I really wanted to hike Mount Fuji. All of the blogs and Mt Fuji hiking guides I read said that it was challenging to climb to the Mount Fuji summit, but that was due to the length of the hike, not the actual terrain. I didn’t ready anything that said: “to get the Mt Fuji summit on the Yoshida Trail, you will be scrambling rocks and miles will take close to two hours. Maybe if I knew how hard hiking Mount Fuji was, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it. It is hard!
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Before hiking Mount Fuji, I had a few questions:
- What makes climbing to the Mt. Fuji Summit different? It’s very much commercialized and you probably won’t go more than 10 feet without seeing another person. (They’ve limited it to 4000 people per day). I thought it would feel crowded but it never did. They also have several aid stations where you can buy food, drinks, and get your walking stick stamped. There are even Mt. Fuji hotels that you can stay halfway up.
- Should you get a hiking stick for climbing Mount Fuji?
Immediately yes. Get one at the bottom and you can pay to get your stick branded by the different stops. My Mount Fuji hiking stick looked amazing at the finish. Plus, the hiking stick actually provides a lot of stability on the loose rock.
About Mount Fuji:
Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak at 3,776 meters (12,389 feet), is a bucket-list destination for hikers and adventure enthusiasts worldwide. It is technically still an active volcano. This majestic mountain, with its perfectly symmetrical cone, is not only a natural wonder but also a cultural icon.
Climbing Mount Fuji is often described as a strenuous but achievable challenge for hikers of varying skill levels. I am here to disagree that it’s not an easy hike at all. It is strenuous and we were out there for over 9 hours. The mountain is divided into 10 stations, with the most common starting points for climbers being the 5th station. We started our hike at the Mount Fuji 5th station.
There are four main trails leading to the summit: Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya. The Yoshida Trail (what we did) is the most popular, especially among first-time climbers, due to its accessibility and well-developed facilities. The Mount Fuji Yoshida trail has maintained bathrooms and aid stations along the way (so bring extra yen because the Mt Fuji restrooms do cost money).
Finally, the weather on Mount Fuji can be unpredictable and harsh. Even during the official climbing season from early July to early September, temperatures can drop significantly, especially at the summit. Rain, wind, and sudden storms are also common, making it important to check the weather forecast and be prepared for various conditions. When we hiked Mount Fuji on July 3rd, the base of the mountain was in the 90s; however, during the Mt Fuji hike, we dealt with a lot of wind and the Mount Fuji summit was 38 degrees. I wore two windproof jackets for most of the Mt Fuji hike.
On the Yoshida trail, you can purchase a walking stick at the fifth station. During the hike, you can pay to have your walking stick stamped. If you’re interested, I suggest bringing about 20,000 yen for the stamps. It’s definitely worth it and makes for a cool souvenier. Plus, having the walking stick actually helps on some of the uphill climbs and descents.
New this year is Mt Fuji only takes 4,000 people per day, and you must make reservations. You can make your Mount Fuji reservations here.
My Experience to the Mount Fuji Summit:
Gear used for the Mt Fuji hike:
- Hoka Tecton X: You need proper footwear to climb Mt Fuji. I highly recommend a good pair of trail shoes or boots because there is a lot of climbing and loose rocks. You will likely fall without them.
- Jackets: Gore-Tex and Ultimate Direction for wind protection.
- Hat and gloves: (used in July!)
- Pack: Ultimate Direction.
- Nutrition: Bonk Breakers, UCAN.
- Electrolytes: DripDrop and MapleAid.
- Bonus: Sweet treats and sushi (I ate so many sweet treats yesterday).
We started our Mount Fuji summit journey around 6 am. We walked to the local bus station. Even though the first bus was at 6:40, it was completely packed before 6. That was our first mistake, and if you are getting to Mt Fuji via bus, you should get there well before 6 to secure a spot on the first bus. We were going to be on at least the third bus (getting to Mt Fuji around 10 am), so we opted for a cab. With 5 people, the cab was about the same cost as a bus. I think I would advise a cab to the Mount Fuji fifth station regardless.
Once we got to the Mount Fuji fifth station, we got our walking sticks and a locker. I chose a medium-size walking stick so I could fit it into my suitcase. Spoiler: it’s still too big, and I’ll mail it back. The first mile of Mount Fuji goes downhill for a bit. You think: why am I going downhill? Don’t worry, you will go 5,000 feet uphill in the next 3.5 miles. We hit the first mile of Mt Fuji in 27 minutes and thought: wow, we are doing great. Oh, little did we know.
The first bit of Mount Fuji is just switchbacks and fairly easy (but steep climbing). We got to the 7th station and got our first stamps. From there, you are walking (climbing) almost directly uphill on volcanic rock. It is pure scrambling for almost 2 miles. We took plenty of breaks, and the next two miles were 1:47 and 1:43, with the breaks. During the Mt Fuji scrambling session, I honestly didn’t think I would make it to the Mount Fuji summit. It was just so hard, and we were moving so slow. The walking stick definitely helped with balance.
We hit 3 miles of Mount Fuji in around 3 hours, and the next 1.5 took another 2 hours. During that time, I ate a lot and drank a lot. By then, we were well over 11,000 feet. If you struggle with altitude sickness, make sure to be prepared.
Finally, we saw a sign for 400 meters to go. As someone who recently ran 400 meters in 1 minute and 18 seconds, it was very soul-crushing to know it was going to take us about 40 minutes to go 400 meters. LOL, and it did.
Once we reached the Mount Fuji summit, it was disappointing to see the final aid station was closed. It was also very windy and cold. I needed a hat and gloves and started to get a bit hypothermic. I can’t imagine hiking to the Mt Fuji Summit if it’s rainy, so check the weather! After hanging around, checking out the summit, and relaxing, we headed down the impassable trail.
The impassable trail has minimal facilities, and it’s a very loose rock switchback to the bottom. You can look down and see people 1,000 feet below you on the switchbacks. But I think it’s a lot easier to take the impassable trail down Mt Fuji. We averaged around 4 hours to get down. During the first parts, I was a bit nervous because it was so windy, and sometimes I felt like I was going to blow off the side of the mountain. But we just kept putting one foot in front of the other and finally made it back down and completed the Mt Fuji hike in about 9 hours and 20 minutes. I honestly wish the trail was like that the entire time. I was not a fan of the scrambling uphill for two miles.
Mount Fuji Conclusion
Make no mistake, the Mount Fuji summit is challenging, and you must be prepared with proper gear, footwear, and food. If you are visiting Japan or just a local, it’s a great attraction to do. But I cannot understate how hard climbing Mount Fuji is. Am I glad I did it? Sure, but whew it was not easy and I had some really low moments. Not just with the uphill but with the neverending downhill too.
Would I recommend hiking to the Mount Fuji Summit? Yes, it is a lot of fun. But you must know it’s very challenging and you will need to be in good shape or have trained for it. If I hiked the Mount Fuji summit again, I would consider getting a hotel and staying overnight and doing it in two days. I think it would be more fun.
You can see all hikes here and strava here.
Questions for you:
Have you hiked Mt Fuji?
What is the hardest hike you’ve done?