[Trekking] Fuji Mt. - spiritual temple of Japan

• Height: 3776m
• Team: A-lone 
• Time: July, 2014
• Place: Kawaguchiko, Japan
• Trail Ascend: Yoshidaguchi Trail head. (850m), Yamanashi Prefecture. 
• Trail Descend: Fujinomiya trail, 5th station (2400m), Shizuoka Prefecture.
• Difficulties: ** (2/5), since it's summer hike.

This moment --- when the sun is rising on top of Fuji Mt. 

Intro:

1. Admission: 

Usually, trails are open from early July to mid September! You can check for more details here: Fuji Climb season. If climbing season ends, you need to ask for permission. 

2. Number of trails: 

a. Yoshida: oldest and longest, not steep; since ancient time, it's official trail that hold many holy rituals. Most of the mt. huts gather on this trail.
b. Fujinomiya:This route is the shortest and lowest in elevation among the four trails and, therefore, is the second most popular course next to the Yoshida Trail.
c. Subashiri: east side of Mount Fuji. You start from a lower elevation than Yoshida Trail. This trail is characterized by the abundance of plants and trees up to an elevation of around 2,700 m and the sand run on the descending trail. The trail is suited to climbers with experience because there are fewer huts.
d. Gotemba: starting from the elevation of 1,440 m, is an exceptionally difficult route compared with the other routes in both distance and the difference in elevation.

More details here: Fuji mt. Route

Trails of Fuji Mt. Source: Japan Guide

3. Access: 

Train JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line 'Kodama': Tokyo Station > Shin-Fuji Station (1 hour and 15 minutes) or Fuji Kyuko Bus: 2 hours and 15 minutes 

Local bus to North Sengen Shrine (height: 850m)

4. Mt huts booking: 

Every station there're many huts. But my personal opinion 8th station would be the best height to stay, for 2 reasons: first I started from trail head, and second, at least you have some distance to walk until the summit. You dun want to go there too fast when it's still dark and cold. 

One of the huts in 8th station is :http://www.mfi.or.jp/fujisan/. I booked and get all email contacted by Japanese, they dont use English in email but speak English, luckily. No deposit required, I guess because Japanese do business by credit. So if you booked the hut, please do come. 

I stayed there, dinner is ok, nice staff; however, breakfast is sth you shouldn't put too much expectation. The hut was full and you just get right enough place to lay down, sleeping bag already well-prepared. (And for this trip I brought my own, no need to get it out. Don't have a lot of place to move comfortably, also don't have time; you gonna be hurry in the morning.)

Hiking Notes:

I've heard that it's quite an ugly mt. to hike, without any trees and fauna and you have to queue in line to get to the top. Uhm, my word is: it depends. Beauty lies the eyes of beholder and the holiness stays in the heart of devout. As the spirit of Japan, Fujisan nowadays more like a sight seeing spot than a mountain.

However, my worry is the capacity of Mt. Fuji to hold thousand of ppl in this high season? Ppl line up miles away and moving slowly to the top. One of the big rock fell down and thrilled through right in front of me (yay, just me, among the huge crowd, just me, how can ???? ), luckily it just get my legs bruised. Back to the main point, how can a mt. suffer such a huge crowd trample on? Once upon a time, she's a holy mt. , a sacred goddess. At present, to many ppl, she's just a must-go-sight-seeing when visit Japan.Fuji became one of the most visited mt. of the world. 

Japan take really good on hiking trail management. Easy to access to hiking trail head by bus. Good condition hiking trail. safe and clear trail, convenient mountain huts attract thousand of hikers, tourists visit every summer.Mt. hut like a small convenience store, just 3 times expensive than the original price. Guiding station and first aid station along the way. Bio-toilets are everywhere (from a humorous perspective, excrement is everywhere, and if the mt. active again, I'm not sure that the magma is the thing gonna be threw to the air. :)) )

Let's review some scenic ard Fuji first, before officially step on the trail to this sacred mt. 

The Japanese say that the clouds that cover the tops of other peaks only curl around the foot of Fuji. Its summit, a lofty place of contemplation, provides an attractive sanctuary for the deities, who dwell there free from the sorrow that trouble the world below.

View from Kawaguchi station

Sengen Jinja Torii: Away from Kawaguchi station 10-15 mins walk (as I remember) is this can't  miss scenic spots. 

Fuji Sengen Jingja Torii (aiks, the cloud cover the sacred mt.)

Fuji North Sengen Shrine, formally known as Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja (北口本宮冨士浅間神社, "North Entrance Fuji Sengen Shrine"), is the main Sengen Shrine on the north side of the mountain. Means there are other shrines from other sides? And the head shrine of them all? Let's talk about it later in my other series of Japan Shrines. 

View of Fuji Sengen Shrine

View of Fuji Sengen Shrine

The main deity worshiped and was symbol of Fuji Mt. is Konohana (木花咲耶姫) goddess. 

Konohana Sakuya Hime originally had little or no connection with Mount Fuji. Sometime between the 14th and 16th centuries, the belief arose among the people of the region that she would protect them from eruptions of the volcano as she had her newborn son from the flames of the burning bower. During the Tokugawa period, between 1600 and 1868, the Fuji-ko [Fuji mountain-climbing] movement confirmed Konohana Sakuya Hime as the principal goddess of the sacred mountain. She is now the central deity in major Shinto shrines at the base of the volcano and on the rim of its crater. 

Ironically, until late 19th century, women was banned from trekking to the summit, only can reach to very low station and must turn back. 

View at Sengen Shrine Trailhead, by that time, the enchantress walked by. Seems I was brought to ancient time.