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Standing majestically at a height of 3776 meters, Mt. Fuji (also known
as Fujisan) is Japan’s tallest mountain. With its near-perfect shape and
impressive snow capped peaks, it is little wonder that the mountain has
been worshipped as a sacred place and gained popularity among artists
and admirers of natural aesthetic beauty.
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Since ancient times, the name of Mt.
Fuji has been written in many ways and in many versions. The most common
of these names is “Fujisan,” which means incomparable, unique mountain.
Expressed as Fujisan, images of the mountains eternally snow capped
peaks even in the summer when there is no snow.
The mountain itself is actually a dormant volcano with its last eruption
in the year 1708. It stands on the border between the prefectures of
Yamanashi and Shizuoka and can usually be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama
on clear days.
 The
easiest and most convenient way to view Mount Fuji is to take the train
running along the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Osaka. If visitors were
to take the shinkansen or bullet train from Tokyo heading on to Nagoya,
Kyoto, and Osaka, the best views of Mt. Fuji can be found upon nearing
the Shin-Fuji Station on the train’s right hand side.
Some days however can be pretty unfortunate for some tourists when
clouds, fog, and general poor visibility can often obscure the view of
Mt. Fuji so tourists who do get to view the mountain on a clear day
should consider themselves lucky. Visibility can be a little better with
the entrance of the colder months of the year than in summer. Early
morning and late evening tend to have poor visibility too due to fog.
 To
enjoy Mount Fuji at a more leisurely pace and from a nice natural
surroundings, visitors should head on to the Fuji Five Lake (Fujigoko)
region at the northern foot of the mountain, or to Hakone, a nearby hot
spring resort. There, they can enjoy all the resort’s facilities and
bask in the hot spring pools against the stunning backdrop of Mt. Fuji.
While Mt. Fuji appears to be a simple cone, this outline belies its
complex history of growth. The volcano is actually a group of
superimposed cones. Fuji Volcano consists of three different volcanoes;
Komitake, Ko-Fuji (Older Fuji Volcano) and the present Fuji (Younger
Fuji Volcano) which lie one upon the other. In addition, the volcano is
studded with parasitic cones and flank openings amounting collectively
more than one hundred although most of them are too small to mar the
smooth lines of the host mountain.
Mt. Fuji, known to all, is the best mountain in Japan for hiking and
climbing.
The climbing season of Mt. Fuji is from July 1st to August 31st every
year.
This is the best season for climbing as the weather is usually good.
If furnished with a proper plan and equipment, and climbing at their own
pace, both young and old alike should have no problem in negotiating
this mountain.
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