MOUNT FUJI CLIMBING

It is possible to attempt the ascent of Mount Fuji, provided you are equipped and informed in advance. From the base of the volcano to the summit of the mountain, the route is marked by ten stages(gō). Most climbers take the route that leads directly to the fourth or even fifth stage. The ascent from the fifth stage takes between 4 and 5 hours, and the descent between 2 and 3 hours. Once at the top, there's a 1-hour trek around the crater. Many visitors climb Japan's sacred mountain in the hope of seeing the cloudless goraikō (sunrise). To get there, climbers have a choice of six marked trails.

On the northern flank, the Kawaguchiko stage, at 2,305 meters, is reached from the town of Kawaguchi. This stage is particularly popular with climbers from Tokyo.

Still on the northern flank, the Yoshida trail starts lower down at Fuji-Yoshida. It is on this trail that the Sengen-Jinja Shrine is located. The road up to the shrine is dotted with inns set back some 50 metres from the road. Each of these inns has a garden with small mountain waterfalls. The shrine can also be reached by bus from Fuji-Yoshida station to the Sengen-jinja-mae stop (5 minutes), or on foot from the station (15 minutes). It's best to ask for a map at the Fuji-Yoshida tourist information office.

The Subashiri trail is 1980 m away and crosses the Yoshida trail after the eighth station. From Subashiri, buses take you to the fifth stop.

The Gotemba trail, which starts at Gotemba and whose fifth station is at 1440 meters, offers one of the longest routes, as the station is the lowest. Buses take you to the fifth stop.

The Fujinomiya trail, which starts from Fujiyomiya and, with its fifth station at 2380 meters, is especially suited to climbers from Nagoya and Kansai.

The Shōji trail departs from Akaike, on the shores of Lake Shōji to the northwest. It is 12.5 km long and crosses the Aokigahara forest, passing near the Omurosan in a lava tunnel called Fuji fuketsu. Mount Fuji's crater, the Nai in, is circular in shape, with a diameter of 600 metres and a depth of around 100 metres. The crest features eight peaks: Mishima dake, Komaga dake, Joju dake, Izu dake, Dainichi dake, Kusushi dake, Hakusan dake and Kenga mine. Two trails lead around the crater.