Snow climbing – an interesting experience in Japan tour
As a symbol of Japan, Mount Fuji attracts about 25 million domestic and foreign tourists each year to admire and explore the natural and majestic beauty.
In addition to watching, there is a program to conquer the top of the mountain, to climb the mountain and watch the sunrise. This program usually opens in the summer, when the climate around the mountains is stable. And on the top of the mountain, the temperature is about 5-6 degrees Celsius, light wind, little rain.
In the past, Mount Fuji was a place of pilgrimage, not a recreational sports area, so climbing had many strict regulations. Pilgrims going to the mountain will have to go through a clean cleansing ritual at one of the five large lakes at the foot of the mountain, dressed in white, going to the 8th station and taking a night out in the tent. Early the next morning, they will go to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise then walk around the crater before going down the mountain in another way.
Today, climbing is easier. The road from the foot of the mountain to the top of Fuji has been divided into 10 floors (or 10 stations). All roads are paved with flat stones to help visitors move easily. Although the path is easy, the journey only takes about 7 hours, but if not well prepared, you can still be injured due to reduced body temperature or accidents, incidents occurred during the conquest process.
The bus at the foot of Mount Fuji only takes visitors to the 5th floor – the mountain’s first stop for you to prepare everything, the remaining floors must climb. Many people often choose to climb mountains this way, because if climbing from the foot of the mountain, it is unlikely that they will float all day in the hot summer weather. When you reach the fifth station, you have reached a height of 2,300m above the sea.
Go in the climbing season, you will see groups of people line up in the night, each bright flashlight illuminates straight to the top of the mountain. The road to the top of the mountain has five main roads: Kawaguchiko, Subashiri, Fujinomiya, Fuji-Yoshida and Gotemba. Time to go to the top will take from 5 to 9 hours depending on health, but when down only takes about 3 hours. The weather in the mountains is sometimes mild, sometimes rainy, unpredictable.
At first, the road to the mountain was not very rough. Then the road gradually slopes. Usually by night it will be up to the main station on the 8th floor, you will sleep again, late at night to climb to the top of the mountain watching the sunrise.
For sedentary travelers, reaching the 8th floor is not easy either. The road is quite long, has a bumpy stone track (a short stretch), the rest is a steep walkway. The road is also slippery due to the sandy surface – if you do not use good climbing shoes, you will easily slip.
When you climb a mountain, it is important not to rain. Because the higher the air gets colder, the rain that catches the wind, the easier it will get cold. In return, you will feel like going through the clouds, through the fog. This is also the time when most people fall because they cannot see the road. If the sky is clear, from the high mountains overlooking the valley below, you will see beautiful scenery with the city, lakes, forests…
When the East was bright, it was near the top. Depending on the weather (rain, clouds) you may not see the sunrise. But if you see the sun rising from the top of the mountain, you will see it differently. Dawn on Mount Fuji is always beautiful, so it is worth it for visitors to climb to the top just to watch.
