The Fuji Experience

After my arrival at the cabin hotel in Fujinomiya, due to the weather, I decided to start hiking on the same evening. My plan was to climb Mount Fuji at night to experience the famous sunrise. With little sleep, jet lag, and a full backpack, I took the last bus towards Fujinomiya 5th Station at 18:30. At that time, I did not realize how challenging it would actually be. My biggest concern was the weather. At times, it was pouring rain during the 90-minute bus ride. However, the weather quickly improved, and I could even see the starry sky.

Upon arriving at the 5th Station, I encountered three guys with the same plan. We briefly talked and then started separately. However, we met again at each station and took breaks together. The route goes from Station 5 to Station 10, which is at the summit. Since there was no later bus and I started walking at 20:30, the night felt extremely long. I intentionally hiked at a slow pace and took many breaks to make the waiting time shorter. It was especially special for me to climb a mountain in the darkness with a headlamp. Also, especially at the beginning of the route, there was an unusual silence. While there were surprisingly few people until the 9th Station, there was quite a traffic jam from the 9th to the 10th Station. Everyone wanted to see the sunrise at 5:00 a.m. However, we managed to reach the top on time without any problems. From the 9th Station onwards, I was continuously with the three guys. We had a great time and could motivate each other because the first signs of fatigue appeared. Not only fatigue was a challenge, but also the temperatures. The pictures prove how cold it got. I was grateful for every single item of clothing that I packed.

The sunrise was beautiful! The pictures can only approximate it. We walked around the impressive crater and started the descent at around 7:00 a.m. Slowly, we were all extremely exhausted and had to take several breaks. This was probably also due to the high altitude. I noticed that I was slowly pushing my body to its limit. However, I survived the steep descent without falling. We were back at the 5th Station at 10:15 a.m. and finally in the village of Fujinomiya at 12:00 p.m.

Conclusion: Incredibly beautiful and incredibly exhausting. Now I know why people on various websites recommend a few hours of sleep in a mountain hut ;) The Fuji climb is definitely worth it, whether with or without a stop, a day or night tour!=)