Earlier in the year I travelled to Mt Fuji, one of my favourite places in Japan. When flying from Thailand to Japan I was lucky enough to watch the sunrise from the plane window, silhouetting Mt Fuji perfectly. Once in Japan we stayed in the picturesque town of Fujiyoshida, at the very base of the mountain. It's a beautiful area full of amazing food places and traditional Japanese hostels.
We started our hike early in the morning, planning to begin from the Fuji's true base in Fujiyoshida. Walking through the town you reach a temple signifying the beginning of the trek. You begin with the most gradual incline, one you barely even notice, through a thick forest. I don't know if you've ever noticed but Fuji is not a steep mountain. In fact it slops the whole way up, getting steeper as it goes. Therefore you can imagine the walk to the 1st station taking about three hours, something we didn't anticipate.
From the 1st station the walk becomes much more difficult. You're met with steep steps, curving paths and logs to hurl yourself over. Think of a Crash Bandicoot level. It took us until early afternoon to reach the 4th station where we had to turn around in order to reach the bottom before the days light disappeared. It wasn't until we reached the bottom again that we were told most climbers took the bus to the 5th station and then tackled the mountain from there. Otherwise you began at the very bottom headed for a 12 hour trek. So now in the future we know what to do; get the bus to the fifth station mid afternoon, then trek to the 8th station where you can rest a while, and then start a steeper walk late at night to reach the peak for sunrise.
We started our hike early in the morning, planning to begin from the Fuji's true base in Fujiyoshida. Walking through the town you reach a temple signifying the beginning of the trek. You begin with the most gradual incline, one you barely even notice, through a thick forest. I don't know if you've ever noticed but Fuji is not a steep mountain. In fact it slops the whole way up, getting steeper as it goes. Therefore you can imagine the walk to the 1st station taking about three hours, something we didn't anticipate.
From the 1st station the walk becomes much more difficult. You're met with steep steps, curving paths and logs to hurl yourself over. Think of a Crash Bandicoot level. It took us until early afternoon to reach the 4th station where we had to turn around in order to reach the bottom before the days light disappeared. It wasn't until we reached the bottom again that we were told most climbers took the bus to the 5th station and then tackled the mountain from there. Otherwise you began at the very bottom headed for a 12 hour trek. So now in the future we know what to do; get the bus to the fifth station mid afternoon, then trek to the 8th station where you can rest a while, and then start a steeper walk late at night to reach the peak for sunrise.
Where's your favourite place in Japan?
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