Climbing Mt. Fuji at Night

There were 10 of us in the beginning.

I reach out to high-five the passing Dutchman as I cling to a divot in the cold, looming rock above and gasp for breath. “Great job! You got this!” he called out, as he swung himself up to the path above.

6 hours earlier, we had gathered at the base of 5th Station exchanging introductions. There was the Dutchman, 2 Japanese men, a group of 3 Germans, 2 young girls from London, and the two of us. It was the first time for all but a few of us, and we joked of the old Japanese proverb:

He who climbs Mt. Fuji is a wise man; he who climbs twice is a fool.

Sunset from 5th Station, preparing for the night climb

Now, as I struggle for breath and adjust my headlamp for the umpteenth time, I finally understood. The 10 of us had been taking turns passing one another and shouting words of encouragement throughout the night. I hadn’t seen the 2 girls from London or one of the guys from the German group in several hours, so I think they may have turned back.

Hiking Mt Fuji through the night – in the off-season no less – is no small feat!

We were lucky to come prepared with water, food, and thick layers of clothing, but the one thing that we weren’t prepared for was dealing with the altitude. The strenuous climb was magnified by the thin air and lack of oxygen. It was a slow but steady climb to the top, with frequent breaks to catch our breath and adjust to the change in altitude.

Because we were hiking in the off-season, all but one of the mountain huts were closed.  We had refused to book a hut in advance, thinking that the 5500 – 8000 yen/person for a shared floor space was absurd. As it turns out, I would have given ANY amount of money to enter one of those cozy huts – if just for 10 minutes – to warm up and take a quick rest.

I will never forget the moment that we finally reached the top.  A few other hikers gathered by the torii gate above, shouting out to us, “You’ve almost made it! This is the last part!” and giving high-fives as we crossed the finish line.

We made it to the top about an hour before sunrise, and we were surprised to see how many people had already gathered and were positioning their cameras to capture the very first light (all those lucky cabin-resters).

One by one, we met with the 5 remaining hikers from our original group of 10, each of us euphoric, so genuinely happy to see one another and knowing that we shared a forever bond.

Unfortunately, we were nowhere near prepared for that last chilling hour before sunrise, where temperatures dropped dramatically and we no longer had the physical exertion from the climb to keep us warm. We were bundled together, teeth chattering and shivering, when an elderly Japanese man came over and wrapped us in his emergency foil blanket. I will never forget that man’s kindness!

Sunrise was beautiful and worth every ache and pain of the last 8 hours.  I only have a few iPhone photos to capture the experience– turns out after you’ve hiked through the freezing night battling altitude sickness and exhaustion, the last thing you feel like doing is setting up camera equipment.

The climb down was quick and easy by comparison. At every twist and turn, we soaked in the stunning views that we missed during our starlit ascent.

Hiking Mt Fuji was an absolutely incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone. Would I do it again, NO! Did you read the saying above!? 🙂

The Route

The most popular route for watching the sunrise over the summit is Yoshida trail. The ascent takes roughly 6-7 hours and the descent lasts 3-4 hours.

We hiked in late September, leaving the base around 10pm and summiting at 4:15am, about an hour before sunrise. As I mentioned above, you can break the Yoshida trail into 2 sections by resting at the 8th station mountain hut from late afternoon until early morning (I wish I had done this!).

There are 4 different routes that you can take to reach the summit of Mt. Fuji. For more information on each route and how to best reach Mt. Fuji, visit Japan-Guide.com. 

Tips

Mt Fuji from afar appears to be a picturesque, snowcapped mountain. Up close, you are reminded that this is very much an active volcano! The landscape is mostly barren, with steep slopes of crumbling red rock. Hikers are exposed and vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions.

Bring a shell jacket, rain poncho, hat, and gloves. The weather at the base of the mountain is hot and sticky, but the night temperature at the top of Mt Fuji can drop to well below freezing.

I’ve mentioned this several times now, so clearly it is my one regret! This applies specifically to those looking to hike during the off-season through the night. If you’re hiking during the regular season, all of the stations will be open and there are lots of opportunities to warm up or buy something to eat and drink. Contact information for each hut is available here.

This is one of the best souvenirs you’ll ever buy. You can buy a Mt Fuji walking stick at any of the base stations, and then have your stick branded with a stamp at each (open) station along the way. Our stick is now proudly hung over a door entrance in our apartment.

Have you ever climbed Mt. Fuji? Please share your experience in the comments below!