I had always wanted to climb Mt. Fuji, especially after hearing about it from a Swedish friend who worked with me in Japan and had already climbed it. I’ve also climbed Mt. Asahidake, the highest peak in Hokkaido, several times with my kid, so Mt. Fuji was always on my mind. With the COVID-19 pandemic making it less crowded, the fact that I’ve been hiking regularly lately, and knowing I could avoid staying in a mountain hut, I decided to take on the challenge when I saw that the weekend weather was looking good.

This time, I chose the Fujinomiya route, the shortest way to the summit. I had assumed I could drive up to the 5th Station, but after doing some research, I found out that I had to park at Mizugatsuka Parking Lot (Japanese) and take a shuttle bus or taxi. I left home early and arrived at the parking lot before 5 a.m., but no taxis showed up, throwing off my plans. In the end, I took the shuttle bus to the 5th Station.

As soon as I started hiking from the 5th station, I was surprised to see the clouds below me. The mountain huts along the trail, where everyone passed by, were exactly how I had imagined them from pictures. Looking up from here, I realized that the iconic cone shape of Mt. Fuji isn’t as noticeable up close, which felt strangely interesting.

The reddish-brown trail was well-maintained and easy to walk. I had heard stories about the trail being overcrowded, but luckily, I had a smooth climb. Hoei crater, which I saw along the way, was much bigger than I expected, reminding me of how massive Mt. Fuji really is.

I thought I was pacing myself well, but by the 9th Station, my legs were getting heavy, and I was feeling quite tired. When I stopped to rest, I suddenly started yawning and felt drowsy, probably due to the thinner air. I decided to take a longer break, and I noticed that many others were also resting around this point, possibly for the same reason.

I safely reached the summit via the Fujinomiya route. After getting my official certificate from the summit post office and visiting the Okumiya Shrine of Asama Taisha, I stepped out the back and saw the massive crater and Kengamine, the highest point of Mt. Fuji. Kengamine looked surprisingly far and high, which was a bit discouraging 😉 My thighs felt like they were filled with lactic acid, but I pushed myself for one final effort to reach Kengamine. Realizing how tired I was, I decided to skip the crater walk (Ohachi-meguri) and focus on the descent.

The final ascent to Kengamine was steep and slippery, but I managed to reach the top. There was a line of people waiting to take photos at the stone marker of Japan’s highest peak, but thankfully, the line wasn’t too long. I later heard that it can get incredibly crowded at times. I was confident in my stamina for this “bullet climb,” but I’d like to climb again when things calm down after COVID and stay in a mountain hut to watch the sunrise.