15 ~ 16 September 2012
#20
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida(5th Station)
[Final climb in 2012]
#20
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida(5th Station)
[Final climb in 2012]
I had done my final climb of 2011 almost exactly a year earlier and 2 weeks after that I had left for Shikoku to spend almost 6 weeks walking the 1200km 88 temple Shikoku Pilgrimage. This time last year I had hiked up to see the Fuji shadow at sunset and then spent a very cold night outside the final mountain hut before returning to the summit to see the sunrise.
As with many of my previous trips when I have gone alone I leave the decision to go to the very last minute. My preferred date was to be on the summit to see the sunrise on the morning of September 17 but the forecast predicted rain showers during Sunday night and early Monday morning plus strong winds. Rain showers and strong winds are definitely not a good combination on Mt. Fuji. When I checked the forecast on Saturday morning the forecast was for clear night time and morning skies with moderately strong winds, so I packed my back pack and took the train to Kawaguchiko with the intention of taking a local bus to the 5th Station.
Kawaguchiko is in Yamanashi Prefecture and the area is famous for a noodle dish called houtou. These are thick flat noodles in a miso sauce with vegetables, served piping hot in a fairly large thick metal bowl. Before taking the bus I decided to enjoy a bowl at a restaurant directly opposite Kawaguchiko Station. It was a long holiday weekend so the restaurant was pretty busy but after a wait of about 30 minutes my bowl of houtou finally arrived and I ate every last bit of it. The best houtou I have tried in Kawaguchiko is a short walk from the station and it's a small restaurant run by some elderly women. I have eaten there on 2 occasions but on others I have found the restaurant closed. Those women work some kind of magic producing their version of houtou. [Google Map]
Bus stop number 6 is where the bus for the 5th Station leaves and mine was scheduled to leave at 13:50. In the past I had always bought my ticket on the bus but on this occasion when I tried to get on the driver told me to go to the ticket office back at the station to get my ticket. Had it not been for a small group of climbers who for some reason seemed to be taking their suitcases with them to the 5th Station I would probably not have made it to the ticket office and back in time, but thanks to them it took a while to squeeze everyone on, me included. We picked up and squeezed a few more passengers on the way up to the 5th Station. It was about 15:30 by the time we arrived at the 5th Station. The official climbing season had ended 2 weeks earlier so I was quite surprised to see so many people and many more climbers compared to the same time last year.
I could have set out right away to try and make it to the summit to see the sunset but my back pack seemed overly heavy. I had my usual load but I'd bought along my sleeping mat and sleeping bag this time. I had cut back on food and decided on only 1.5 litres of liquid. I had wanted to see the sunset from near the summit but even before I had started it was looking like it would be another very cold climb and that was enough to put me of from setting out too early. The 5th Station has a number of souvenir shops and one or two other places including a temple so I spent the next 3 hours being a 5th Station tourist.
In one of the shops they sell a Fuji shaped melon flavoured bread and I joined the long queue to try one for the very first time. I sat to eat it and enjoy the view out of the window. The Yoshida 5th Station is at 2300m and from there you can look up to the Mt. Fuji summit and towards the horizon you can see the other big mountain ranges. The cloud formations in particular looked great. Having finished my bread I had a look at all the huge variety of souvenirs on sale, post cards, posters, t-shirts, trinkets, food items, the list is endless.
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