Goodbye Tokyo!
On the morning of the 21st I loaded up all of my gear, said goodbye to the Tokyo hostel, and walked to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal. I swear I left the hostel early, but somehow I was running late when I arrived at the terminal. I rushed to the nearest employee and showed her my ticket asking, "これはどこですか ?" (kore wa doko desuka ~ "where is this", those of you who have been studying your Japanese survival phrases from the last post should recognize this phrase 😎). She pointed out my terminal, and I made it on the bus just before it pulled out of the station - phew! The bus ride was scheduled to take an hour and half, but due to traffic, we were on the road for 3 and a half. I wasn't stressing it though. As we were sitting on the expressway, I had a lot of fun car shopping out the window! Most of Japan's vehicle market is dominated by kei cars - a Japanese-made class of ultra-compact cars. My favorites that I saw were the Suzuki Hustler, Toyota Alphard, and Toyota Hilux pickup.
Finally, we arrived in Fujikawaguchiko, a small resort town north of Mt. Fuji. This was where I almost made my biggest mistake so far. When disembarking the bus, I left my wallet behind! I got off the bus, completely unaware, and collected my bags. I am so so so grateful that I stood there at the station for a minute fiddling with my luggage and pulling up my hostel information. Soon, the bus driver came running out the bus waving my wallet in the air and shouting for its owner. Thank you bus driver-san for saving my dumbass!!
New Hostel, New Me
My hostel in Fujikawaguchiko was incredible! Granted, it was the most expensive hostel I've ever booked at $31/night, but I think it was well worth it. The hostel was in an old, wooden building that felt more like a boutique hotel than a traveler's hostel. The dorm only had room for 12 guests, so it felt very intimate. Additionally, the beds were big, the bedding was nice, and the facilities were clean. The people there also made my stay special! I think the 2 Japanese girls who made up the staff lived at the hostel because they were always around - working the reception during the day, taking smoke breaks with guests in the courtyard, and serving at the hostel's restaurant/bar at night. They were incredibly friendly and really made me feel comfortable. Since many of the other guests were also there to climb Mt. Fuji on the same day as me, I made a few friends that I would later see on the trail. Shoutout to Arthur from France and Unnamed Hiker from Denmark!
As with last time, for any travelers interested, I stayed at Kagelow Mt. Fuji Hostel!
Prepping for the climb
So, you think you’ve got what it takes to climb Fuji? Sure, head to the trailhead and give it your best sho-NOT!!!
Mt. Fuji is not a peak that you can just drive to the trailhead and hike at your own discretion; you’ll need to jump through more hoops for this than when you try to cancel a gym membership!
First, you need to make sure you are in the climbing season. Trails, aid stations, and mountain huts are all closed outside of June-September.
Second, you need to decide what trail you are taking. There are 4 to choose from, with the Yoshida trail being the easiest and most popular (this is the trail that I, and everyone else I've talked to that has summited Fuji, climbed).
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| Mt. Fuji trail map |
Third, decide on your dates and pay the 4000-yen trail entrance fee.
Fourth, decide if you’re ascending in 1 day or splitting it into 2. If 2, mountain huts need to be reserved in April or May. A lot of people choose this option so they can be on the summit for the sunrise and lessen the difficulty of the climb by spreading it between 2 days. I on the other hand, am on a tight schedule so 1 day it is. Also, far fewer logistics!!
Fifth, you need to have proper gear. The staff at the trailhead will not let you start the climb if you don’t have a raincoat, rain pants, and proper hiking shoes, no matter what the forecast calls for that day. Not wanting to bring a full rain suit for only this occasion, I opted to rent a jacket and pants from a local outdoor shop. The guy at the shop didn't speak more than a few words of English, but was happy to help me find the right gear. After getting sized up and fitted (I guess I wear an XXL in Japan...), I paid 3000 yen and was ready to go. The man told me that they close the following day at 5. Huh, seems a little early to be the return deadline, but whatever, surely I'll be down by then.
Sixth, on the day of the climb, head to the bus station and purchase a round-trip ticket (I believe it was around 2500 yen).
I hope you can see how quickly these costs are adding up... but we're not done yet!
The Ascent
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| One of the many rest stations on the Yoshida trail. |
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| A Fuji staff with stamps |
On the day of my climb, despite the forecast calling for rain all day, I only had spotted cloud cover with no precipitation! I was thrilled to be able to climb with sure footing and only in my t-shirt and pants the whole way (although this would come back to bite me BIG time later...see My Advice below...). I made it to the top in just under 4 hours!
The Summit
If you're lucky enough to have a semi-clear day like I did, the summit is incredible! Fuji is the highest point in Japan, and you can even see clear to Tokyo on some rare occasions. Although I wasn't that lucky, I was still able to enjoy a breathtaking view of Fujikawaguchiko and the surrounding towns. At the top, there is a restaurant, multiple shops for resupplying, and plenty of souvenirs. It's like a little village up there. I had heard that the food wasn't very good and was a bit overpriced, but dammit I was hungry and I felt like I deserved a reward for my climb! I got a bowl of udon (kinda like ramen, but with thicker noodles, lighter broth, and different toppings) and an Asahi - everyone's favorite Japanese canned lager. Perhaps it was just because I was running on fumes, but that bowl of udon tasted heavenly. And the price really wasn't that egregious, at least not compared to what I pay for food on the top of a ski hill. 😒
If you didn't know, Mt. Fuji is a volcano so make sure to watch out for spewing lava at the top! Ahhhh just kidding, it is a volcano, but it hasn't erupted in over 300 years and shows no signs of erupting again anytime soon. When I finished eating my lunch, I took the time to hike around the rim of the crater so I could see down into the bottom of it. Unfortunately, no lava, just a lot of dirt, but the hike itself was a lot of fun. I got to see where the other trails come up the mountain, the weather research facility, and visit the shrine at the actual highest tip-top point of the summit. When you all do your Fuji hikes in the future, I recommend hiking around the rim if you have time!
The Descent
The Yoshida trail's descent is pretty infamous for being the hardest part of the expedition. It's long, boring, steep, and the ground is nothing but loose volcanic gravel and dirt. This culminates in a descent almost entirely made up of endless, steep switchbacks where the ground slides out from under your foot with every step. I had read online that on average it takes 3-3.5 hours and is incredibly rough on your shoes and knees. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to it.
I was just finishing up my walk around the crater when I checked the time. It was 2:15. That's not good. That's actually really, really bad!! I had to be back at the rental shop by 5 to return my rain gear (that I didn't use). The bus ride back to town is just under an hour (if we don't get caught in traffic) and the bus only departs once per hour on the 45-minute mark. If I didn't make it in time, not only would I have to pay the late fee for returning it a day late, but I'd also have to reschedule my bus and bullet train rides the next day! So that mean, I have to be down at the bottom by 3:45 to even have a chance of making it on time. SHIT! I HAVE TO BE DOWN BY 3:45!!!!
I started the descent at 2:20 - T minus 85 minutes till takeoff. I ran. The unstable ground of the trail made it incredibly technical - each step was unsure. Step, slide. Step, slide. Stumble, recover, step, slide. I was way past the 'calculated risk' level and was well into 'asking to get injured' territory.
Switchback after switchback, I kept at it, moving past dozens of slow movers (or, I guess, normal movers) with each minute that passed. I went through every emotion on this descent. There were times where I had no doubt in my mind that I would make it and others when I was completely hopeless and ready to throw in the towel. I ran and ran and ran until finally I made it back to the parking lot and looked at my watch: 3:40. My feet were numb, I was tasting blood in my mouth, and my knees felt as if they had been reduced to dust, but I had made the descent in 80 minutes flat (telling this story to Arthur later that night in the hostel, he didn't believe it).
I secured a seat on the bus, and we rolled back into town. I made it to the rental shop by 4:45! I burst through the door and returned my gear just in time. The woman at the shop asked if I had been rained on. I told her no, but shared the story of my descent. She didn't really understand at first, asking, "How far did you run? Just through the parking lot to catch the bus?" "Nope", I replied, "the whole thing". I don't think she had ever heard of anyone doing that. Once she understood what I was telling her, her face went pale. She told me with many apologies that I could've returned the gear any time after closing; I just needed to leave it outside the front door of the shop. 😐
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| My gyoza dinner after the descent. The recipe was created by one of the hostel workers. Yum!! |
My Advice
#1 - Wear (or at least bring) sunscreen. Since all forecasts were calling for rain on the day of my climb, sunscreen didn't even enter my thought process. Fast forward to the day after, and I had the worst sunburn of my entire life. Even now, writing this blog, my face, neck, hands, and arms are all blistering and peeling and I am the same color as Mr. Krabs. It's made it much more difficult, physically and mentally, to do 14 hour days in Kyoto. Please, please, please wear sunscreen!!
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| Ouch. |
#2 - Start early. It is definitely an all-day endeavor and would take even longer on a rainy day. Additionally, the trail is packed. There are multiple spots where you will be forced to move at the pace of the crowd since the trail isn't wide enough to pass. It's also very easy to spend a few hours at the peak - you've gotta take pictures, buy souvenirs & lunch, and hike around the crater's rim. This is all fine as long as you start early enough to hike back down before sunset.
#3 - Don't be scared! As I mentioned earlier, it's easy to psych yourself out for a longer climb like this by watching and reading stuff about it online. In my experience, it really wasn't nearly as bad as people would make you believe. Know your limits, take your time, come well-prepared, and you'll be just dandy. And for the love of god, if you're under the age of 50 and in somewhat decent shape, you do not need trekking poles...those things are a psyop.
#4 - Prepare financially! From the trail permit, bus ticket, gear rental, and all the on-mountain expenses - your wallet might be hurting a bit afterwards (I know mine was). Speaking of on-mountain expenses, bring lots of cash, this means coins too! Everything on the mountain is cash only, so even if you don't plan on buying anything, it's better to be safe than sorry. I ran out of cash and wasn't able to use the restroom on the way down (not that I had time to stop anyways).
#5 - Confirm what time you need to return your rental gear by. VERY important info to know.
#6 - This is really just personal preference for long hikes, but get yourself a pair of outdoor pants than zip off at the knee. When hiking, you can unzip them halfway to keep the protection of pants while gaining the breathability of shorts! And you don't need to drop hundreds on a pair from Arcteryx - I have 2 pairs and thrifted them both.
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| Shants (trademark pending) in action 😎 |
If you want to climb Mt. Fuji, absolutely do it! It's not the most fun hike in the world, but the views from the summit and the feeling of achievement that accompany them really make it worth it. There's a famous Japanese proverb that goes, "A wise man climbs Mt. Fuji once, only a fool climbs it twice". I would have to agree; I am in no hurry to do that again. But if anyone ever needs a climbing buddy for Fuji, I'd be willing to forgo my "wise man" status. :)
Survival Japanese 201
Time for our second lesson! You would not believe the number of foreigners I see here who do not know a single word of Japanese. To me (and to Japanese people, from what I hear), that just seems disrespectful. These are a few more phrases that I've been using whenever I can to appear a bit less clueless. Try them out!
- いただきます! ~ Itadakimasu ~ "I humbly receive"/"Thank you for the meal"
- This phrase is said before you even touch your chopsticks at every meal. I really like this phrase because in contrast to America where it is customary for many to say a prayer before a meal, いただきます is a way to say thank you directly to all the people and animals that went into preparing the meal. The farmers, the fishermen, the fish, the cow, the delivery driver, the waitress, the cook - whoever is due for thanks is given it with this saying. I suppose it's like a prayer without the religion part and without the part where you have to sit through your relative's 10-minute-long appeal to god while your food gets cold.
- ごちそうさまでした! ~ Gochisousama deshita ~ "Thank you for the meal!"/"It was a feast!"
- The twin of いただきます, this phrase is said after a meal to, again, thank everyone involved in feeding you.
- はじめまして. ~ Hajimemashite ~ "Nice to meet you!"
- おはようございます! ~ Ohayo gozaimasu ~ "Good morning!"
- これをください. ~ Kore o kudasai ~ "This please!"
- A super easy phrase to use when ordering at a restaurant! Most menus in Japan have pictures, so just point to what you want and say "これをください".
- おすすめは何ですか？~ Osusume wa nan desu ka ~ "What's your recommendation?"
- This is probably our most advanced phrase yet and it's definitely not one you will ever hear other foreigners using. However, it's super helpful and is sure to impress! As someone who likes to try whatever the locals like, I love using this phrase.
Where To Next?
The next issue of Landen's Letters will cover my time hopping around temples, shrines, castles, and more in Japan's historic capitol, Kyoto! I hope you'll come along with me. In the meantime, if there's any questions about Fuji, Tokyo, or otherwise, you all have my number. As always, thanks for reading!
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| Getting lost in 1000-year-old shrines, treating 2nd degree burns, and feeding monkeys apple slices? Hear about it all in the next post! |
じゃあね!
🎵NOW PLAYING🎵
サマースクール - SEAPOOL
Aoi, Koi, Daidaiiro No Hi - MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS
ないものねだり - KANA-BOON
END OF POST 003
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