Mountains · Yamanashi, Shizuoka
Mount Fuji
富士山ふじさんFuji-sanJapan's highest mountain: an active volcano, a pilgrimage peak and the country's most painted landscape.
Mount Fuji (富士山) is Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 m, an active stratovolcano on the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures that last erupted in 1707. Revered for centuries as a sacred peak and endlessly painted, it was inscribed as a cultural World Heritage site in 2013.
Overview
Mount Fuji rises alone from near sea level on Suruga Bay to 3,776 m, a nearly symmetrical cone about 35 to 40 km across at its base. Its isolation is what makes it: on clear winter days it is visible from central Tokyo, some 100 km away, and from the Pacific coast of Shizuoka, the Fuji Five Lakes of Yamanashi and even from aircraft over the Japanese Alps. The summit crater is roughly 600 m wide; its highest point, Kengamine, once carried the Mount Fuji weather station and its radar dome.
No other landform is as bound up with the idea of Japan. Fuji was worshipped as the home of a fire deity, later identified with the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime, and from the Edo period onwards mass pilgrim associations climbed it in white robes. Painters, poets and printmakers turned it into a national emblem long before it appeared on banknotes and postage stamps.
Today the mountain is climbed by large numbers of people each summer, most of them in a single night to see the sunrise (goraikō) from the summit. Its lower slopes hold lakes, lava caves, spring-fed ponds and the Aokigahara forest, and the entire area belongs to Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The boundary between Yamanashi and Shizuoka has never been fixed on the summit itself, which is held by Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha.
Landscape and formation
Fuji is a young stratovolcano built on top of older ones. Beneath it lie Komitake and Ko-Fuji (Old Fuji); the present cone, Shin-Fuji (New Fuji), has grown over roughly the past 10,000 years from basaltic lava flows and tephra, which explains its unusually regular, steep upper slopes. Fuji sits where three plates meet – the Eurasian, North American and Philippine Sea plates – which feeds its magma and the frequent earthquakes of the region.
The historical record lists more than a dozen eruptions. The Jōgan eruption of 864–866 sent lava from the north-west flank into a large lake called Senoumi, splitting it into today's Lake Sai and Lake Shōji; the lava field is now covered by the Aokigahara forest. The Hōei eruption of 1707, on the south-east flank, was explosive: it blew out the Hōei crater and deposited ash on Edo, about 100 km away.
Rain and snowmelt sink into the porous lava and re-emerge decades later as cold, clear springs at the foot of the mountain – at Oshino Hakkai, at the Shiraito Falls and in the Kakitagawa river. The upper slopes are bare scoria; the treeline lies at about 2,500 m, lower than on comparable peaks, because the young volcanic soil has had little time to develop.
Highlights
Kengamine
剣ヶ峰KengamineThe highest point of the crater rim and of Japan, on the south-west side of the crater, marked by a survey pillar and the former weather station.
Ohachi-meguri
お鉢巡りOhachi-meguriThe circuit of the summit crater, about 3 km and roughly one and a half hours, passing eight peaks and the summit shrines.
Hōei crater
宝永火口Hōei kakōThe crater of the 1707 eruption on the south-east flank, reached by short trails from the Fujinomiya 5th Station.
Aokigahara
青木ヶ原樹海Aokigahara jukaiA dense forest of hemlock, cypress and moss growing on the 864 lava flow, with lava caves such as the Fugaku Wind Cave and Narusawa Ice Cave.
- 富士五湖Fuji-goko
Yamanaka, Kawaguchi, Sai, Shōji and Motosu, dammed by lava on the northern foot; the classic viewpoints over Fuji.
- 白糸ノ滝Shiraito no Taki
A broad curtain of spring water emerging from the lava layers on the south-western foot, a component of the World Heritage site.
Ecology
Vegetation on Fuji changes in clear belts: deciduous and mixed forest at the foot, subalpine conifers of fir and hemlock above about 1,600 m, and a thin fringe of dwarfed larch and alder at the treeline. The scree above is one of the most barren high zones in Japan, colonised only by a few pioneer plants. Because the volcano is so young, it has few endemic species compared with the older Alps.
Flora
Japanese larch
カラマツkaramatsuGrows as a low, wind-flattened shrub at the treeline, around the Okuniwa and Oniwa areas.
Fuji thistle
フジアザミfuji-azamiJapan's largest thistle, with big nodding flower heads; a pioneer on loose volcanic scree.
Aokigahara forest
Tsuga (hemlock) and hinoki cypress forest rooted in thin soil over lava, with a dense moss layer.
Fauna
Japanese serow
カモシカkamoshikaA goat-antelope of the forest belt, protected as a special natural monument.
Spotted nutcracker
ホシガラスhoshigarasuCommon in the subalpine forest, where it caches conifer seeds.
Asian black bear
ツキノワグマtsukinowagumaPresent in the forests around the base; rarely seen on the climbing routes.
Culture
Fuji worship began as the pacification of a dangerous volcano: Sengen shrines were founded at its foot to calm the mountain after eruptions. Ascetics of Shugendō climbed it from the Heian period, and in the Edo period the Fuji-kō pilgrim associations, inspired by the ascetic Hasegawa Kakugyō and his successor Jikigyō Miroku, made the climb a popular devotion. Members who could not travel climbed fujizuka, miniature Fuji mounds built at shrines in Edo. Women were barred from the summit until 1872.
In art, Fuji appears from the Heian period onwards; the Man'yōshū already praises it. Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1830–1832), including The Great Wave off Kanagawa, and Utagawa Hiroshige's views along the Tōkaidō carried its image around the world and shaped Western Japonisme.
Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha
富士山本宮浅間大社Fujisan Hongū Sengen TaishaHead shrine of the roughly 1,300 Sengen shrines, in Fujinomiya; it owns the summit area above the eighth station and keeps an inner shrine on the crater rim.
Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja
北口本宮冨士浅間神社Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen JinjaThe cedar-lined shrine in Fujiyoshida where the Yoshida pilgrim route traditionally begins.
Oshi lodgings
御師住宅oshi jūtakuHouses of the oshi, the priests who guided and lodged pilgrims, preserved in Fujiyoshida.
Miho no Matsubara
三保松原Miho no MatsubaraA pine-lined spit in Shizuoka City, some 45 km from the summit, included in the World Heritage site as the classic view of Fuji across the sea.
Oshino Hakkai
忍野八海Oshino HakkaiEight spring ponds fed by Fuji's groundwater, once used by pilgrims for purification.
History
8th century
The Man'yōshū anthology includes poems praising Fuji as a sacred, fire-breathing peak.
864–866
Jōgan eruption: lava from the north-west flank divides Lake Senoumi into Lakes Sai and Shōji and forms the base of Aokigahara.
12th century
The ascetic Matsudai Shōnin climbs repeatedly and founds a temple on the summit; Shugendō practice on Fuji takes shape.
1707
Hōei eruption, the most recent, opens the Hōei crater and deposits ash on Edo.
c. 1830–1832
Hokusai publishes the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
1872
The ban on women climbing to the summit is lifted.
1932
A permanent weather observatory opens on the summit (unstaffed since 2004).
1936
Fuji becomes part of Fuji-Hakone National Park, later Fuji-Hakone-Izu.
2013
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural site.
Through the seasons
Spring
Snow lies high on the cone into June; cherry blossom and moss phlox around the northern lakes frame the white summit. The climbing routes are closed.
Summer
The climbing season, roughly July to early September, when huts open and the summit is usually free of snow. The peak is often hidden in cloud by day; nights on the summit are close to freezing.
Autumn
The first snow usually dusts the summit in late September or October. Autumn leaves colour the lakes from late October, and the air becomes clearer.
Winter
The clearest season for views, from Tokyo, the Izu coast and the lakes. The mountain is under hard ice and exposed to violent winds; winter ascents are serious mountaineering undertakings.
Routes and trails
Yoshida Trail (Yamanashi)
From the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station at about 2,300 m; roughly 6 hours up and 4 down. The most huts and the busiest route; ascent and descent follow separate paths.
Fujinomiya Trail (Shizuoka)
From the highest trailhead, about 2,400 m, on the south side; roughly 5 hours up and 3–4 down. Shortest but steep, and reaches the summit close to Kengamine.
Subashiri Trail (Shizuoka)
From about 2,000 m on the east side, through forest before the scree; around 6 hours up. Joins the Yoshida Trail at the eighth station; the descent includes the sand-run (sunabashiri).
Gotemba Trail (Shizuoka)
From about 1,450 m, the lowest start, with the greatest height gain and few huts; 7–8 hours up. Long and physically demanding, rewarded by the fast Ōsunabashiri sand descent.
Yoshidaguchi pilgrim route
The historical route from Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Jinja through the forest to the 5th Station, about 5 hours of walking before the upper mountain.
Practical notes
- Climbing is regulated by Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures: a climbing fee, advance registration and time or number limits have been introduced on the routes. Rules change from year to year; check the official Fuji climbing site and the prefectures before planning.
- Altitude sickness is common because most climbers ascend from 2,300 m to 3,776 m within a day. Sleeping at a hut around the seventh or eighth station and climbing slowly reduces the risk.
- Even in August, summit temperatures near dawn can fall to around freezing, with strong wind; warm layers, rain gear, a headlamp, gloves and water are essential.
- Outside the official season the huts are closed and conditions are wintry; ascent is strongly discouraged by the authorities and only for experienced mountaineers.
- The 5th Stations are reached by bus from Kawaguchiko, Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Shinjuku; private cars are restricted on some access roads during the season.
- Fuji is monitored as an active volcano; current volcanic information is published by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Frequently asked questions
How high is Mount Fuji?
The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan gives 3,776 m for Kengamine, the highest point on the crater rim. It is the highest mountain in Japan by a wide margin; the second, Kita-dake, reaches 3,193 m.
When can Mount Fuji be climbed?
The official climbing season is the snow-free summer, roughly from early July to early September, when huts and first-aid posts are open. Exact opening dates, the climbing fee and advance registration are set each year by Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures and published on the official Fuji climbing site.
Which route is best for a first ascent?
The Yoshida Trail from the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station on the Yamanashi side has the most huts and the most support, which is why most first-timers choose it. The Fujinomiya Trail is the shortest in distance but steeper; Subashiri and Gotemba are quieter and longer.
Is Mount Fuji still an active volcano?
Yes. The Japan Meteorological Agency lists Fuji as an active volcano and monitors it continuously. Its last eruption, in 1707, blew out the Hōei crater on the south-east flank and dropped ash on Edo, today's Tokyo.
Why is Fuji a cultural rather than a natural World Heritage site?
UNESCO recognised Fuji for its role as an object of worship and pilgrimage and as a source of art, from Hokusai and Hiroshige to poetry. The 25 component parts include shrines, pilgrim lodgings, lakes, springs and the summit area itself.
Related
Sources
- 1.日本の主な山岳標高 (opens in a new tab) — 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
- 2.Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- 3.富士山 — 火山登山者向けの情報提供ページ / 活火山 (opens in a new tab) — 気象庁 (Japan Meteorological Agency)
- 4.富士箱根伊豆国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 5.Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing (opens in a new tab) — Fujisan climbing information (Ministry of the Environment, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures)