Originally Posted By: WanderingJim
Fantastic!

Glad you went to the real summit. I saw lots of people stopping at the crater rim and thinking it was the top. At least you didn't have a line of people waiting to get to the marker like I did all three times I summited. smile

Don't know if I'd do a day hike up Fuji (I love it so much I like to take my time).

I did experience the winds as well. Made taking my nighttime 30-second exposures really hard since the wind would blow my camera around.

Like you, I'm one of the fools who have climbed it more than once. smile

I took your route the first time, then a full climb up from the base at Sengan Shrine (somehow I managed the 8,300 feet elevation climb in one day) and two nights in the huts near the summit to get two sunrises. Then down the Gotemba trail for a new view as I descended (if you do it a third time, I highly recommend this trail for descending).

Both of my hikes were in August, so no snow to speak of. Fuji looked so weird without the snow cap.

I know I'll do it a third time (I love Japan (11 trips there so far) and they have some fantastic trekking trails through their mountains), just not sure when.



Hey Jim,

That's great you did the climb from the Sengen shrine. Did you stay near the trailhead or get dropped off with a taxi/bus there?

Did you hike in the night or in daylight? How was the route in the dark? I was wondering how the route is in the pitch black if you did it at night, I want this to be my next climb.