After walking about 15 minutes, we arrive at the Asama shrine.
Due to it being August 30th the shrine was closed.

At the Okumiya, there is a Mt. Fuji postal office compounded, and you can receive a memorial stamp. In memory of climbing to the peak you can send things to friends, families, or yourself, but unfortunately it was already closed. The service areas are from the beginning of July until the end of August.

The Fujimiya course right under our eyes, we glance at the Suruga Bay

Five minutes from the Fujimiya exit we arrive at the peak of Gotemba exit.

This is natural spring called Ginmeisui, but it has a very small aMt. of water, and you cannot drink it. It seems to be that if you pay a fee at the Asama Shrine they will give you water.

In the Gotemba course there is the “run down the pebbles” (it is a course that goes down the sand area; the best part is that you can increase your speed. It is said that one step is equal to three meters), there must be a lot of people who go down this way.

Walking further in 30 minutes we arrive at the Yoshida and Subashiri exit descent point. (Picture: we returned from the torii)
We arrive at the Kusushi shrine a few minutes from the start.

This day was sunny, the view was amazing, and we enjoyed the crater exploration very much.

■The descent path is a consistent path. Please beware of the forks in the path and bathrooms
We enjoyed the peak, so after preparing for the return, we decided to say good bye to the peak.
At 7:25 we begin our way back down.

There are two things to be careful of while going back down the Yoshida route.
One is the forks in the path.

The Yoshida route and Subashiri route’s returning path is the same on the way, and 10 minute away from Mt. Fuji Hotel backdoor, near the Edo house fork.

There is a sign so be aware of it. The symbol color of Yoshida route is yellow, Subashiri is red, and for the fork in the road both of the colors are used, so if the signs turn into red you will know that you went towards the Subashiri route. After going down the Subashiri exit 5th, it is said to cost about 20000yen by taxi to go back to the Subaru line (Kawaguchi exit) 5th.

The other one is to prepare for the toilets and water.

On the Yoshida route, the descent path is a different route than the climbing route, other than passing by the huts in 8th area, there are absolutely no huts.
Drinking water and toilet paper is to be prepared near the huts in 8th.
Once you have passed the Edo house that is in the 8th it will be about an hour until the next bathroom at the 7th.

To take goods to the peak a bulldozer path is used to return back.

It may look easy to walk on, but it is easy to trip due to the sand. The further down you go the more burden there is on your knees. It is a dry land so sandstorms are easily created. To make sure you are not covered completely in sand, we recommend wearing masks and spandex for Mountain climbing.

It is a consistent long path so it is quite painful.

At 7:45, we arrived at the back of the Mt. Fuji Hotel that we stayed at (8th: 3400 meters).
It is an calculation that we went down 300 meters in 20 minutes.

Further on, about 10 minutes ahead, is the decent Edo fork. For the Yoshida route take the path in the left side, the yellow color is the symbol.

On your way, you will pass the emergency shelter area and we arrived at the bathroom at the 7th (2700 meters) at 8:30.

Further below, the endless path that continued from the peak comes to a final end, and is far from the 6th, so you will walk horizontally.

On our way there is a tunnel to prevent falling rocks.

After walking a while a horse was waiting. You can ride it until the 5th with the fee of 12000yen; it is good to make use of this when you feel that you can walk no longer.

On our way back we ran into a bulldozer. It was being used to send goods to the huts and peak.

We come back to meet the climbing paths, and went down further until we arrive at the 6th. It was 9:00.

If you look back at the peak, there is a hut stuck to the Mountain’s surface. It is a deep feeling to think that we climbed that far up.
From the 6th we make way towards the Fuji Subaru line 5th while looking at the Mountain’s nature.

At 9:45, we arrived at the Fuji Subaru line 5th.
From the peak it took about 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was a fast walk back down.
The headaches had disappeared before we knew it. It must be proof that the oxygen density was high.

To confirm the way back, we checked the return sheet. This is a system only for those on a tour..

This tour included a plan in which we would stop by a hot spring after coming down.
At the foot of the hot springs facilities, we washed away the dirt, and were able to refresh ourselves.

Afterwards we made our way back to Shinjuku and dismissed around 16:00.

Being a Japanese person, it was my first time climbing Mt. Fuji, but this time we were very lucky. We were lucky because the weather was so good and because we were able to see the sunrise.

At times our altitude sickness was bad, but we miraculously recovered after sleeping at the hut. Even if you climb Mt. Fuji, there are times when you have to give up going to the peak due to bad weather, and there re stories where people go to the peak but are not able to see the sunrise.

If you think of it that way, I think that we were very lucky.

Mt. Fuji’s name is very well know, and seeing so many foreigners there was a very happy thing. The climbing path has English, Chinese, Korean, so it is very easy for tourists and foreigners living in Japan to try climbing. I want to recommend climbing Mt. Fuji to everyone.

It is said that Mt. Fuji is difficult for beginners to climb, but I think that you have to be equipped with the right equipment. Prepare well, and strive for the peak in a perfect healthy condition.

Also, why not seeing the beautiful sunrise from the peak of the Mountain?

■Related Post
*Mt. Fuji experience report (Yoshida route) Part1
*Mt. Fuji experience report (Yoshida route) Part2
*Mt. Fuji experience report (Yoshida route) Part3