10 things not to miss in Mount Fuji
Travel guide for the ascent of Mount Fuji
You have decided to climb Mount Fuji, with one goal in mind: to reach the summit at 3,776 meters above sea level. Along the way, here are ten things you can do to enrich your experience for a memorable experience.
Attendre le lever du soleil, emmitouflé sur le bord de la montagne
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1 - Send a postcard from the summit of Mount Fuji
It is the highest post office in Japan! Perched at an altitude of 3,712 meters and open from the beginning of July to the end of August, this letterbox will allow you to mail the most original postcard, stamped Mount Fuji. It's one way of saying: "I was there!"
2 - Take a photo with the summit stele
It is a stone column on which are engraved these words in Japanese: "Stele of the highest peak in Japan - Mount Fuji - Kengamine summit". This summit rises to 3,776 meters above sea level. The place is accessible from each of the four possible routes.
- Read also: Mount Fuji ascent routes
3 - Walk around the crater of Mount Fuji
Once at the top, the bravest will take up the final challenge: to travel around the circumference of the crater (“Hachi meguri”), with a radius of 780 meters. A 45-minute walk at around 1h 30min, which will offer you a panorama of central-western Japan, and even, if the sky is clear enough, a view of Tokyo. You are literally on the roof of Japan!
4 - Contemplate the starry sky of Japan
It's a sky like you will rarely see! Free from any light pollution, the celestial vault above Mount Fuji is a natural planetarium. One would almost want to reach out for the stars. Enough to spend a romantic moment and wait before dawn ...
5 - See the sunrise at the top of Mount Fuji
Here is the most awaited moment of the ascent, and the goal of many hikers: to contemplate the sunrise, which takes place around 4 am or 5 am. For this, you will have to make the ascent the day before, sleep in one of the shelters between the 7th and 8th stations, rise before dawn and complete the ascent (about one to two hrs) to the top. With a little luck, the sky will be clear and you will witness a majestic view, "goraikô", of sunrise above the clouds as some claim to be the view of heaven.
- Read also: Fujigoko: Fuji Five Lakes
Sunrise at the top
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L'ombre du mont Fuji
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6 - Photograph the shadow of Mount Fuji
Now turn your back to the Sun and retrace your steps to discover the dark side of the volcano. You will then see the mountain deploying its gigantic shadow above the clouds, have fun taking a picture of your own drop shadow.
7 - Savor the culinary specialties of Mount Fuji
After all these efforts, you have earned it! Treat yourself to one of the specialties of the Mount Fuji mountain huts. On the menu: curry with rice in the shape of Mount Fuji, or a chocolate waffle for the sweet tooth. However, be careful with beers and other alcoholic drinks, which do not go well with the thin air, low oxygen at the top.
8 - Obtain the "Goshuin" seal from the top
Goshuin, are the calligraphic seals provided in temples and shrines in Japan, and that you can collect in a notebook, a bit like the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela serving as seals of passage. The ones you will get at the Shinto shrines at the top of Mount Fuji: Sengen Taisha Okumiya and Kusushi Jinja are rare collections.
9 - Mount Fuji from the foot of the volcano
Once back down, this time you can admire the sacred mountain from below. Have fun recomposing the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, immortalized by the master of Japanese woodblock prints, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). The landscapes vary with each season and at each hour of the day, Yet another symbol of the face of Japan.
Gohyaku-rakanji Sazaidō. Print No. 7 from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series
Library of Congress
Kōshū Kajikazawa. Series of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
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Series of Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji from Hokusai, circa 1830. from Hokusai.
Wikimédia
The Nihonbashi Bridge in Edo. Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (1830-1833) by Hokusai
Wikimedia
The wave off Kanagawa with Mount Fuji in the background of Hokusai (Under the wave off Kanagawa)
Hokusai
10 - Souvenir from Mount Fuji
Cookies in the shapes and colors of Mount Fuji, chocolates, Japanese sweets, and paper tissues that give the appearance of the volcano when you take them out of the package... There are so many souvenirs and goodies that will make excellent gifts for your friends and led ones!
Bonus: Relax in an onsen
Ultimate comfort after a full day: bathe in one of the hot springs overlooking Mount Fuji, such as Hottarakashi Onsen ("unattended" natural onsen). A moment of ultimate comfort, close your eyes, reflect on the day's adventure, and just soak...
- Read also: Five onsens with a view of Mount Fuji
