Climbing Mount Fuji (Japan’s Tallest Volcano)
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 12,388 feet tall. It is also an active volcano. It is estimated that about 300,000 people try to climb Mt. Fuji every year. Not everyone succeeds. Mt. Fuji is located about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo.
The official climbing season of Mt. Fuji is from July 1st to the end of August. The off season climb is discouraged due to the bad climate. My husband and I climbed to the summit of Mount Fuji in mid-August of 2006.
It is by no means an easy climb. The thin air at high altitude, freezing temperatures and sudden extreme thunderstorms make it even more challenging.
Many people start climbing Mt. Fuji in the afternoon, get a couple of hours rest in a mountain hut (which is nothing more than rows of mattresses lined up on a floor and shared with total strangers). Then, they continue climbing through the night with flashlights to arrive at the summit in time to watch the sunrise - which is an amazing sight to behold. That is what we did and arrived at the summit right on time.
Here are some photos I took during our climb to the summit of Mont Fuji.
Photos by Lulis Leal
August 2006
