Sacred Sunrise

"A wise man climbs Fuji once, but only a fool climbs twice", or so the old saying goes. First-time mountaineer James Morley recalls tackling Japan’s highest peak.

In The Land of the Rising Sun, watching the sunrise from Fuji’s summit was not to be missed. Even if it did involve climbing in the dark and with two German pilots reciting Monty Python sketches!

As the sun eased itself through the sea of clouds, a long blast from a conch shell heralded it’s arrival and a wave of feeling and applause swept across the exhausted crowd. Having climbed six hours up scree-covered granite, the blazing sun was a welcome sight to all, if only because it brought warmth to the chilly mountain top.

Revered as a sacred place and famed for its picture-postcard symmetry, Fuji-san was shaped by a 1707 eruption and has remained dormant ever since. More rumblings have been recorded lately though, so if you time your climb incorrectly, you may get some additional hanabi this summer.

We began our climb at the fifth station (go-gome), the start point for many of the 200,000 annual climbers. This is the highest point (2,035m, 7,562ft) accessible by road, and it was already dark when the bus from Shinjuku dropped us off at the gift shop. I was left wondering if the Himalayan foothills rue their lack of ‘Hello Kitty’ omiyage. Armed with extra batteries and a ¥100 flashlight we followed the bobbing caterpillar trail of lights up the mountain.
Compared to the masters of the mountain world, Fuji clocks in at a mere 3,776 metres high (12,388ft) to Everest’s 8,000m plus. It
still packs enough punch to claim lives though, especially off-season and in bad weather.

During the official climbing season (July 1 to August 31) most of the ten station’s huts are open, giving you the chance to replenish supplies, warm yourself at the fire (for a price) or even buy cans of oxygen (¥1,500) if the excitement of it all is making you feel light-headed. The air thins from about 3,000m upwards but unless you run up it (as some folks do) you should be OK.

While the early stages seemed surprisingly easy going, the path steepened quickly, winding back and forth towards the brightly burning lights of the next station. The only sounds were the ringing of anti-bear bells on climbers’ sticks, and the constant underfoot crunch of 10,000-year-old basaltic lava.

As the air became thinner and the cold set in, disaster struck. My climbing partner began to feel the breathlessness of altitude sickness, gasping for breath. She decided a night in a hut was needed (¥5,000~¥6,000) and I was left to make the final push to the top by myself.

Thankfully I wasn't alone for long. Camaraderie amongst climbers helped spur us all on, and I soon joined two German pilots. They were climbing during their rest period between Berlin-Narita flights. More Strangeness followed as they began reciting scenes from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, proving that altitude has many strange side-effects.

An estimated 30% of Fuji climbers are foreigners and both young and old make the trip. After 4 or 5 hours climbing we were near the top. Queues formed as people waited to file up the narrow steps to complete their trek. Dark clouds in the distance were gradually lightening and, as the pace slowed, the wind picked up and the temperature neared zero. Tension filled the air as we waited. No one wanted to miss the 4:30 sunrise they’d come so far to see.
On reaching the summit, the main feeling we all shared was relief. Standing on top of Japan, something just 10% of Japanese ever do, still felt like a fantastic achievement. Having conquered Fuji, we cracked open a can of Asahi and, for good luck, put some coins in the cracks of the shrine gate that marks the summit.

As the pre-dawn sky became a warm glow, we gazed 100m down into the moon-like crater. It’s shadow dissolved as the sun emerged and rose higher in the sky. The adventure was nearly over. All we had to do now was get back down!

5 Fuji Facts:
Height: 3,776m/12,388ft. (Japans’ highest)
Age: Formed over 10,000 years ago.
Stations: 10 stations. (6th and 8th have First Aid)
Eruptions: 1707 was the last one.
Location: In Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures.

Getting There:
From Kansai, take the Shinkansen to Shin-Fuji, then a bus to Fujinomiya 5th Station. (Bus: 2,400 yen)
From Tokyo, take the night bus from Shinjuku Bus Terminal to Kawaguchiko 5th Station. (2,600 yen, 180 minutes)

Text & Photos: James Morley