Made a typically eleventh-hour decision to climb Mount Fuji last week. It was actually my second choice for a July getaway (hopefully I’ll have reason to post about my first choice in a couple of months), but finances and social obligations rendered it the better option. Luckily, it didn’t disappoint!
I first visited Japan ten years ago and did a pretty good job of hitting up the major tourist spots (Tokyo, Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, etc.). I’ve wanted to climb Fuji-san ever since witnessing its snow-capped splendour on the shores of Lake Kawaguchiko during that trip. At a mere 3,776m, it’s well within my physical wheelhouse, and as one of the most iconic peaks on the planet – as well as a famously unproblematic hike – I feel as if it’s been begging me to add it to my list of conquered mountains for an eternity now. Problem is, Fuji’s climbing season is generally limited to only July and August every year – two of the busiest work months at my end, when it’s often impossible for me to get away.
This year offered a rare opportunity to make a brief escape, but I hit a snag when I realised that all of Fuji’s mountain huts were booked up during my available climbing dates. Reservations open in May, and my toying with the idea at the end of June (for a spot during the second week of July!) wasn’t really conducive to getting a place. Fortunately, the Japan Mountain Huts site offers the option of joining a waitlist, and though I harboured little hope of succeeding, I received an unexpected email within 24 hours informing me that vacancies had opened up at Taishikan on the Yoshida Trail. Either Prince or David Bowie up above was evidently smiling upon me – I’d get to complete my long-yearned-for Fuji climb after all.
Tokyo: night/day one
I arrived in Tokyo (Haneda) on Monday evening and, upon securing a SIM card and some cash, headed straight for the hotel I’d booked in Asakusabashi district. It’s remarkable how instantly I felt at home in the city. My memories of Japan in 2016 are of locals being hospitable almost to a fault, going out of their way to assist me whenever I looked lost or confused. This time wasn’t quite the same, but I’m a far more confident traveller these days, and every time I did need assistance (most notably when re-familiarising myself with the sprawling subway system) people were beyond sweet. I reached my hotel at around 10:30pm and enjoyed my brief glimpses of the surrounding neighbourhood, though was a little frustrated when my attempts to purchase a late-night snack in the local 7-11 were consistently thwarted by the presence of animal products.
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I’d never ventured into this part of the city before, so the next morning I made my way to the area’s premier sight: SensĊ-ji temple. A half-hour walk or so from my hotel, it took me through some charming little streets, all of which were surprisingly quiet for 9am (Tokyo wakes up late!). Sadly, the temple complex was anything but, and after getting some obligatory pics, I soon reversed course, grabbed a late breakfast at a nearby vegan restaurant, picked up my backpack from my hotel, and took myself to Shinjuku station – an intimidating behemoth of a transport hub, the busiest in the world, where I eventually figured out how to catch a bus to Kawaguchiko.
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Tranquil ole Kawaguchiko functions as the ‘base’ for many a Fuji climb. I’d swung by during my first Japan trip to lay eyes on Mount Fuji in relative proximity, but it’s only become busier since then as more and more visitors converge upon the area to attempt the summer hike and explore the nearby lakes. Even so, outside of the frightfully-narrow high street (which runs through the bus station, the infamous Lawson store with its Fuji backdrop, and numerous tourist-friendly eateries), it remains a relaxed little town with an abundance of quintessentially Japanese charm. I stayed at the excellent Kagelow Hostel a short walk from the centre, and after spending the rest of my day gorging myself silly at the local vegan restaurant (twice!), collecting various snacks from the well-stocked convenience stores, and enjoying a couple of happy hour beers for good luck, I tucked myself into bed for an early start the next morning.
Kawaguchiko
There are numerous resources available to assist with your Fuji planning. Me being me, I chose to either skim-read or bypass everything out there, and instead placed myself at the mercy of various folk that I spoke to during my first afternoon in Kawaguchiko. The Mount Fuji trails are segmented into ‘stations’: trailheads generally start at the 5th station (though I believe those that are extra-committed can start at the 1st if need be), while the summit functions as the 10th. Various mountain huts – stocked with extra supplies, food, and sleeping quarters for the night – are situated at the stations in between. My booking was for the aforementioned Taishikan at Yoshida Trail’s 8th station. I was told that getting there normally takes people around 4-6 hours from the trailhead. Accounting for my speed and experience, I figured it should take me a mere 3-4, but I was still urged to start hiking as early as possible to account for the temperamental weather. Given that this was my first solo hike since New Zealand in 2024, I decided to listen to the advice rather than my gut instinct of sleeping in and setting out much later in the day.
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I caught the 7:40am bus out of Kawaguchiko and arrived at the 5th station just under an hour later. This is an adequate place to stock up on any missing/forgotten supplies before beginning the ascent. (Note: I tried to rent some hiking poles here for my descent just in case my legs were more fatigued than expected, but this wasn’t possible. I’d thus recommend getting all actual climbing gear prepped beforehand in Kawaguchiko or Tokyo.) I took one last bathroom break before checking in at the ticket office, where they’ll request proof that you’re adequately prepared – cold-weather clothing, rainwear, and trekking shoes are mandatory following multiple instances of dumb ‘climbers’ in years gone by not realising exactly what they were signing up for and subsequently requiring emergency assistance. In reality, staff are quickly able to determine whether you know what you’re doing, and my ‘bag check’ amounted to a few verbal assurances before I was allowed to continue on my merry way (though I did have all the required items with me cos I’m not an idiot!).
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Funny thing is, when it came to the climb itself, I actually had no idea at all what I was doing. My minimal research led me to believe that the trail would be easier and less picturesque than other mountains out there, and while there were some pretty scenes along the way, this ultimately turned out to be true. What wasn’t true was the supposed 4-6 hours it’d take to the 8th station. I was deliberately avoiding going at top speed as I wanted to appreciate both the solitude and the surrounds. Nevertheless, it took a mere two hours to reach my mountain hut – where the staff were all busy having an early lunch, and completely bewildered by my arrival! To their credit, they were all incredibly helpful and fun to interact with (mental note: take more pics with other people, I very much regret not getting one with the Taishikan team). Sadly, they were also working so I had to preoccupy myself with other things as I wasn’t planning to leave for the summit until 1am the next morning – FOURTEEN hours later! I had an hour’s nap, walked up to the next nearest mountain hut, walked back down and around Taishikan, ate some vegan noodles (impressed that they have these for sale up here!), read my book, took another nap, and then placed myself in the ‘common area’ to see if anyone else would turn up. Sadly by the time that others were reaching the mountain hut en masse at around 3pm, the area needed to be cleared out for dinnertime (which lasts from 4pm to 7pm), thus nullifying my attempts to meaningfully befriend others.
@reehan_miah Climbing Mount Fuji. Timed it all wrong, but still a fun adventure! #mountfuji #fujisan #yoshida #kawaguchiko #hikingtiktok âĴ Outro - M83
Dinner was a little underwhelming. It’s great that the huts offer a vegetarian option, but it’s considerably less substantial than what others receive. Japanese curry + rice is the standard meal, supplemented by fish, meat, and pickled vegetables. I understand not receiving the animal flesh of course, but I was told that I couldn’t even receive the pickled veg as they’d been soaked in meat juice or something (I appreciated the honesty tbf). They gave me ‘extra’ curry, but it was effectively potatoes in sauce and as much as I worship spuds, the nutritional value seemed lacking compared to what others got. Fortunately I supplemented dinner with one of the tofu bars that I’d purchased from 7-11 the previous day which made things a little more balanced. I’d strongly recommend other plant-based folk come well-prepared in terms of additional snacks.
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Most people hit the sack right after dinner. I stayed up for a little longer and admired the sunset – not visible from our side of the mountain, but it did fun things to the clouds surrounding us – chatted with a few other hikers in the vicinity, and got myself ready for bed at around 7:30pm. (Note that though there are surprisingly decent toilets (with toilet paper!) on the mountain, there’s no running water available for brushing teeth/washing face/etc. You’re reliant on your personal supply, so be sure to take as much water as you think you’ll need as 500ml bottles cost an extortionate 600 yen while on Fuji.) ‘Beds’ here seem threadbare for the price – you’re in a massive dormitory and are given sleeping bags on a very basic futon with a similarly basic block pillow – but are actually far superior to most mountains I’ve overnighted on, and the addition of dividers to separate you from other guests and shelf space for your belongings was a welcome surprise.
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Due to my ridiculously early arrival at the 8th station, I’d toyed with the idea of summiting Mount Fuji twice. I had so much energy in reserve that I’d wondered if it were advisable to continue ascending to the very top that afternoon as well as for sunrise the next morning. I was cautioned against it by others, however, as it was supposed to be a 2-3hr hike, and then additional hour or two to return to the hut, which might have put me at risk of missing dinner. Based on the intel I gleaned that day, I decided to begin my actual summit attempt at around 1am. Most others start at around 11pm/midnight, but I was confident in my ability to weave my way in and out of the massive bottlenecks caused by all the tour groups, and placed greater value on extra sleep!
Climbing Mount Fuji
Perhaps because I’d napped twice during the day, I struggled to doze off, and ended up getting barely more than two hours’ kip that night. By the time I drearily hauled myself up to get ready for the hike, pretty much the entire mountain hut (which can accommodate 200) had already emptied out! I forced the packaged rice and beans they’d provided as breakfast down me, and set off into the very visible crowds at 1:15am. It was a frustrating climb – tour groups aplenty, moving at glacial pace and constantly blocking already-narrow paths. After initially trying to respect the lines, my patience soon wore thin and I decided to rely on my (vast!) prior experience to find safe routes ever-so-slightly off-piste from the main trails. Unfortunately, I did that a little too successfully, and somehow managed to reach the summit at 2:45am – 90 minutes after setting out, about an hour earlier than I’d expected, and 90 minutes before sunrise was due!
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Although the weather while I was at Fuji was surprisingly generous – warm enough at day to reach the 8th mountain in only a vest, and mild enough at night for me to actually remove my windbreaker and reach the summit in only one layer – there’s nowhere to hide from the elements at the very peak, and there’s no physical exertions to keep the blood flowing while you’re sitting around waiting for sunrise. I froze my arse off up there and very nearly got frostbite on my fingers, despite putting on extra layers and thick hiking gloves! There was only one other Japanese guy at my viewpoint with me for the first 45 minutes or so. We communicated as much as our inability to speak each other’s languages would allow, and then sat in silence, fixated on the sky before us (and probably too cold to say much more anyway). Sadly the serenity of the scene was gradually overwhelmed by the other hikers who rocked up from around 3:30am onwards. By the time the heavily-diluted sunrise actually occurred at 4:15, there was an endless wall of people, loudly jostling for camera space. Serenity, eh!
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Regardless of the above, Fuji was an undeniably rewarding experience. I’ve wanted to climb it for so long, and it was a much-needed tonic to be out on a proper trail again, albeit one that doesn’t offer so much in the way of truly wild thrills. The hike was much easier than expected (2hrs to 8th station, 90 mins to the summit), which – after Acatenango – was another nice validation of enduring fitness levels. It took two hours to descend to the trailhead, although I suspect that might have been done much faster were it not for the fact that I spend a good half of that time conversing with a very amiable Aussie family who’d been enthused by my summit antics, before deciding that it’d be better if I rushed on ahead to catch the first bus back to Kawaguchiko. I reached the 5th station at 7am, and, much like the rest of my Fuji experience, royally messed up my timings as the first bus doesn’t depart until 7:45. It was a gruelling wait under the now-blazing sun, but I eventually got back to Kawaguchiko where I returned to the comforts of Kagelow Hostel and my beloved vegan restaurant.
Final night in Tokyo!
I spent much of the remaining day chilling at the hostel but after sufficient rest, I figured I should do something valuable with my time, so convinced a dormmate who’d climbed Fuji the day before to visit a nearby onsen with me to help relax the muscles (and cos it’s such a Japanese tradition and it’d been a decade since I’d experienced one). Bear in mind that some of the swankier onsens in the area won’t accept folks with tattoos. The one we visited was pretty simple, but it did the job in terms of the required post-climb therapy. I crashed understandably early that evening, and after a quick trip to the other side of Lake Kawaguchiko the next morning (I wanted to retrace my steps from a decade prior), I returned to Shinjuku via bus where I had a brief flirtation with the incomparable dynamism of a Tokyo night before once again having to shut down earlier than I’d have liked due to the next day’s 1pm flight out of Narita, which takes 90 minutes to reach from the city centre.
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Japan is a country that I’ve always had mad love for and I relished being back here. I have nothing but the utmost respect for a society that values peace, quiet, and impeccable manners and which actively works to maintain them. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, those traits don’t seem to be as prevalent in British society as they were when I was growing up, and they certainly don’t exist in Chinese society, so it’s reassuring to know that it’s still possible to use public transport and be able to read one’s book without callous audio disturbances (memories of recent Nicaraguan chicken buses gradually being cleansed!). I don’t want to fawn too much – I’m well aware that visiting Japan is a vastly different experience from living in the country, and I’m also well aware of the rising far-right populism and xenophobia here, ailments that seem to be afflicting far too many members of the economically ‘developed’ world nowadays. As a related aside, it was interesting to witness the very noticeable increase in fellow Brown-skinned folk compared to my last visit in 2016 – there are South Asian immigrants working in convenience stores, hotels, restaurants, airports, etc., even in small towns like Kawaguchiko. Tokyo is also visibly more multicultural than it was back then, with seemingly the whole global spectrum represented on its streets and in its bars. It feels even more like a dazzling Alpha city nowadays (totally on a par with New York, London, and Paris), and it’s difficult to resist the allure that comes with such effortless cosmopolitanism. I understand that there are tensions that arise from such swift demographic changes, but I’ve gotta confess that I felt even more at ease here as a result. More than anything, this brief sojourn was a reminder that the contrasts of this great nation – the fixation on silence and decorum, the maniacal energy of its nightlife – align seamlessly with my own. It won’t be ten years before my next visit, that’s for sure.
Click here for the full Japan gallery with some additional trip details. (The cover images are from my first trip in 2016, which I’ll talk about at some stage in the future I’m sure.) Recommended sites for anyone wishing to climb Fuji themselves:
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- The Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing
- Travel Japan: Mt. Fuji Guide
- Japan Mountain Huts
- Fujikyu Bus Timetable
- Kagelow Hostel (for the backpackers among you)
- Plant Nation: Vegan Kitchen (for the vegheads among you)
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