Braving Mt Fuji

Posted on August 21, 2007 by Maria Cohrs Jonckheere

Recently I led a group of military families on an expedition up Mt Fuji, Japan’s highest peak standing at 12,388 feet (3,776 meters) high. This grandiose mountain, located between Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures, is one of the country’s most famous symbols. Also known as Fuji-san, both travelers and residents of Japan climb this sacred mountain, also a dormant volcano which has not erupted since 1708.

Our group of 17 which consisted of children, marathoners and amateur climbers complete with camelbacks in tow, started the endeavor just before Kawaguchiko 5th Station at approximately 0445 in order to get an early start and view the picturesque sunrise. While another option is to climb at night and spend the evening at one of the rustic mountain huts, our plan entailed an early morning launch to finish in the afternoon or early evening for some. Significant numbers of people venture to Fuji-san in mid August during the Japanese holiday season of “obon” though we were fortunate to avoid the large crowds aside of the usual crowding which occurs along the pathway right near to the summit.

The Yoshidaguchi Trail ranged from simple climbing along dirt paths to more challenging rocky trails requiring balance, endurance and physical stamina. Yet, climbers include everyone from young school children to seniors who have the ambition to brave the mountain which was once considered and still is by many, a religious pilgrimage which must be completed in one’s lifetime.

While the final hour to the summit can take its toll, the shrine at the summit was a welcoming sign where we also received the final stamps on our walking sticks, one of the symbols of our achievement. Along the summit, climbers will also find small eateries providing soba and other nourishment, benches for resting, a post office and of course oxygen for those requiring additional assistance in the higher altitude.

Though the treck down was a much quicker journey, we were faced with brief thunderstorms coupled with rain, hail and clouds which prevented us from seeing just a few feet ahead. The views of the huts on the way down however - particularly of the fifth station - prompted many of us to quicken our steps as we realized we were nearing the finish line.

While Mt Fuji does not even reach half the height of Mt Everest in the Himalayas, its striking symmetry standing on its own beckoning more than 200,000 climbers annually exemplifies the magnetic pull the majestic peak has over those wishing to make the pilgrimage.

“Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you.” – Miyamoto Musashi