The Four Paths. 🧭
There are four trails to the summit. Each is color-coded. Do not attempt to climb "off-trail"—it is volcanic ash and highly unstable.
Yoshida (Yellow)
The most popular (60% of climbers). Lots of huts, aid stations, and crowds. Best for sunrise.
Fujinomiya (Blue)
Shortest and steepest. Rocky terrain. Good if you are physically fit but short on time.
Mountain Huts. 🛖
"Bullet climbing" (climbing overnight without sleeping) is now restricted. You must book a mountain hut ("Yamagoya") to rest for a few hours before the final push.
Reality Check
It is not a hotel. You sleep shoulder-to-shoulder in sleeping bags on tatami floors. It is noisy and cramped.
The Menu
Dinner is almost always curry rice. Breakfast is a boxed salmon or rice ball. It is fuel, not fine dining.
Branding
For a fee, huts will burn a brand into your wooden walking stick ("Kongozue"), marking your progress up the mountain.
Arrival of Light
The Main Event
Goraiko. ☀️
This is why you climb. "Goraiko" is the specific word for the sunrise viewed from the summit of Fuji. It translates to "The Coming of the Light."
The Sea of Clouds:
You are often looking down on the clouds ("Unkai"). As the sun breaches the horizon, the white clouds turn burning red.
Bring Cash. 💴
Credit cards do not work at 3,000 meters. You need 100-yen coins for toilets (yes, you have to pay) and cash for water/oxygen.
Cold Gear
It can be 30°C in Tokyo and 0°C at the summit. Bring winter gloves, a beanie, and a down jacket. Wind is the enemy.
Headlamp
Crucial. You will be hiking in pitch darkness from 2:00 AM to 4:30 AM to catch the sunrise.