We climbed the Yoshida trail from the Kawaguchiko 5th station which is about 2300meters about sea level. There are 10 stations in total from the beginning of the climb, but as the last 5 are probably the most difficult and taxing, that's where most people start. There was no sheer rock climbing like you would practice at a rock wall gym or something, but it definitely wasn't an easy hike either. The 5th to the 6th station was super easy - definitely uphill, but not difficult at all. The 6th to the 7th was a bit more winding, but still, not too difficult. The 7th to the 8th was probably the longest, but it was broken up with a bunch of sub stations along the way. You would switch back and forth for maybe 200-600 meters between substations, and ascend anywhere from 20meters to 100 meters, but let me tell you, it was slow moving. You don't realize what a lack of oxygen does to your body until you experience physical activity at an altitude that high. If you start walking on anything other than flat, your heart starts racing to help deliver the limited oxygen that's available to your whole body, you're sweating and you are literally picking your foot and moving it so deliberately - maybe only half a normal stride - in front of you and sometimes not even that far. I was thankful for the chains and ropes that sort of map out the route for you, because it makes pulling yourself up that much easier. Also, there is a walking stick that they sell at the bottom and you can get it branded at all of the stations and substations. That stick and the shoes that I wore (thank you JB!) were what made getting up to the top of the mountain possible. It was an exercise different to anything that I've experienced because walking and climbing like that is not the most strenuous thing that I've ever done - I think the proper word for it is tedious.
So the thing to do is to start your climb in the early evening and either shell out the big bucks to stay at one of the stations for a sleep or start it a little later and hike through the night and just try and time your arrival to the top around sunrise. We opted for the latter. We left just before 9pm from the bottom and by 2 or 2:15am, we had made it to the top - 3776 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, that meant waiting around for another 2.5 hrs for the sunrise. Daijoubu. By 3am, some of the summit shops had opened and by 3:30 I was warmed by the heat of about 150 others in a hut and enjoying some hot ramen. By about 4:00am or so, I went up to a spot on the side of the crater and sat to watch the sunrise over the next hour or so. Right as the sun was coming over the horizon, you could hear everyone gasp or utter a cry of awe. Then at the official sunrise time a man by the Torii gate led everyone in a sort of celebration of the sun rising by basically getting everyone to shout Bansai ("hooray") 3 times as they lift their hands over their heads. It was quite an experience!
During the climb, you don't have a lot of time to ponder things - I was concentrating most on putting one foot in from of the other or chanting things in my head. Repetition. Something to keep you moving forward. Near the top, maybe between the 8th and 9th stations, we broke a couple of times to rest and change out of some sweat soaked clothing and into some dry (and thus warmer) clothes. For a while, Max and I just sat there on the side of the mountain and looked at the stars. You can see a ton of stars in the countryside anywhere I suppose, but to be that high up - it was just crystal clear. We even saw a few shooting stars. Believe it or not and as silly as it may sound, at that point, even though I'm physically half a world away, I felt closer to my family and friends than I have the whole time since being here. Mom, Dad, Meredith, Brittany, Kara, Nathan, Whitney, Brad, Marissa, James, and many more people - extended family and friends - were with me the whole time (too many to name!!!).
Watching the sunrise was also SO rewarding. I'm sure anyone can get up and see a sunrise and appreciate it, but when you take the time to climb a mountain and you are exhausted from the exertion and you are higher than anything (natural or man-made) for hundreds if not thousands of miles it makes watching and savoring that sunrise that much more intense. That much more awe inspiring. That much more special.
So for a time I felt on top of the world. It was an experience that was amazing, exhausting, beautiful, cold, tedious, wonderful, and completely unforgettable. It has left me feeling inspired, invigorated, and once again, completely in awe of the beauty that this world holds within it. A lot of people that I've talked to have said they were glad they climbed Mt. Fuji, but never want to do it again. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I doubt I'll ever become an avid mountaineer, but I won't say never. I'd love to climb some other mountains of stature in the near future, somewhere. Kilimanjaro sounds nice and not completely out of reach. One day maybe :)
If any of you have the opportunity to climb a large mountain and are physically able, whether to watch a sunrise or just to stand on top of a mountain and say "I did it!," I would highly suggest you do it. It is an experience that is rewarding in just about every sense of the word. Enjoy the pictures below. Some of the night pictures were lightened a bit, but every other picture is completely unedited.
All of my things - pre-packed
We left from an extraordinary bus stop :)
Our first view of Mt. Fuji from afar
My Japan flag on my walking stick. I took the bells off so I didn't have to hear them jingle the whole way up. As much as I wanted to write the names of every person, family member and friend, that has touched my life in some way - I simply didn't have the time or space. Know that you were there with me, though! The Japanese at the top is my name (or what the Japanese call me anyway): Pato-chan
My buddy Max and me with our Fuji flags/walking sticks
Trail map
So the hike itself was a little over 6km and we ascended a total of 1,476 meters (give or take a few) to the 3776meter high summit.
Getting our walking sticks branded
At the 3200meter mark. This was the 7-point something or 8th station. Don't really remember
The 8.5 station
I made it!! This is how I felt though...so tired and drained.
This was maybe around 3:30 or 4 in the morning.
A little after 4am
It was even better in person!
Just after sunrise
My walking stick with my flags (I bought another flag on the way up)
Torii gate at the very summit - The highest point on my side of the mountain (I'm pretty sure the western side of the crater is a little higher though).
I did it!! What a journey. Worth every bit of planning, money, preparation, and effort.
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