Mt. Fuji, Yoshida Trailhead Route

Most people follow the Yoshida Trailhead Route to the summit. The Fifth Station area is a bustling tourist hub in its own right with its many restaurants and souvenir shops. The path from the Fifth Station starts out flat and level and continues that way for a while. As you emerge from the forested area, a broad vista opens up before you and a section of path strewn with small pebbles and rocks begins. The Mt. Fuji Center for Safety and Guidance is at the Sixth Station.

Beyond the Sixth Station, there are no more shrubs and the terrain takes on a desolate feeling. A zigzagging path leads to the first of the mountain huts in the Seventh Station area. Continuing on from this point, the path gives way to a steeper, rocky area that continues all the way to the Eighth Station, with the incline getting even steeper along the way.

The path between the Seventh and Eighth Stations is dotted with mountain huts. If you wish to see the sunrise from the peak, staying at a hut ins the Eight Station area is a good option.
Continue along the path past the Ninth Station and you’ll find a torii arch with two komainu (guardian lion-dog) statues standing before it. Pass through the arch to arrive at the summit. There are two mountain huts nearby where you can stop for a rest of a bite to eat.

On the far side of the crater, you can see Kengamine, which is Mt. Fuji’s highest point.Walking all the way around the volcanic crater on the mountaintop (a practice called “ohachi-meguri” in Japanese) takes approximately 70 minutes from start to finish.

When going back down the mountain, you have to take the path used exclusively for descents. So, you should be careful not to take a wrong turn where the paths branch at the Subashiri Trailhead.