From the 7th station to the 8th station it’s all rock, so the climb was anything but easy. If you’re going up without a guide, it’d be a bit dangerous at night. Also, you can push your way up to the 7th station in short sleeves if you have to, but above the 8th station the wind gets strong and it gets so cold that you can’t go on without a parka or some other protection against the cold.
The scenery around the 8th station is a little bleak.
Finally, I made it.
At 3,250 meters, I figured the 3,700-meter summit wasn’t far off, but in fact this is where the real Mt. Fuji climb began.
The Fuji Five Lakes
Clouds
The trail from the 8th station to the summit isn’t difficult, so I thought I’d be up in no time, but altitude sickness made the climb really tough. Every three steps my pulse would race and I had to stop for a rest. Panting like Darth Vader, I barely made it up, but heaven was heartless – or maybe I’d rested too much along the way – and it was exactly sunset. So even though I reached the top, I don’t have a single decent photo. So sad. I was so exhausted I didn’t even have the energy to take out my camera.
So I just snapped a few quick ones.
The view toward Tokyo
When I asked, they said the spot with the summit marker was another hour further on. I was completely wiped out, so I just gave up and headed down. The way down was a real saga too: I got lost halfway and wandered around – I’d misread a signpost at the 8th station – ended up coming down into a different prefecture, and had to pay a lot for a late-night taxi back to the parking lot. It was 2 a.m. by the time I finally made it back to the inn I’d booked, and because I checked in so late, my reservation almost got cancelled. Ugh. There was an almost-full moon, so I somehow got back safely despite the steep, treacherous descent, but it was a really, really dangerous situation. For the first time in ages I went on a truly brutal hike – the kind where you’re ready to die. If I can help it, I don’t want to try it again. Seriously.
It was too dark on the way down for photos, but the fireworks over the lakes sparkled like tiny jewels and were beautiful. Looking down on fireworks from above was pretty fun in its own way. Though I had very little time, or peace of mind, to enjoy them…
If I ever have to try again, I’ll allow plenty of time. They say a normal person takes 5 hours to go up and 3 hours to come down, but I think you need to plan for at least 7 hours up and 5 down to make it there and back without overdoing it. It goes without saying that you need proper gear. It can rain sometimes, so bring rain gear, and you need gloves too. Above all, stamina is the basic requirement. There’s nothing you can do about altitude sickness, so the only way is to take plenty of breaks on the way up. It was more of a grueling trip than a fun one, but I’m still left with the satisfaction of having climbed Mt. Fuji once – of having stood on the top of Japan. For a while I’ll have to focus on getting my strength back.
P.S. On the way back, I saw the Miyuki fireworks over the sea at Odawara from the expressway, and they were really amazing. Next year I definitely want to go see them in person.