Mount Fuji

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Mount Fuji Description

(Local Name: Fuji-san) Mount Fuji is the highest peak in the Fuji volcanic chain in central Japan and Japan's highest and most beautiful mountain. Its regular form has been celebrated since early times in poetry and painting, for example in the verses of Yamabe Akahito (8th C) and the series of woodcuts, "Views of Fuji" by Hokusai (1760-1849). The very symbol and emblem of Japan, it can be seen on clear days from as far away as Tokyo. It lies within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

The correct Japanese name for the mountain is Fuji-san; the usual English form, Fujiyama, is not commonly used in Japan. In early times it was revered as a sacred mountain, the home of the gods, and from the 12th C Buddhist

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teaching held that it was the gateway to another world. Until 1868, like other natural shrines, it was banned to women. Nowadays Fuji is climbed during the months of July and August by more than a million people, for whom the ascent is an almost religious act, the culmination of which is the observation of sunrise on the summit (Goraiko). The beginning and ending of the official climbing season are celebrated on July 1 and August 31 with solemn ceremonies, but climbers do go up all year round.

Fuji is a strato-volcano which came into being in the Quaternary era, some 300,000 years ago. Its almost exactly circular base has a diameter of 22-25mi/ 35-40km. The name is believed to come from the Ainu word for fire. Eighteen eruptions have been recorded in historical times, the most violent being those of 800, 865 and 1707. During the 1707 eruption the town of Edo (Tokyo), 60mi/ 100kn away, was covered with a thick layer of ash and the lateral crater of Hoeizan (8865ft/ 2702m) was formed. Since then the volcano has been quiescent. On the northern flank of Fuji are the five Fuji lakes.

There are five routes up Mount Fuji, each divided into ten stages (gome) of varying length (ichi-gome = first stage, ni-gome = second stage, etc.) At the end of each stage are stone direction signs and sometimes a mountain hut. During the season all the huts are open, so that climbers can spend the night at one of the intermediate "stations".

The ascent is usually begun in the early afternoon, so as to reach the 7th or 8th station before nightfall. Then early the following morning climbers continue to the summit and walk around the crater (diameter 550yds/ 500m). The descent is begun about midday, returning to base in the late afternoon. An increasingly popular variant is to make the ascent in one go, starting about 4pm and reaching the summit at sunrise. The advantages of this method are that it takes less time and avoids the heat of the day. In any event clouds obstruct the view down into the valley after 9am. Fuji should not be climbed in winter in view of the danger of avalanches.

Hobbies & Activities category: Scenic site or route