Fuji
Japan’s Sacred Volcano Is Now Stricter About Who Gets to Climb It
Mount Fuji last erupted on 16 December 1707, triggered 49 days earlier by a magnitude-8.4 earthquake. Ash darkened the sky as far as Edo (now Tokyo) and buried buildings near the mountain’s base. It is still classified as an active stratovolcano, and the Japanese government has a detailed evacuation plan should seismic activity indicate renewed risk. Roughly 205,000 people climbed it in the summer of 2023. Local authorities spent 2024 and 2025 trying to reduce that number and to stop people from climbing it in trainers.
For 2026, the rules are the most restrictive yet. A permit fee of ¥4,000 (around USD 27) applies to all four trails. Daily climber numbers on the Yoshida Trail are capped at 4,000, not counting those with mountain hut reservations. Gates on all trails close between 2pm and 3am, specifically to prevent “bullet climbing” (ascending in a single overnight push without rest, which causes altitude illness and clogged trails). Rangers at every trailhead now conduct mandatory kit checks; anyone arriving in sneakers, sandals, or without rain gear, a headlamp, and at least two litres of water is refused entry. The climbing season runs roughly from 1 July to 10 September depending on the trail, with the Yoshida and Subashiri routes opening first and all four closing 10 September.
The Mountain Before It Was a Tourist Destination
Mount Fuji has been a site of Shinto and Buddhist pilgrimage for over a thousand years. The volcano is associated with the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime (also called Sengen or Fuji-hime), and more than 13,000 shrines across Japan are dedicated to the Fujisan deity. For much of the Edo period, pilgrimage confraternities called Fuji-ko formed in cities across Japan, funding group climbs and maintaining lodges on the mountain. Women were legally barred from climbing until 1872. The white robes worn by traditional pilgrims and the walking sticks carried by climbers still reflect this heritage, even if most of today’s climbers are not aware of it.
Geologically, what you see is relatively young: the current cone (called “New Fuji”) formed around 10,000 years ago over an older formation. Below that lies a basalt layer called Komitake Fuji, hundreds of thousands of years old. The mountain is technically four overlapping volcanic phases stacked on each other, a fact discovered in part by a 2004 survey that found the oldest core (Sen-komitake) buried deep beneath the others.
Getting Here from Tokyo
The most practical base for Mount Fuji is Lake Kawaguchiko (Kawaguchi-ko), the most developed of the five Fuji Lakes and the hub of the Fuji Kyuko rail line. Direct express buses run from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo to Kawaguchiko Station in roughly 100-120 minutes and cost around ¥1,800-2,000 one-way. The Fujisan Limited Express train from Otsuki (connecting from JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku) takes around 50 minutes from Otsuki.
From Kawaguchiko, the Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station (the standard starting point for the Yoshida Trail, at 2,305m elevation) is served by shuttle buses during the climbing season. Private cars are no longer allowed on the approach road during peak climbing hours under the overtourism restrictions.
Hakone, the hot spring resort town, is around 90 minutes from Tokyo by the Romancecar express from Shinjuku (around ¥2,470). It offers good views of Fuji from the Hakone Ropeway on clear days, with the advantage of better onsen infrastructure and less crowding than the Fuji Five Lakes area.
Climbing the Mountain
The Yoshida Trail (starting from the Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station) is the most popular route and the one with the most mountain huts, vending machines, and medical facilities. It is also the most crowded. The Fujinomiya Trail (accessed from Shizuoka Prefecture, also starting high at 2,400m) is shorter and slightly steeper. The Gotemba Trail starts lower (1,440m) and is the longest; it is significantly less crowded and genuinely harder, but offers the most solitude. The Subashiri Trail starts at 2,000m and joins the Yoshida Trail near the summit.
A typical ascent from the fifth station takes 5-7 hours; descent takes 3-4 hours. Most climbers break the journey at a mountain hut, sleeping for a few hours before the final push to catch sunrise. Huts cost around ¥7,000-12,000 per person including a basic meal and sleeping area. Book these months in advance; popular huts like Taishi-kan and Yoshida-ko sell out in March or April for the July-August peak.
Altitude sickness is common above 3,000m and affects some people regardless of fitness level. Ascend slowly. The Yoshida Trail’s emergency clinics at various stations treat dozens of cases on busy nights.
What to See Without Climbing
The five lakes (Kawaguchiko, Yamanakako, Saiko, Shojiko, and Motosuko) each reflect the mountain under the right conditions. Kawaguchiko is the most accessible; Saiko and Motosuko are quieter with better views and fewer tourist facilities, which is either a feature or a problem depending on your preferences. The Chureito Pagoda at Fujiyoshida, reached by a steep staircase from the Arakurayama Sengen Park, gives the classic composition of pagoda and Fuji that appears on every travel brochure. Go very early (before 7am) in April during cherry blossom season if you want that shot without a hundred people in it.
Hakone warrants a full day: the Open-Air Museum (sculpture park with a Picasso gallery), the Hakone Shrine on the lake at Ashi, and the ropeway views. The Hakone Free Pass (around ¥6,000-7,000 from Shinjuku) covers most transport and some museum admissions.
Where to Stay
Lake Kawaguchiko has the widest range of accommodation, from budget guesthouses to onsen ryokan on the northern shore with rooms overlooking the lake and the mountain. Yamagishi Ryokan is consistently well-reviewed at a more accessible price point than the luxury options. Hakone has deeper onsen ryokan infrastructure, with properties like Hakone Ginyu and Gora Kadan at the top end and many mid-range options in the Gora and Yumoto areas.
Booking 3-4 months in advance for July and August is not excessive, particularly for ryokan with Fuji-view rooms. October for koyo (autumn leaves) is the other peak period.
What to Eat
Hoto (flat wheat noodles in a thick miso broth with pumpkin, root vegetables, and sometimes pork) is the regional speciality around the Fuji Five Lakes. Fujiya restaurant in Kawaguchiko has been serving it since the mid-20th century. Shizuoka Prefecture, on the southern side of the mountain, is Japan’s largest tea-producing region; a cup of locally grown green tea from any roadside rest stop costs less than ¥200 and is some of the best in the country.
On the mountain itself, expect to pay ¥500-700 for a cup of instant noodles at a hut near the summit. It will taste extraordinary at 3,700m at 4am.