Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Fuji-san

Off-topic.

My wife and I are going to Japan to see my mother and to take in the sights as well as hike to the top of Fuji-san the week of July 20, 2009.

Any recommendations for snow/ice gear? Any beta would be nice. Have checked out summitpost.org already.

Thank you.

Have fun.

I climbed/hiked Fuji about 10 years ago. There is a trail to the top and you will be joined by about 3,000 other people. You do not need any snow or ice gear, just comfortable hiking boots or shoes.
For a reasonbly fit person you can go to the summit and back in one day (about 5-8 hours). However, I highly recommend spending a night in one of the huts high on the mountain. It is a wonderful experience. Many people wake up to see the sunrise as well.
If you are going to spend the night I would take some warmer clothes and possibly a sleeping bag, although I did not.
By no means do you need to pack like you are heading to Everest. In fact, my trip was so spur of the moment that I and my two partners took NOTHING except our wallets and we spent the night on the mountain in a hut.

Thank you, Fuji Guy-san. This will assuage my wife's anxiety more than anything. I keep telling her if you can climb Whit you can climb Fuji. Besides, I will be her sherpa anyways.

I too climbed Mt. Fuji awhile ago, and it is absolutely no comparison to Whitney (Fuji's summit is only around 12K). The trail is well used, at least by a bazillion people. I agree to take one night at the huts, then you can be on top in the AM to see the sunrise. All you really need are the regular snacks and liquid. They do sell stuff at the huts, though, so that's not even an issue. Buy a hiking stick and they will brand it for you for a souvenir (for a cost) when you reach the summit. Have a great walk! It is beautiful from the top!

When I climbed Fuji in 1953 the hiking sticks were branded at
each station & I seem to recall getting 8-10 brands en route. Could easily have changed in what is now 56 years later.

The trail is class 0 - 1 and you would have to really try hard to get lost.

You might try and get a sunrise picture through the summit Torii Gate. Watch out for insects (fleas) in the overnight hut bedding.

Mapman and CMC: Thank you. My wife and I will just follow the line of 3000 people on our way down to the summit after the sunrise photo ops! I know we won't be the only ones on top.

My daughter and I were in Japan last summer and summited Mt. Fuji on 7/31/08. Japan in the summer is extremely humid whereas conditions at the top of Mt. Fuji can be near freezing. There are several routes which will take you to the top, the most popular is to start from the Kawaguchi-ko 5th station also known as Gogome. I believe this starts out at about 6000+ feet, and you will be on the eastern side of the volcano to witness the sunrise. There are various stations along the way with huts for resting and sleeping. The 7th station has a series of huts over about a 500 ft. elevation gain. We started out about 2pm and made it to station 8.5, the final station before the top, at 7 pm. Since Japan does not participate in daylight savings, it was getting dark by then. We did not have reservations and were able to get in on short notice. It was quite an experience sleeping in the hut with hundreds of other hikers sharing blankets with only a shoulder's width of room to spare. Just be sure to bring ear plugs to block out the snoring and sleep talking. The cost for 6 hours in the hut was about $50 per person with dinner and a sack lunch thrown in. We got up at 1 am, left station 8.5 by 2 am and reached the top by about 3 am. It was raining at the time, and there was a queue of hikers all the way up. My suggestion would be to take the same clothing you would take to the summit of Mt. Whitney including rain gear, down jacket, gloves, fleece hat, and headlamp. Most of the Japanese hikers were well prepared for the climb. Water and food can be bought on the way up but get more expensive the further up you go. Hope this helps.

CuriousG: This helps a lot. Your TR should really assuage my wife's anxiety now!

Does anyone know if the trash situation on Fuji has gotten better/worse, etc. A few years back I remember reading a report discussing the trail littered with trash. Just wondering how well they are managing that problem today.

I did not see much trash on the way up, so they must have made great strides in cleaning things up. One curious thing about Japan and Fuji - there aren't a lot of trash bins around and most everything is recycled. You will have to haul your own trash off the mountain. The restrooms are another story. Bring some clothes pins for your nostrils and a few 100 yen coins to pay for the privilege.

Dang! They nickel and yen yah, huh!

My wife and I summited Fuji-san 2 years ago. These posts are all correct. One thing they forgot to mention is the oxygen cans they sell at the stations along the way. I highly recommend buying one. Mt. Fuji is 2k ft lower than Whitney, but you'll be used to sea level before you go. Canned O2 will give you a significant boost. Its a little expensive (about $10 a can), but its worth it. Its a great boost/oz. Its like carrying an empty aluminum can and you get a lot of puffs and each one perks you up. I can't believe canned O2 hasn't caught on in the US yet. I bought some online for a Shasta climb last June. It really helped my appetite camping at 10,000' and it was great at higher altitude. Try it!

The trail is mostly loose talus on the upper half. I recommend short gaiters to keep the small volcanic rocks out of your boots.

You'll probably see lots of elderly Japanese in amazing shape, and tourists from everywhere, but very few young Japanese.

There is a Japanese saying something like, "a wise person climbs Fuji-san once, only a fool climbs it twice." It's tough and totally worth it, but I wouldn't do it again. Spend the cash to do it right with all the gimmicks. Memories for a lifetime.