Mount Fuji: up the Subashiri Trail

Climbing Japan’s highest mountain. The Subashiri Trail goes up Mount Fuji (3,776 m) from the town of Oyama in Shizuoka prefecture. This track is about 14.5 km long and climbs more than 2,700 m, from about 1,000 m up to the crater area at about 3,700 m. Walkers who start from the old foot of the trail need 10–12 hours; those who start at the 5th station (about 2,000 m) need 5–7.

The route. Subashiri – the forest of the lower slopes – the 5th station – the 6th station and the black volcanic sand of the “Great Sand Run” – the 8th station, where it joins the Yoshida Trail – the summit.

Good to know. The official climbing season is only from early July to early September; outside it the mountain is covered with snow and ice and the huts are closed. Many people climb at night to see the sunrise (goraiko) from the summit. It is cold and windy at the top, even in summer: take warm clothes, a headlamp, water and a rain jacket, and give yourself time to get used to the altitude. The Subashiri Trail is quieter than the Yoshida Trail and its sandy slope makes the descent quick. Mount Fuji is a UNESCO World Heritage site (2013) and a sacred mountain.

Picture: Mount Fuji in early summer, Shift, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.