Mount Fuji climb

[Insomnesiac]

Hi guys, a little help here.

I'm planning to do a night climb(no stop) up Mount Fuji starting from the 5th station in late July(busy season).

This is my first time*blushes* so I would like to check if the clothing I'm bringing is sufficient.

I'm planning to start with a t-shirt, and when it gets cold. layer on a long sleeve cotton sweater and a windbreaker. Pants wise I'll wear a comfortable cotton pants and bring along a track pants(to ward off rain). Thick cotton socks with hiking shoes and gloves for my limbs.

Is this good enough? Hope to hear from those with experience

 

[evilerniex]

u can PM-ing Ernestx or snap99... they are the veteran hikers here
secretzone also did mt fuji before if i remember correctly

 

[Insomnesiac]

thanks for letting me know!

 

[snap99]

1) I'll avoid cotton. Wear synthetics nylon, polyester.
2) Dun forget your rain gear. Get some waterproof (like those they used for motorbikes) if you wan something not too expensive. Good thing about motorcycle rainpants, they allow you to put them over your base pants WITHOUT taking off your boots.
3) It really gets cold the moment you hit the top and you stop. Bring warm stuff otherwise you will shiver as you wait for sunrise.
4) Bring your own thermos of coffee or tea, unless you want to pay 400 yen for the elusive hot canned coffee. Being your own food too.
5) The highest point is at the weather station (where the dome is). It is not at the torii where you will come up (you are using the kawaguchii route).
6) wear sunblock, esp if you intend to loiter at the top till late in the morning. UV is strong up there.
7) Goves is a must. If possible should be waterproof, if not bring extra in case the first one gets wet.
8) Go slow, esp if you have never done such heights before. You should feel loss of breathe near the top.

 

[snap99]

Hi snap99, when did you climb Mt. Fuji? What is the temperature at the top? To see sunrise, what time did you start the climb?

i climbed in july and aug. Prefer july due to less crowds (summer holidays in august). If you use the kawaguchi-ko route (from 5th station) takes about 5 hours comfortable. Start about 10pm, you get up there by 3-4 am, sunrise is 430am ? thereabouts. I dun know how cold is it, but definitely not zero, but enough to shiver (because at the top you would be stationary/sitting while waiting for sunrise). Other 3 official routes takes different times to get up.

 

[snap99]

ok- i am assuming you are fit enough to do it at one go (with rest stops along the way).
The reason i dun do it is becasue the huts are not cheap (7K-9K yen for sleeping, or 1k-2K for "rest". Also they are crowded hence i am not sure how much sleep you will get.
I prefer to sleep in the afternoon, then get up and catch the bus to get to 5th station.
Yes there is a route starting from 1st station which is a shrine at Fujiyoshida city. This one is LONG !

 

[panDaz]

I climbed mt fuji some years ago too. I'm not the fit type, never do exercises but I like hiking. It was really tough climbing the mountain at one go. I did the overnight climb. I was very slow so by the time I'm at the 8.5th station it was sunrise. Great view but really really cold at dawn. I was shivering and had to seek shelter in one of those inns selling expensive drinks and food, but they were hot so I didn't care about the price at that point. Please bring proper clothing. And its very sandy up there. My friend had to buy googles because her eyes got so irritated. Above station 8.5, the air gets thinner and every step you take will be tiring (maybe for me. hahaha..)

If you do exercise regularly/pretty fit, it shouldn't be a big problem to climb at one go, skipping the sleeping in inns portion. As what snap99 said, they are expensive and crowded.

Remember to buy the wooden rods and get your station stamps! They are a very nice souvenir. They got long wooden ones which you can use as a walking stick, but gonna be great trouble bringing back. I got the short ones, easy to pack. =) Enjoy your climb!

 

[Syaitann]

Hi S8027600A, ur earlier post mentioned u have a Japan trip and wanna climb in Aug. FYI I'll be attempting the climb on Aug 14th (I know Obon week, haha), if u need a buddy I can oblige. Also will be my 1st ever climb and doing it solo.
My itenary
Mon, Aug 13th
6am leave Tokyo, 8am arrive Kawaguchiko then check in K'Hostel(or just leave bag)
8.50am join 1day bus tour(5,500yen), ends 6pm
Tues, Aug 14th
Checkout hostel and head for 5th station, ascend.
Wed, Aug 15th
Descent, return to Tokyo(or stay another night in Fuji to explore)

Cheers,
Nua

 

[panDaz]

i climbed in July, think i reached 5th station ard 9 or 10pm. Reached 8.5 around 6am. Normally people will be at the peak by then.

Be careful do not stray from the main route. Use headlights at night because you need your hands to climb up the steeper portions from 6 to 7/8 station.

wooden rod not exactly a hiking stick, but some people use it like one. Can be bought at 5th station

 

[Syaitann]

Good to hear that and yes I've booked everything. Primary reason is the 1 day tour, only available on Mon and Thurs during Aug.
Your dates are not too far off from mine either, lol. I'll arrive Aug 3rd leaving Sept 3rd but my Fuji climb is limited to those dates cos I wanna get it done early. My full itenary so far
3-arrive
4-5-weekend Tokyo
6-10-5days language course (excursion inclusive)
11-12-weeked Tokyo
13-15(or16)-Fuji
17-20-Suzuka SuperGT
21-1/9-Tokyo sightseeing + undecided pending budget haha
2-Tsukuba Classic car event
3-go home

 

[panDaz]

I think daiso might have headlights? The cheapo types, but as long as there's light, no one cares. You can use hand-carry torchlight too, I did that, but a bit more troublesome la.. Best to keep your hands free. Else go when there's full moon. Hahaha..

 

[evilerniex]

I think daiso might have headlights? The cheapo types, but as long as there's light, no one cares. You can use hand-carry torchlight too, I did that, but a bit more troublesome la.. Best to keep your hands free. Else go when there's full moon. Hahaha..

i suggest getting a decent headlight or torchlight. daiso stuff not very reliable, dunno if it will fail halfway

 

[panDaz]

Another thing, bring a beanie to keep your head warm. I forgot and it was really bad.. Actually on the whole i was ill prepared for the trip. Don't underestimate mother nature, that's the lesson I learnt. Keep warm, wear comfortably and enjoy the view.

 

[panDaz]

no need winterwear la.. halfway up when u feel cold wear more layers, get a proper windbreaker, you are good to go.

it will get warm once you hike down so wear layers that you can take off easily.

 

[panDaz]

Fuji Q not very far away but I've never gone directly from Mt Fuji to FujiQ before, so I have no idea how long it will take. You want to go amusement park after climbing a mountain? hahaha.. I concussed for a day before I went out to civilization..

 

[snap99]

Another thing, bring a beanie to keep your head warm. I forgot and it was really bad.. Actually on the whole i was ill prepared for the trip. Don't underestimate mother nature, that's the lesson I learnt. Keep warm, wear comfortably and enjoy the view.

Agree ..... be prepared.
One time i was climbing ... as usual the fuji crowd in front. And it rained. And the people stopped moving !! Imagine being stuck at 3000m, in rain, and freezing cold, and there is no where to shelter or hide !
I was thankful for my rain gear (the big rain pants allowed me to slip on the waterproofs w/o taking off boots), and proper windproof top with a good tight hood.

 

[snap99]

its at the base of mt fuji ... see this pic (kope from other people blog)

 

[evilerniex]

is aokigahara far from mt. fuji?

u are thinking of going there??!!

 

[panDaz]

lol.. its just trees and........ hmm.. take care not to get lost in there!

 

[Syaitann]

Might wanna join this tour I'm joining, the forest is part of the tour.

Mt.Fuji One Day Bus Tour for budge travellers

Wind cave is located at Shoji-guchi trail, which is probably least visited trail in Mt.Fuji. The trail remains quite wild and shows mysterious atmosphere of Aokigahara forest.