How to Climb Mt. Fuji

Hey guys! Today I'm going to give everyone a quick rundown on how to climb Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji (The largest standing Mountain in Japan) is only open during the summer months since most of the year the Mountain has snow covering the summit. The most popular way to climb the Trail is the Yoshida Trail starting at the 5th Station, you can take a bus from Fujikawaguchiko (富士河口湖) to the 5th Station where you can climb to the Summit within a day. Although this way is popular, another way (and the way that I would recommend) is starting from the shrine where people who did the pilgrimage thousands of years ago started. Sengen Shrine (浅間神社) is the name of this shrine. From there it is about a 20 mile hike to the summit. this took me about 8 hours.

Since I went during the first weekend of the Climbing season, weather on the mountain changed about every 5-10 minutes the higher I got. One moment it was raining and the next it would be snowing, then it would be clear! By the time I hit the summit (頂上) it was -1C (about 27F). The reason I chose to do the long pilgrimage was to challenge my endurance and to say I climbed the entirety of Mt. Fuji.


WHEN YOU CLIMB FOLLOW THE 3 POINT RULE!!!!!! This rule means always have 3 points of contact on the mountain at all times! Mt. Fuji is a very steep and dangerous mountain if you are not careful. There are parts of the mountain where you have to climb over rocks! make sure you come equipped with gear that has good grip so you don't slip!

Another big thing when it comes to climbing the mountain is making sure you have enough food and water. Pack enough food as if you are going for multiple days as you do burn energy up quickly and each station's food can be quite expensive.

The last thing I wanted to quickly cover was about one thing that is a must do when Climbing Mt. Fuji, to watch sunrise! I climbed in the dark overnight to make it to the top of the Mountain in order to be able to watch sunrise from the top!

If you plan on Climbing Mt. Fuji while in Japan here's a small list of things you can refer to when packing to go:
-Multiple days worth of food and Water
-Warm Change of clothes
-Heavy snow gear (It is freezing up top with the windchill!)

-Camera (It's an unreal view up at the top)
-a Cool Change of clothes (for when you go back to the bottom because it can be upwards of 40C (100F) in Japan during the summer!
 -Good Grip Shoes
-Flashlights (For nighttime hiking)

Japan: 3 Months Later

Hello future HPU travelers!

My name is Conor and I am studying abroad in Japan at Musashi University (武蔵大学) for one year . I have been in Japan here now for just under three months and I thought I would give my thoughts on Japan after being here.

I arrived in Japan on August 5th, 2017 to Haneda Airport (for those of you who are interested in coming to Tokyo, I would highly recommend flying into this airport as it is closer to Tokyo and easier to navigate). After having jet lag being 16 hours ahead of my hometown, I finally arrived at Musashi University Asaka Plaza Dormitory (武蔵大学朝霞プラザ). I personally really enjoy living here as everyone gets their own room and two meals a day (breakfast and dinner). The only thing that may bother some people but has yet to bother me (because I enjoy doing it everyday) is the commute to the main campus. It takes about 1 hour (Walk-Train- Walk). There is a bus that goes every morning from the dormitory to the station but walking around Asaka is beautiful and doesn't get old.

Since my arrival in Japan, I have fallen in love with the country and culture. Every month, there is an outing to a different part of Tokyo. Ive included a few photos of the outings I have gone on so far. One outing, the group went walking from Ikebukuro (池袋)to Akihabara(秋葉原). Along the way, we stopped at many shrines and temples. The picture directly to the right is a famous shrine for students to go and pray at for good luck on their studies/ entrance exam.

 The Next one I went on brought me to a town right near Asaka called Kawagoe (川越). Here we got to see a fall festival. The photo to the left is of a performer in this procession of traditional floats representing the god Inari. It is a really incredible thing to see, especially since this tradition is ages old.

One of the last things I have done so far being here in Japan is visit Mt. Fuji. This is the #1 thing I would recommend everyone that comes to Japan to do. I went to a small town called Kawaguchiko (河口湖) which is the same town with the famous Pagoda and Fuji picture. While there, I visited some more shrines and explored the surrounding area. I also had my first Onsen experience here. An Onsen is a traditional bath which is heated by geothermal energy to produce these amazing hot springs!

Overall my experience in Japan here has been amazing so far and I can't wait to see what happens next during my stay here in Japan! Until next time!

PS: I am planning on Starting a vloging channel on Youtube soon! hopefully I can keep everyone up to date more frequently!