I climbed Mt Fuji, 2016

Mt Fuji 2016

Yes I did.

Open during the summer months, Fujisan (Mt Fuji) is the quest for hikers visiting Japan. It will cost you a small fortune, about 10-12 hours of sleepless night, and strong determination.

I found 2 avid travellers online who also wanted to climb Mt Fuji. Thus we set off on August 10, 2016, to climb what will be my most epic overnight climb. My companions are Jiali and Charlelie, both from France, neither knew each other before this journey.

Mt Fuji Keepsake 2016
A keepsake for contributing to the conservation of Mt Fuji. ¥1000 donation which is more mandatory than optional.
Mt Fuji night skies
The evening sky. We start at 10:30pm, with Charlelie as our leader.
Mountain huts along Mt Fuji
Heading up, there are mountain huts where people can sleep/rest, use the toilets and buy instant noodles, etc.

Accommodations cost about ¥5000-8000 per night, comes with curry dinner. As I mentioned, we decide to hike it overnight, so we don’t stay in these huts.

Distance & Terrain

From time to time I see the lights of these huts and I can’t imagine how much further we have to go. It appears never-ending. The climb from 5th station, where we start, to the peak is 1,400 metres in elevation.

The trails are rocky. We have to climb with hands and feet at times. Some people see us pass by without hiking poles, “That’s crazy,” I hear them say.

Note: Mt Fuji is Japan’s tallest mountain at 3,773m high.

Gear

  • Must bring:
    • Flashlight/headlamp
    • Snacks and water
    • Warm clothing: toque/beanie, gloves.
    • Hiking boots
    • A friend or 2
  • Should bring:
    • Walking poles/sticks are highly advised.
    • Aspirin.
  • Could bring:
    • Some recommend gaiters and mask, which are helpful coming down to keep dust and debris from getting in.
    • Portable oxygen

I don’t regret not using hiking poles, but it would’ve been useful. The 3L of water I brought is more than sufficient for me, but I have a bad habit of not drinking enough. My companions bring 2L each and it is just enough; they could’ve used more. I have 4 layers on by the time we reach the top (t-shirt, base layer, fleece, and jacket). I also have a windbreaker which is trapping sweat so I switch to my jacket halfway through.

Want some recommendations? Jump to the bottom.

Altitude Sickness & Why Everyone Needs a Jiali

The last 2 hours up (of a total 6 hours ascent) is the worst. I have altitude sickness – headache, sleepiness, and lack oxygen. I’m an intermediate level hiker so I wasn’t expecting this.

It must’ve been the scramble to get to the top for sunrise that made it worse (or the extra weight of layers and water). Jiali offers me an aspirin, and I take it. Like an old lady, I also request that she carry me up to the top… just kidding… I request to hold her arm for the rest of the way up.

Without her, I don’t know how I could’ve done it. My eyes are heavy and I may have fallen asleep walking. There are hundreds of others climbing with us. The traffic gets heavy; many stop aside to catch their breath. We stop multiple times as well. I am breathing hard (am I wheezing?) and use my breathing as the tempo to keep me going.

The Peak

At 4:30am, we reach the top of Mt Fuji.

View from Mt Fuji before the sun rise.
Before the sun rise.

Boy, is it cold! Even then, I manage to catch some zzzz’s for 5-10 minutes. Then in my dreamy state I am mesmerized by this:

View from Mt Fuji, just as the sun rises. A sea of clouds.
View from Mt Fuji, the sun rises. A warm yellow taking over.
View from Mt Fuji, sun rise. Sun defining the clouds.
View from Mt Fuji, sun rise. Torii gates takes the foreground.

We rejoin with Charlelie who had, in the dark of the night, surged ahead near the last stations.

3 strangers made a hike up Mt Fuji together.
We made it! Me, Charlelie and Jiali. Great shot courtesy of Japanese man, who owns a nice camera.
Mt Fuji crater.
The crater of the volcano

There are shops at the top of Mt Fuji, and a post office. And of course, places where you can get your wooden hiking pole stamped.

You will notice there are many stamp stations in Japan, a bit gimmicky for my liking.

Me on Mt Fuji.
Me, with my Hiroshima Toyo Carp towel-scarf from Michiko. (She’s a baseball fan.) Thank you for this; it kept me warm during the night!
The rising sun.
The sea of clouds.

The Descent

I’ve read a lot online to prepare for this, but reading is very different from doing. Going up Mount Fuji in the dark is treacherous. And coming down? Coming down is dreadful.

My optimistic brain thinks we be done in no time, but I keep forgetting that 6 hours going up means at least 4 hours to come down.

Lava hills of Mt Fuji
Switchbacks of this for 4-5 hours.
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Oh imagine the knees! Jiali is only wearing runners, which is not a good idea. The rocks are slippery and we both slip a few times. This is where the mask (to prevent debris going into your mouth) and the hiking poles would’ve been great.

Mt Fuji Summary

The Japanese proverb pretty much sums up the hike:

He who climbs Mount Fuji is a wise man, he who climbs twice is a fool.”

I don’t know about the wise part, but please remind me not to climb it again. In fact, I highly recommend that you do not climb it, because I don’t want you cursing me when you do go. :)

Thank you both, Jiali and Charlelie!
Thanks also to Trang for planting this idea in my head.

(Interestingly, Charlelie says he would go again. Jiali does not plan to hike for some time.)


What to bring for your hike on Mount Fuji

Here are my recommendations:

  1. Bring head lamps, or a flashlight. Head lamps allow your hands to be free for the climbing parts of the hike.
  2. Wear good hikers. I recommend light-weight, high-ankle boots with a sturdy sole.
  3. Keep warm with a base layer. No kidding. You’ll sweat along the way, but at the top, it’s fo-reeezing. It also takes little luggage space.

Things you might not really need:

  1. Oxygen: The air gets thinner as you climb higher. I took deep breaths and breaks whenever needed.
  2. Hiking poles: I didn’t use them. The lava rocks make it quite slippery so I’m not sure if poles will help all that much.

8 thoughts on “I climbed Mt Fuji, 2016”

  1. Hats off to you, my good friend. Another one off your bucket list. The pictures look stunning. I’m sure it was a tough hike, but commend you for your great efforts and glad you experienced the trek in good company. Love to hear more about it soon.

    1. I asked him to take it with my camera. Man with nice camera usually means he can take some nice photos.

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