Mt. Fuji-san

For some reason we decided to climb this.

After about a 2 hour train ride from Tokyo, we arrived in the Mt. Fuji Five Lakes area.  After a little walking around and enjoying the view, we met a little Australian girl who said she had just climbed Mt. Fuji the night before to enjoy the sunrise.  We were planning on climbing Fuji during the next day and she inspired us to do the all night climb to see the sunrise.  After all, if that little girl could do it, it should be no problem for us, right?

On our way up, we stopped at one of the 10 stations for a break.

We took a bus to the 5th station and arrived around 9PM, after getting some supplies and using the first of many $2 toilets, we hit the trail.  We started in very good spirits, but after a couple hours of intense uphill climbing, and increasingly lower temperatures, everyone started feeling the pain.

Each station has a special brand for your walking stick $2 each

Mt. Fuji may be home to the worlds highest display of capitalism.  Up to the very top, you can purchase $2 toilets, $2 stamps, $6 water, $6 cup a noodles, $8 beers, and we were just throwing money at them.   It was like selling water in the desert.  These little mountain huts of industry are making a killing!

If you ever see this view at 3:30AM you know you are in a world of pain.

The saying goes:  "A wise man climbs Fuji once, only a fool climbs Fuji twice."  After 6 hours of climbing, we were stuck in a traffic jam with a very long way to the summit.  We felt like fools for climbing Fuji even once.  It was like being in a line at disney, a line that only went up, was 20 degrees F, and 12,000ft in elevation.  We were all pretty miserable, but knew there would be a payoff once we made it to the top.

The view when we reach the summit.

We reached the summit.  We are completely delirious, but find a vantage point.  Around 4:45AM the sun begins to peak through the clouds.  The sky is transformed into a blue, purple, and red painting of unbelievable beauty.  We gain a sense of clarity, that we had lost on the climb.

So happy to be alive.

Intrepid Explorer

We begin the 3 hour hike back down the mountain, but it is with much lighter feet.  That day we go into a hibernation lasting 14 hours and awake at 4AM the next day feeling relaxed and ready to go.  To Kyoto!