very low, about 1500m - expecting everyone in a group (I think you said you were going in a group) to make a height gain of over 2000m is expecting a lot. On the other hand, Shin Go-Go-Me (新五合目), where the Fujinomiya trail starts, is almost 1000m higher. The disadvantage is that there doesn't seem to be much public transport up to that trialhead.

[TooNice]

I was thinking of starting from the Kawaguchiko side, head to the summit, start the descend via the Gotemba route, and making a detour to Hoeizan's crater and finish off by heading down the Fujinomiya trail to the 5th station.

Does that sound sensible?

Between Fujinomiya and Gotemba, which station provide better access back to Tokyo?

[cucashopboy]

I was thinking of starting from the Kawaguchiko side, head to the summit, start the descend via the Gotemba route, and making a detour to Hoeizan's crater and finish off by heading down the Fujinomiya trail to the 5th station.

Does that sound sensible?

Between Fujinomiya and Gotemba, which station provide better access back to Tokyo?

Sounds sensible. Not been to Fuji for a few years, but I believe there are more regular buses from the Gotemba trailhead to Gotemba, then there are highway buses back to Shinjuku.

The extra height loss to Gotemba is not an issue. When I went down one of the gravel trails, I found the most comfortable pace was to jog - with the gravel sliding behind you, you tend to pick up quite a speed, and I descended over 1000m in an hour without feeling any effort.

[TooNice]

Thanks again. I am not too worried about the extra distance going down the Gotemba trail for the reasons you've said, though I wonder if it is practical to backtrack instead of taking the Fujinomiya trail.
On a side note, you wouldn't know if Kawaguchiko is worth spending a day (and night) in? As far as the Mt Fuji climb is concerned, it will have to be Sat/Sun (just more convenient for everyone). But I am considering heading to Kawaguchiko a day early and spend the night there in order to leisurely take some pictures around. On the other hand, if there is not much to do there, and the goal is to reach the summit at night, then I could just spend a couple of hours on Saturday.

[cucashopboy]

Thanks again. I am not too worried about the extra distance going down the Gotemba trail for the reasons you've said, though I wonder if it is practical to backtrack instead of taking the Fujinomiya trail.
On a side note, you wouldn't know if Kawaguchiko is worth spending a day (and night) in? As far as the Mt Fuji climb is concerned, it will have to be Sat/Sun (just more convenient for everyone). But I am considering heading to Kawaguchiko a day early and spend the night there in order to leisurely take some pictures around. On the other hand, if there is not much to do there, and the goal is to reach the summit at night, then I could just spend a couple of hours on Saturday.

Kawaguchiko is OK I suppose, rather touristy in that naff Japanese way with lots of souvenir shops and swan-shaped boats on the lake. You can see a very strange plastic statue of a what looks like a rabbit buggering a raccoon if you go up the cable car near the lake.
It's much nicer if you go further west. One possibility might be to get some food and drink in Kawaguchi-ko and catch a bus to Lake Saiko (西湖）, wander around there for a few hours, have a picnic, then head back to Kawaguchiko for the climb.

[TooNice]

The goal really is get some nice pictures of Mt Fuji really (I note that a lot of nice pictures of Mt Fuji seems to be taken from that area). Perhaps I do not need to take a day to do that though.

One thing I am contemplating is to climb during the day so to witness the sunset, retreat to a mountain hut, then head back up on time for the sunrise.

Is that possible? As I understand, the trails are one-way (for ascent and descent). So is there any way at all to "loop" and reach the summit twice?

[zmcnulty]

Another key thing is to time the arrival at the top correctly, especially given how quickly the weather can change. Last time I went, my group climbed faster than I expected so we arrived at the top at 2AM.
The mountain hut up there doesn't open until 4AM. It's the only shelter too. So we were standing exposed in the cold wind and torrential rain for 2 hours. Probably the coldest I've ever been; since there isn't any more mountain to climb your body temperature drops. I ended up doing jumping jacks to stay warm.

[cucashopboy]

Is that possible? As I understand, the trails are one-way (for ascent and descent). So is there any way at all to "loop" and reach the summit twice?

The trails are one way, and you will find it very difficult to go down the up route on a summer night, but you can do a loop. As you are going down the Fuji-Yoshida trail, you'll see a path to the left at an altitude of about 3100m (I checked on the map) that will take you back to the up route. I think it's signposted.
The two paths are very close to each other at that point, and as you are descending, you should be able to see the lights from the huts and the climbers on your left.
However fit you are, it will probably take you another two hours to the top because of the volume of people. You might want to check out the path that cuts across on the way up, so you know exactly where it is on the way down.

[ruserious]

Fujiyoshida city has a native English speaker on staff who can tell you everything you need to know about climbing Mt. Fuji.

http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanash...tml/climb.html


I love that city.

[TooNice]

@cucashopboy: Thanks a lot. Which map did you use to find that out?

@ruserious: Oh my. I did not realise that Fuji Q was located in Fujiyoshida! Urgh, that place is on my list of place to visit (being a fan of roller coasters etc.).

From a efficiency perspective, it makes sense to combine the trip if we were to hook around the Fujinomiya side. But would it be a bit.. "unkind" to ourselves? do you happen to know how much time is needed to try out the main attractions?

[cucashopboy]

@cucashopboy: Thanks a lot. Which map did you use to find that out?

There's a set of hiking maps covering the most popular hiking regions in Japan that everyone seems to have. They also have the times required to walk different stages of popular routes, which are very generous if you are a fit westerner. They can be found in most bookshops and cost 945 yen each. I've got the 2002 map of the Mt. Fuji area.

[TooNice]

Cheers, I may go to a bookstore and have a browse this week-end. Just in case though, may I have the name of that of the book?

[Effected After]

If you have access to a car, it's actually a nice drive around Mt. Fuji. There are a number of nice places to see and various stuff to do. It's off the beaten track for foreigners, but Japanese people in the area do it. The most boring part is actually the south west, as it's mainly just the highway and highway towns. It can be done in a day, but you need to know where you are going and what you are going to do.

Fuji-Q Highlands is awesome!

[cucashopboy]

Cheers, I may go to a bookstore and have a browse this week-end. Just in case though, may I have the name of that of the book?

If you have access to a car, it's actually a nice drive around Mt. Fuji. There are a number of nice places to see and various stuff to do. It's off the beaten track for foreigners, but Japanese people in the area do it. The most boring part is actually the south west, as it's mainly just the highway and highway towns. It can be done in a day, but you need to know where you are going and what you are going to do.

Fuji-Q Highlands is awesome!

TooNice - The series of maps is called 山と高原地図 (yama to kougen chizu), and you want the map called 富士。富士五湖 (Fuji and Fuji-go-ko).

EA - I agree, there's a lot of good stuff on the west and north west, where there's no public transport. Shiraito waterfall is very nice, and the most northeasterly lake (not sure of the Japanese reading) is where the picture of Fuji on the 1000 yen note was taken from.
And there's Asagiri kogen, where the Aum cult had their base, from which there are very clear views of Fuji without the usual intervening forest.

[liamoko]

Last time I went up the big stinky, there were 2 girls in front of us wearing high heeled shoes, and texting on their ketais , go figure...

[TooNice]

I will definitely have to make a trip to Fuji-Q Highlands Still not sure if it's sensible to fit it on the same trip though. Would it be better to organise a separate trip for it (as t will be around noon by the time we get to the city) and visit other parts of the city this time?

Thanks regarding the maps. I do not drive, so I am afraid that will have to be another expedition for when I can find someone who does

I probably should ask this under "Shopping", but is there a good chain where I could get my hiking gear (notably shoes, jacket etc.)? Would the Victoria Sporting chain have what I need (it's the only sports shop chain I know, but I am not sure if they do hiking goods).

[TooNice]

Back and alive

Well, that was quite the experience. I didn't underestimate the mountain, I may have underestimated my cardiovascular fitness haha. I must say that I am not used to carrying as much weight as I did (my DSLR plus 3 lenses and a tripod added quite a bit of weight, and 5L of water was also too much). By the 8th station I had to slow down and take breaks at regular interval. Also, I am not sure if it was the fatigue (I went to the Itabashi Hanabi Taikai the day before and ended up staying very late with 3 hours sleep), weak cardio, or altitude sickness, but from the 8.5th station onward there was two instances where I felt drowsy and with a minor (but enough to worry) headache.

The Kawaguchiko trail on the way up was also not quite what I expected. There were some pretty steep rock to step over at time, and some places were less safe than I had expected. I was quite impressed to see many kids make it to the top. Fortunately the weather was pretty good during the climb and the view spectacular. I do not regret taking my camera despite the weight/bulk.

The way down was a completely different experience. As suggested, I started with the Gotemba trail and switched to the Fujiyoshida trail passing through Hoeizan. In general I had an easier time going down than up, even more so during the "sand-run" parts. However, the weather was pretty dire, very foggy and it poured really, really hard. Only my top was sparred because I had a rainproof jacket, the rain seeped through my hiking pants, gore-tex hiking shoes, and my backpack. Paper were destroyed, water got behind the screen of my still functioning phone, and my WiMAX router took some damage (seems to work now after not working for a whole day, though the screen is still dead). My advice to future climbers: keep all your electronics in plastic bags.

But I have no regret. In that single hike I got to experience the good weather, the bad weather and three trails. I got to experience be the highest altitude (on land) that I have ever been. I got to hike with more weight than I ever have (though less weight than I bring to Shikoku) and got a kind reminder not to neglect cardio exercise. I got to see an amazing night view of the city and a beautiful sunrise.

Thanks again for the tips

[NorthByNorthwest]

For anyone looking at this thread for future reference:

>>>>> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fv20120805a1.html

Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012

How not to climb Mount Fuji
A warning against a too-casual approach to your summit assault

By VICTORIA JAMES


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