Steve Climbs Mt. Fuji!

The view from Mt. Fuji

Let the adventure begin!

One of Steve's goals while we live in Tokyo is to climb Mt. Fuji.  Our friend from Singapore, Sebastian, and his two oldest sons also want to do it, so they make plans for the excursion when climbing season opens.  I decide not to go - during the planning stages, I'm having a lot of problems with my foot. (Plantar fasciitis, which flares up every once and awhile.  Luckily, this time it only lasted a couple of months - which is good, since I have to walk so much in Tokyo.)  

At the 5th station - no cars past this point!

After some thought, they decide it will be best if they join a tour group, since no one speaks Japanese, nor has anyone mountain climbed before.  Even though Mt. Fuji is considered one of the easier mountains - it's mostly an uphill hike, without having to use belays, harnesses, stanchions, etc - people still find it exhausting and sometimes suffer from altitude sickness.  So if there's a problem, it's good to have a guide who can help out.  They book through Willer Express, and start the tour at Shinjuku Station, which is beneficial since no one has a car.

They take a bus ride to the 5th Station, the highest location vehicles can drive.  As you can tell from the picture, it's quite a tourist spot.  After about an hour there, giving them time to rent their remaining gear, eat lunch, and get acclimated to this elevation, they start their climb on the Yoshida Trailhead.  There's about 24 people in the group, from mostly English speaking countries, with 2 guides, so it's a nice size party.  Steve's not really thrilled when one woman comes over and asks how old he is...she's disappointed to tell him he's the second oldest person in the group (She's the oldest and she wanted to give up the title - Steve's gray hair gave her hope).

Lake Ashi between the clouds

Through a small break in the clouds Steve is able to get a picture of Lake Ashi, an area we visited on our first trip outside of Tokyo.  Now he can see it from the opposite viewpoint!


The climbing isn't too hard at this point, and the group stops for breaks, so it's not too strenuous.  

Not the most detailed map...

"Dad, can you carry this?"

At the 6th Station, Steve's able to take a scenic selfie with the green slopes.  He's wearing shorts and a t-shirt at this point.  The guides keep checking with him to see if he's cold, but he's fine.  It feels like it's in the 60s, and with the physical workout he's very comfortable.  He's able to send me instant messages along the way - there's wifi at every Station. 

Cheese!

As they climb higher the slope becomes steeper. 

About 90 minutes later, they reach Station 7.  At this point two of the people in the group decide they can't go any further, and stay overnight at a hut here (they're responsible for finding their own way down the mountain in the morning).

Another selfie so my wife knows
I'm still alive!

The view looking down at Station 6

If you get hungry, there's a convenience store at each Station!  The tour provides them with a snack bag at the start of the climb, but no water.  Steve carries some bottles, along with his own snacks.  For $4 you can buy a water at the shop (they're normally $1.25 in town).  You can find a limited number of bathrooms located along the climb, but you have to pay $1 to use them.  You also have to carry your own trash because there's no place to dispose it (that's typical for Japan - no trash cans anywhere!). 

You can even have a bowl of ramen!

As they continue on they start looking down on the clouds.

like looking down from an airplane

There are other people hiking the mountain, but it's not too crowded at this time of year. 

They start to reach places where you need your hands and feet to move up - now it's understood why it's called rock climbing!  They're literally climbing up and over rocks along the trail.

I think this woman behind Steve is glad she can take a break while Steve takes a selfie.

About 3 hours after Station 7 they arrive at Station 8, their stopping point for the night.  Dinner is hamburger curry (and water) - not especially appetizing, but any food is good after walking for five hours.  At this point Steve finally has on a sweater and hat, though he's still wearing shorts.

Have to do Japan pose while on an iconic landmark!

The obligatory 8th Station selfie!

I am here!

They stay in a "hut" for the night, which is really a large empty space with no furniture (unfortunately, no one thinks to take pictures).  It holds 270 people, and it's fully booked.  Each person has the amount of space of a sleeping bag - that's it.  There's barely any space between rows - you basically have to climb over people in order to leave the room.  The tour also gives them ear plugs for sleeping, so other people's snoring won't keep them awake. 

Right after dinner, Steve develops a headache.  Probably due to the altitude - since more blood is at his stomach to digest his food, he doesn't have as much oxygen flowing through his system.  Sebastian also had a headache, and a little nausea, too (the boys are fine).  After dinner everyone pretty much lies down to sleep (around 7:00pm).  Steve wakes up every hour to go to the bathroom (he follows the guide's advice to drink lots of water) and at midnight he's treated to a glorious night sky, full of stars.  After taking a couple of ibuprofen, his headache finally goes away.

the tour group, after climbing down most of the way

The plan is to wake up at 1:30am to finish the climb to the summit, so they can be there for the sunrise.  However, at that time the guides wake them up to tell them it's storming too hard for them to climb.  (The rain that was predicted for that afternoon apparently held off until the evening.)  They tell everyone to go back to sleep and they'll try again at 3:00am.  Unfortunately, the weather is still bad, and they're told they'll be unable to climb to the top.  They're able to sleep again until 6:30am, when they get up and eat the bento box breakfast the tour provides.

When they leave, it's not raining, but there's very strong winds.  It's rough and hard going.  They follow a different path down, and it's difficult because the loose gravel rocks slip under their feet.  Everyone slides and falls, including Steve (three spills).  It takes the group about three hours to make it back down to the 5th Station. 

Along the way down he's able to take some picturesque shots of the mountains around them.

Steve's disappointed he didn't make it to the summit, but still had a wonderful experience!