Mt. Fuji, Yoshida Trailhead Route | HIKES IN JAPAN
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Mt. Fuji, Yoshida Trailhead Route

The most popular route to Japan’s highest mountain peak.
  • Duration
    2days / 11Hours
    Highest Point
    3776m
    Elevation Gain
    1471m
  • Skill Level
    Fitness Level
    Gear Level

Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san) is Japan’s highest mountain. Straddling both Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, Mt. Fuji has a beautiful form whether viewed from east, west, south, or north, and is beloved by many as a symbol of Japan. In addition to being revered as a sacred mountain, Mt. Fuji has been the subject of ukiyo-e prints and traditional Japanese paintings, and has often appeared as a motif in arts and culture, intimately connected to the people of Japan since ancient times. Mt. Fuji became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2013. There are four different hiking routes to the top of Mt. Fuji, with both trails and roads maintained as far as the Fifth Station.

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.

Other Info

There are numbers of mountain hut, shops, and information offices on the route, which make it possible for even first time hikers to follow the route to Mt. Fuji’s summit. There are several Sengen Jinja shrines around Mt. Fuji, and you can buy items such as omamori (talismans) and shuin (shinto stamp seals) at the Sengen Jinja on the mountaintop.


High Season:July to August

Notes

Mt. Fuji’s hiking season is only from early July to end of August. Reservations to stay at mountain huts must be made in advance.
Due to many people wanting to watch the sunrise from the summit, the paths around the Eighth Station start to get crowded in the nighttime. And because paths converge at Hon-hachigoume (the first segment for the Eighth Station portion of the route), it gets very crowded between early dawn and early morning.
The Fuji-san Center for Safety and Guidance, located at the Sixth Station, distributes route maps in English, Chinese, and Korean.
The Taishi-kan mountain hut at the Eighth Station has an emergency aid station with a resident doctor providing treatment.
On entering Mt. Fuji’s trails, you are required to give a 1000-yen donation to a mountain preservation fund. When using the public toilets, you are asked to pay a gratuity of between 100 and 300 yen.

There are English and Chinese guide-interpreters and also internet translation service are available at Fuji-Subaru Line 5th Station Management Center.

Route Map

Elevation Map

Height (m)
Horizontal Distance (km)

Spec

Duration
2days / 11Hours
Highest Point
3776m
Elevation Gain
1471m
Horizontal Distance
16Km
Skill Level
Fitness Level
Gear Level

On the Trail

Sleeping

Taishi-kan, Hourai-kan, Hakuun-sou, Hon-hachigoume Fuji-san Hotel, Hachigoume Tomoe-kan, and more

Eating

Fuji-san Miharashi, Gogouen Rest House

Hot-Springs

Fuji-san Choubounoyu Yurari

Instagram

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Access

From the bus terminal just outside of Shinjuku Station, take the Fuji Kyuukou express bus to the Fuji Subaru Line Gogoume Station (Approx. 2 hours and 35 minutes).
The Yoshida Trailhead Route begins at the Fifth Station. It is very important to take a break for about an hour at restaurants and other locations so that your body may adapt gradually to higher altitudes.

Links

COURSES

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