As the Japanese say – “A wise man climbs Fuji once, and a fool twice”, I didn’t even try to be part of either one. But yes, Fujisan is definitely a must visit place in Japan.

Mt Fuji, known to be Japan’s highest mountain peak is also one of the active Volcano in Japan. The temperature in winters goes as low as -40 degrees at the top. The other way to witness this beauty, if you do not wish to hike on foot, is to go till Mt. Fuji 5th station, which is easily accessible via road/train. If you are lucky, it is also visible while travelling here. But on most days it is very cloudy and is not visible from a distance.

I was lucky, to see this from a distance while going to this place. I went here around Christmas-New Year time, which is an off season for climbing and usually it gets quite cold.  I love travelling during off seasons, it not only is less crowded but it does gives some privileges on many things like special treatment, good deals on hotels etc. I have been fortunate to never missed anything – be it missing a spot due to closure, bad weather, etc.

I started my journey to Mt Fuji from a pick up point of Hato Bus terminal which was near to our Hotel in Tokyo, and then further proceeded to another Bus Terminal Hamamatsucho, which was the main starting point. It took roughly 2hrs to reach to the first stop – Fujisan World Heritage Centre, which is a research centre cum museum.  The view of Mt Fuji from its observatory at the first floor was spectacular. The snow capped top was clearly visible and the warm sunlight here was such a relief from the cold weather.

 

My next stop was 3rd station of Mt. Fuji, as 5th station was closed due to heavy snowfall. The view from this point was very nice. Fujisan was looking giant from here.

There are no activities specifically which can be done, other than hiking via foot to reach the top and see sunrise or sunset. And I certainly didn’t miss going to 5th station as my only objective was to see the active volcano mountain.

The half day ‘Mt Fuji Tour’ ended with an amazing Japanese lunch. There could not have been a better ending of this tour. The food was delicious. Me being a vegetarian, was little worried about what will I get to eat. But the food and the hospitality amazed me. Japan is a heaven for non vegetarian. You get so much variety to eat and enjoy.

 

 

Fujisan is absolutely a must go place if you are in Japan.