Fuji-san (x2)

I have heard that there is an old saying about Mount Fuji. Anyone would be a fool not to climb it once -- but a bigger fool to climb it twice. Although statistically only 1% of Japanese people are said to climb it in their lifetime, the volcano still receives over 250,000 climbers a year. Last year my good friend Ann and I travelled to the mountain with the goal of climbing from the bottom of the mountain to the top. Due to bad weather and our own unpreparedness we only made it half way, so this summer we resolved to reach the top. 3776 meters (12,388 ft.) above sea level. After successfully making it to the summit I can safely say that either that proverb is wrong or I am a complete fool. When Metta mentioned that he was interested in climbing Mount Fuji, of course we had to do it! And I am so glad that we did. I had so much fun climbing it twice. I had two different experiences. Both sunrises were beautiful and completely unique. That alone definitely makes it worth the soreness and tiredness.

Mount Fuji is located in Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures. From Tokyo it takes about 2 and a half hours by train to reach the towns at the base of the mountain. Many years ago monks and pilgrims would climb from the bottom of the mountain, stopping at mountain huts that are placed strategically along the path. Nowadays climbers take a bus from the town of Kawaguchiko up to the 5th Station and climb up past the 9th Station to the crater.

 Most people who climb the mountain go up at night and stay to see the sun rise, and that is what we did too. The first time I climbed the mountain Ann and I left Kawaguchiko Station at 9pm and started climbing at around 10pm. In our backpacks we brought food, water, extra clothes and rain gear. It was a slow climb up to the top, mostly due to the crowds of people! The path is narrow, rocky and hard to see at night, so we often had to stand in lines waiting to move forward. As we ascended the mountain we stopped to rest outside several of the stations along the way. We passed many people who were huddled along the side of the path looking tired or ill with altitude sickness. Lots of people were inhaling oxygen. When we finally reached the top of the mountain at around 4:30am after 6 and a half hours of climbing the sky was already starting to lighten.

We found a place to sit and watched the sun come up for the next 45 minutes. Good thing we got there when we did! Soon there were no places to sit and there was still a line of people waiting to get to the top. We could see their headlamps coming up all the way from the bottom of the mountain. 

Waiting.

It's coming.... 

.... 

I was in awe when the sun finally came up. We wanted to walk around the crater but it was crowded and it would have taken about an hour so we headed down the mountain. It was cold and I was exhausted, but it was so worth it. The descent was a path of slippery volcanic rock, and it took us about 3 hours to finally return to the 5th Station. The hike lasted about 10 hours in total, from 10pm to 8:30am. 

When Metta and I hiked the same path about three weeks later the sunrise we saw was completely different. We started our climb an hour earlier; at 9pm. There were a lot less people climbing and we were able to hike at a steady pace without waiting for tour groups and long lines. It took us about 4 hours to reach the 8th Station and around 5 and a half to reach the top. We got to the summit at 2:30am and the sky was still dark. Because we were so early we were able to get a great seat at the edge of the mountain. We sat there and waited as the sky gradually lightened.

4am. 

We could see the lights of Tokyo in the East. The 5 Fuji lakes were visible dark areas in the midst of all of the lights. It was bizarre to see how much of the country wasn't asleep!

4:30am

Anxiously waiting for the sun to rise. I don't know about Metta, but I was so cold!! It's coming... 

 Here comes the sun. 

 The rays of light were unreal. I've never seen anything like it. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, so we could see the sun's progress incredibly clearly. 

 4:45am.
The mountains and lakes and the sun is rising. 

5am. 

It was getting lighter by the moment now.

5:06am.

And I say.

It's alright.

And all of a sudden the sun was up! Everyone became silent for a moment. When I looked back at my pictures I realized that people were praying. Then from somewhere within the crowd a man called, "OHAYOO GOZAIMASU" (Good morning).

In unison everyone answered him, "Ohayo gozaimasu!"

By 5:10am the sun was completely visible and the sky was bright. Almost immediately it started to become warmer. We walked around and explored the shops for a few minutes. On the top of Mount Fuji there are many stalls selling souvenirs, postcards, and hot food. We checked out the crater briefly and then headed back towards the 5th Station. From the time that we reached the top until the sun rose we were probably waiting and watching the sky for about 3 hours. By the time we reached the bottom it was 8:30am. We caught a bus back down, checked into our hostel, and almost immediately passed out for around 6 hours. The entire hike ended up taking us about 12 hours from start to finish, including the time spent sitting at the summit. 

So maybe I am a fool, but if you asked me to climb Mount Fuji I would probably climb it again tomorrow. I hope I can climb it every year. If each sunrise is as uniquely beautiful as the two I saw, it would be worth it every time.