I made four ascents over the years. It's harder than it seems. You need to be prepared for cold as you near the summit and for the thinner air. Depending on the route, some of the huts might be closed. You need to stay hydrated, so being able to purchase water at the huts can help you to save energy (the additional weight is difficult). It's expensive, but well worth it, I think. If you can, I'd stay in a mountain hut at Station 8 or higher before making the final assault on the summit. That will help you to get used to the elevation. Once you get to the jinja at the summit, the actual summit is a bit higher and you have to go around the crater to get there. Good luck!
Hey Mike, thanks for the advice. Yeah we stayed at one of the first 3 huts at station 7. And I wish we could have got one around 8th station. Although our hut was new, nice, big room and good meal, it was terrible at 12:15 am going up between 7th and 8th station. We made it to the summit jinja by the sunrise, but by the time we made it to the very top around the crater walk, we were exhausted. I would definitely recommend staying closer to the top.
I was ready for rain or snow, but actually we were really lucky, it was sunny and with very little clouds the whole 2 days we were there. Another thing that we weren’t expecting was the parking was terrible, we had to wait about 1.5 hours to park our car. A parking attendant was stopping people from going up to the 5th station, even though their were many open parking spots. We needed to walk 2 km to station 5. But I would definitely recommend people to do this if you are in shape, I have been running lately and it was so much easier for me than my boyfriend who doesn’t agree with cardio workouts. Overall, it was very tiring, a challenge and had many breathtaking views and we even someone get proposed to at the top of the mountain. It definitely lifted our spirits. And I would do it again.
Congratulations. I was wondering if you'd made it. Yes, staying higher than the 7th station is pretty important. The climb from that point is more difficult than it seems. I recommend staying at the 8th station or higher in order to see the sunrise. Yes, parking can be more trouble than expected. The Fuji-Yoshida trail is the one with the most traffic, though. Others are not as bad. Being in shape is important to summit. I think that having strong legs and having as low a weight as possible is key. If I were to climb it again, I'd like to lose 5 kg before then.
Wow great experience! I've never ascended any mountain. Please share it with us once you're back^^ good luck
I made four ascents over the years. It's harder than it seems. You need to be prepared for cold as you near the summit and for the thinner air. Depending on the route, some of the huts might be closed. You need to stay hydrated, so being able to purchase water at the huts can help you to save energy (the additional weight is difficult). It's expensive, but well worth it, I think. If you can, I'd stay in a mountain hut at Station 8 or higher before making the final assault on the summit. That will help you to get used to the elevation. Once you get to the jinja at the summit, the actual summit is a bit higher and you have to go around the crater to get there. Good luck!