NH_Mtn_Hiker
New member
One of the main reasons the Japanese climb Mt. Fuji is to view the sun and/or sunrise from the eastern rim of the it's crater as part of a religious pilgrimage.
Note: The summit of Mt. Fuji is on the western rim of the crater next to the government operated weather and radar stations. While hiking to the true summit is allowed, it is generally discouraged and the vast majority of people who climb the mountain don't venture over to the western rim.
So....while Mt. Fuji wins the award for the most climbed mountain in the world, it also wins the award for the most failed summit attempts.
Other things Mt. Fuji is noted for:
1) There are nearly 50 mountain huts on the mountain. Many of them sleep 100-500 people.
2) It is nearly impossible to get lost climbing Mt. Fuji. The trails are lined with chains to guide climbers and the huts are strategically located along the main trails. In bad weather the sound of the diesel generators at each hut will guide you. If you're hard of hearing, take a deep breath, the smell of the toilets will make your eyes water up to several hundred feet away.
3) Speaking of toilets. If you wish to use one get your money out. It will cost you 100 to 200 Yen to answer the call of nature on Mt. Fuji.
...and, from Diane Diekman's trip report:
"The unisex bathroom was a narrow room with a six-foot gutter for a urinal and a row of stalls past that. Fortunately, the stalls had doors and toilet paper and some even had western-style stools instead of slits in the floor. The only sink was directly across from the urinal. I decided to skip brushing my teeth that night."
Apparently, based on my research, there are two bio-toilets on the mountain and the rest are pit toilets.
4) Everything on Mount Fuji costs, and costs alot! The only water available is bottled water and they even charge you to stop and rest at the huts.
5) Even with recent clean-up efforts, it's still trashier than Mt. Everest.
6) Mt. Fuji is almost always climbed as an overnight (due to distance and elevation gain, and the roads are gated late in the day till morning) and camping is prohibited during the legal climbing season...so, enjoy your stay at one or more of the huts.
Most of the information above was obtained from Google searches. Most of the info was late 90's to 2005.
Note: The summit of Mt. Fuji is on the western rim of the crater next to the government operated weather and radar stations. While hiking to the true summit is allowed, it is generally discouraged and the vast majority of people who climb the mountain don't venture over to the western rim.
So....while Mt. Fuji wins the award for the most climbed mountain in the world, it also wins the award for the most failed summit attempts.
Other things Mt. Fuji is noted for:
1) There are nearly 50 mountain huts on the mountain. Many of them sleep 100-500 people.
2) It is nearly impossible to get lost climbing Mt. Fuji. The trails are lined with chains to guide climbers and the huts are strategically located along the main trails. In bad weather the sound of the diesel generators at each hut will guide you. If you're hard of hearing, take a deep breath, the smell of the toilets will make your eyes water up to several hundred feet away.
3) Speaking of toilets. If you wish to use one get your money out. It will cost you 100 to 200 Yen to answer the call of nature on Mt. Fuji.
...and, from Diane Diekman's trip report:
"The unisex bathroom was a narrow room with a six-foot gutter for a urinal and a row of stalls past that. Fortunately, the stalls had doors and toilet paper and some even had western-style stools instead of slits in the floor. The only sink was directly across from the urinal. I decided to skip brushing my teeth that night."
Apparently, based on my research, there are two bio-toilets on the mountain and the rest are pit toilets.
4) Everything on Mount Fuji costs, and costs alot! The only water available is bottled water and they even charge you to stop and rest at the huts.
5) Even with recent clean-up efforts, it's still trashier than Mt. Everest.
6) Mt. Fuji is almost always climbed as an overnight (due to distance and elevation gain, and the roads are gated late in the day till morning) and camping is prohibited during the legal climbing season...so, enjoy your stay at one or more of the huts.
Most of the information above was obtained from Google searches. Most of the info was late 90's to 2005.
