Help on getting to Fuji 5th Station

Old Jan 24th, 2009, 02:36 PM
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Help on getting to Fuji 5th Station

I have been searching the internet until dizzy and I am hoping someone can offer some advice! My husband and I plan to climb Fuji during the first week of July. I have noticed that buses running to Kawaguchiko 5th station don't run early enough. Is it possible to rent a car and have parking available at that time? We want to start early in the day and finish in the evening. Help, help, help! Much thanks in advance!
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Old Jan 24th, 2009, 04:27 PM
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From the little I have read, it seems that hikers purposely start their hike up later in the day, spend the night in a hut, summit in the morning during sunrise and return by afternoon.

Otherwise, going up and coming back down in the same day could be an 8 to 10 hour hike - not an easy task.
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Old Jan 27th, 2009, 06:16 AM
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My high school age daughter and I climbed Fuji a few years ago. It is possible to rent and park. The parking lot is quite large and depending on how many people are climing that day you should be able to find a spot.

You might want to review some of the prior posts about driving in Japan. Tolls can be quite expensive depending on where you begin and signs can be hard to follow depending on your language prowess.

It was a great experience. As the earlier poster noted many people climb with the goal of seeing the sunrise from the top. That is why they either start late in the afternoon (as we did) and sleep for a while near the top before summitting just before dawn. Or they start early in the evening, planning to arrive at the summit just before dawn.

If you want more details on the climb (weather, clothing, food, difficulty level, etc.)I would be glad to tell you of our experience.
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Old Jan 28th, 2009, 12:01 PM
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Thanks, TAGINMICH!I appreciate your reply! My husband and I figured the climb would be demanding enough without trying to do it in the dark as is the custom! Also, the sleeping accomodations don't seem to be all that geared toward actually sleeping! I have read just about everything I can find on the net about it, but any additional helpful hints are always welcome! We are planning on staying near the Kawaguchiko trail to avoid early morning confusion! Where did you stay while there?
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Old Jan 28th, 2009, 01:00 PM
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Never done it, don't think I want to but up to you

You probably have seen this

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/ptg/PS/pg-405.pdf

http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanash...tml/index.html

http://www.st-inn.com/english/

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/fuji/index.htm

http://onsenji.com/en/

http://www.pen-cosmos.jp/en/index.htm

Aloha!



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Old Jan 29th, 2009, 09:50 AM
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We were staying in Tokyo the night before. We drove with my cousin who is a native of Japan. We left around 8:00 in the morning, bought some bento (lunch foods) at a convenience store and arrived at the fifth station around noon. We ate lunch in the parking lot, which had plenty of space. He then left to go back home and we started our hike.

It was July 3 and we climbed until about 6:00 and stayed at one of the places on the mountain at the 8th station. It wasn't that bad. We had dinner, provided by the inn, sat around the fire for a while and went to bed. We were tired and were in bed by 8 or 9 o'clock because we were going to get up at probably about 4 a.m (I don't remember the exact time).

We got up and they fed us breakfast. As we rose we could hear the bells on the walking sticks of those who had climbed through the night and were passing by on their final climb. Eventually we packed up and joined them. It was dark because we were trying to summit to see the sunrise. So we had flashlights. But it was not pitch dark. You really didn't need the lights to see the way.

It is worth noting that climbing Fuji is not like mountain climbing. It is more like steep hiking. At the hardest parts there are stairs cut into the hillside and chains connected together for handrails. But most of it is groomed trails of crushed rock. Near the top the trail gets more narrow and there are more steps. But it isn't hard to find your way among the other climbers in the early morning.

You could certainly do this as a day hike. But I think that would be unusual. You probably won't have much company going up and you will be meeting lots of folks on the way down. (Eventually the "down" trail splits off and you will be on a one way trail back to the 5th station.)

If you want to experience sunrise at the summit I would sugest that you try staying at one of the inns. The sleeping accomodations are not fancy. They are basically huge bunk beds that can sleep 8-10 people across. But we went early in the season (as are you) so we had few fellow travelers at our inn. My daughter and I had one bunk to ourselves and we slept quite well. Since it was early in the season the porta potties were not too full yet, either. So the smell was easily manageable.

I don't know what your other plans are and what your schedule is like, but if you can fit a sunrise climb into your trip it will be a memorable experience. The summit can be cloudy in the summer (all those snow capped photos of Fuji are taken in the dead of winter when the air is drier) and if you get to the top in the middle of the day you may not be able to see anything once you get there. (Although when we got to the top it was pretty socked in and didn't clear completely until about an hour after sunrise.)

If we had climbed just during daylight hours it would have been a great experience. We would have stood at the highest spot in Japan after a strenuous hike, including altitude sickness and high priced vendors. But by going overnight, staying at the inn, joining the other climbers on a dark and chilly morning and being there at sunrise the experience became an adventure we will never forget.
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Old Apr 11th, 2009, 11:51 PM
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Boyfriend and I are planning on climbing July 1. We are considering renting a car from Hakone station upon arriving from Tokyo. If timing works out, we might be able to work something out! Email me if interested: [email protected]
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