Sacred Fuji, 3,776 meters high, is not only Japan’s
tallest mountain, but has been cherished by the
Japanese since antiquity for its beauty as well.

Mt. Fuji is indeed an appropriate symbol of Japan.
On the border between Shizuoka and Yamanashi
prefectures, its handsome form can be seen from
Tokyo in winter when the air is clear.

Mt. Fuji is a volcano.  Its symmetrical cone was formed
by eruptions repeated over tens of thousands of years.
Although it has been dormant for the past 300 years,
a future eruption is said to be inevitable.

Since ancient times, fear of Mt. Fuji’s eruptions has gone
hand in hand with veneration.
From the middle ages on, belief in Mt. Fuji spread, and
Asama shrines dedicated to the mountain deity were
erected in various regions.  Lodgings were built on the
mountain in the Edo period, and people climbed it with
fellow-members of religious associations.
Thus the tourist practice of climbing Mt. Fuji today
originates in a religious belief.

There’re cabins open in summer, and the average person
can climb Mt. Fuji.  It's a pretty tough climb but there's a
road to the halfway point, and a number of paths from
there to the top, so even a family can make it if they take
their time climbing.  Still the air is thin, so you have to watch
out for altitude sickness.  And summer nights are as cold as
cold as Tokyo in winter with even snow occasionally, so
please make sure to be properly equipped.

Many people climb at night to reverently watch the
sunrise from the summit.  At night the path is a glowing
stream of climbers' flashlights.  If you begin the climb
in the afternoon, nap in a mountain cabin, and then start
walking again before dawn, you reach the top just before
sunrise.