19 ~ 20 July, 2017
#34
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[ Celebrating July 21 ]
#34
Yoshida (5th Station) >> Summit >> Yoshida (5th Station)
[ Celebrating July 21 ]
Climb #34 had been planned to be quite an adventurous trip because the intention was to try and climb up and down each of the 4 trails over a period of 3 days. I had the time to do that but the weather forecast put paid to that idea.
I had wanted to conclude my climb on July 21 for the simple reason that July 21 was a special day. It was July 21 1991 that I first arrived in Japan, July 21 that I left Japan in 1993, July 21 that I returned to Japan in 2007. And this July 21 would therefore be a special anniversary and Fuji was the only place I could think of to mark this anniversary. As it was, July 20 saw me on the summit and July 21 saw me back in Tokyo taking care of something altogether different.
Monday, Tuesday and much of Wednesday had been forecast to be wet but there was a clear spell for Thursday morning so I got myself ready on Tuesday and set out just before midday on Wednesday. I burdened myself as I always have with plenty of gear in my pack and headed for the Yoshida 5th Station via Otsuki and the Fujikyu Railway. At Otsuki Station I greeted the same helpful woman I had met on numerous other occasions. Her job is to assist the overseas visitors and since Climb #25 she has been a familiar face. Naturally I am not as familiar a face for her but this time I decided to give her some of my Fuji photographs which I had decided to bring along in order to hand out to people I happened to meet. I bought myself a Fuji Free Pass which allows for 2 days of unlimited train and bus travel between Otsuki and the Yoshida 5th Station. The pass saves you about 800 yen over the cost of separate train and bus ticket purchases so for the duration of the climbing season it is well worth buying.
The train journey to Kawaguchiko was largely uneventful. Cloud cover meant there were none of the views of Fuji that you see as you get closer to Kawaguchiko. At Kawaguchiko I hopped across the road and into the houtou noodle restaurant. I ordered some houtou and it arrived about 30 minutes later in a large metal cauldron like bowl and about 30 minutes later I had managed to devour the whole lot. Houtou is a local specialty and consists of flat noodles in a thick miso soup along with a variety of vegetables - a perfect treat before a Fuji climb.
With the houtou done I went in search of some postcards. I wanted to send postcards to some of the special people I had met over the past 10 years and the intention was to post them from the summit of Fuji. I had never seen it before but there is actually a small post office on the summit of Fuji. Anything posted on the summit is stamped with a "Fuji Summit" stamp making it extra special. I found some Fuji themed post cards in a shop in Kawaguchiko Station and then caught the train back a couple of stops to Fujisan Station. Fujisan Station is where most of the buses to the 5th Station start and terminate and it's usually far less crowded than Kawaguchiko which is a much more popular stop for most visitors to the area. I had planned to take the last bus but there was a bus waiting to leave so I just hopped on and I was soon back in Kawaguchiko again. A few people got on and the bus then started to make it's way to the 5th Station.
As we headed up the cloud cover around Fuji started clearing up and the characteristic shape of the summit slowly came into view. The forecast was for very light rain during late evening but a mostly clear night sky. The bus pulled into a surprisingly empty looking 5th Station at around 19:00. Normally there would be a lot more climbers but for whatever reason, it seemed much quieter than usual.
With sunrise scheduled to be around 04:35 I planned to make a start around 10 o'clock and give myself about 6 hours to get to the summit. The Yoshida 5th Station now provides a dedicated room where climbers can sit and wait and after waiting a few hours I headed to the information area to handover my 1000 yen donation and pick up a small memento. The memento in the past has been a badge but this time it turned out to be a very nice small wooden plaque. It was 22:10 when I joined the Yoshida trail and started heading up.
I deliberately kept a very slow pace and continued steadily on and took my first rest break at the Safety Station about 45 minutes later. Looking up to the summit I could see the bright lights of the huts but not so many climber's lights. After a brief rest I continued on up. I kept the pace gentle and stopped regularly at each turn of the zig-zagging ascending trail. It was perfect night time climbing weather. There was no wind at all and above, the sky was largely clear of cloud. I stopped often, switched off my head light and just enjoyed the sense of calm. This calm is one of the reasons I personally love climbing at night.
I continued on up and took a brief break outside the first rest hut. I continued this pattern of stopping for a break and a drink of water until I got to the 2 mountain huts at the 8th Station where the ascending and descending trails connect. I took an extended break here and pulled on some extra layers and put on my rain gear to protect myself against the wind which had started to pick up but was not particularly strong.
Looking up from the 8th Station I could make out the headlights of climbers heading for the summit. I could have joined the ascending trail but like I have done many times before I opted for the descending trail. At an easy gentle pace it is about 2 hours to the summit. That said it is quite tough going because the trail from around the 8th Station is pretty steep so I did what I have always done - walk about a 100 yards, stop to take a rest and then continue. A large rock marks the final turn which takes you to the summit and about 90 or so minutes later I was at the final turn and making my way up to the summit.
The wind was seemed stronger than what it had been forecast to be so as I got to the summit I headed clockwise around the summit and found a spot that offered a little protection.
I had wanted to conclude my climb on July 21 for the simple reason that July 21 was a special day. It was July 21 1991 that I first arrived in Japan, July 21 that I left Japan in 1993, July 21 that I returned to Japan in 2007. And this July 21 would therefore be a special anniversary and Fuji was the only place I could think of to mark this anniversary. As it was, July 20 saw me on the summit and July 21 saw me back in Tokyo taking care of something altogether different.
Monday, Tuesday and much of Wednesday had been forecast to be wet but there was a clear spell for Thursday morning so I got myself ready on Tuesday and set out just before midday on Wednesday. I burdened myself as I always have with plenty of gear in my pack and headed for the Yoshida 5th Station via Otsuki and the Fujikyu Railway. At Otsuki Station I greeted the same helpful woman I had met on numerous other occasions. Her job is to assist the overseas visitors and since Climb #25 she has been a familiar face. Naturally I am not as familiar a face for her but this time I decided to give her some of my Fuji photographs which I had decided to bring along in order to hand out to people I happened to meet. I bought myself a Fuji Free Pass which allows for 2 days of unlimited train and bus travel between Otsuki and the Yoshida 5th Station. The pass saves you about 800 yen over the cost of separate train and bus ticket purchases so for the duration of the climbing season it is well worth buying.
The train journey to Kawaguchiko was largely uneventful. Cloud cover meant there were none of the views of Fuji that you see as you get closer to Kawaguchiko. At Kawaguchiko I hopped across the road and into the houtou noodle restaurant. I ordered some houtou and it arrived about 30 minutes later in a large metal cauldron like bowl and about 30 minutes later I had managed to devour the whole lot. Houtou is a local specialty and consists of flat noodles in a thick miso soup along with a variety of vegetables - a perfect treat before a Fuji climb.
With the houtou done I went in search of some postcards. I wanted to send postcards to some of the special people I had met over the past 10 years and the intention was to post them from the summit of Fuji. I had never seen it before but there is actually a small post office on the summit of Fuji. Anything posted on the summit is stamped with a "Fuji Summit" stamp making it extra special. I found some Fuji themed post cards in a shop in Kawaguchiko Station and then caught the train back a couple of stops to Fujisan Station. Fujisan Station is where most of the buses to the 5th Station start and terminate and it's usually far less crowded than Kawaguchiko which is a much more popular stop for most visitors to the area. I had planned to take the last bus but there was a bus waiting to leave so I just hopped on and I was soon back in Kawaguchiko again. A few people got on and the bus then started to make it's way to the 5th Station.
As we headed up the cloud cover around Fuji started clearing up and the characteristic shape of the summit slowly came into view. The forecast was for very light rain during late evening but a mostly clear night sky. The bus pulled into a surprisingly empty looking 5th Station at around 19:00. Normally there would be a lot more climbers but for whatever reason, it seemed much quieter than usual.
With sunrise scheduled to be around 04:35 I planned to make a start around 10 o'clock and give myself about 6 hours to get to the summit. The Yoshida 5th Station now provides a dedicated room where climbers can sit and wait and after waiting a few hours I headed to the information area to handover my 1000 yen donation and pick up a small memento. The memento in the past has been a badge but this time it turned out to be a very nice small wooden plaque. It was 22:10 when I joined the Yoshida trail and started heading up.
I deliberately kept a very slow pace and continued steadily on and took my first rest break at the Safety Station about 45 minutes later. Looking up to the summit I could see the bright lights of the huts but not so many climber's lights. After a brief rest I continued on up. I kept the pace gentle and stopped regularly at each turn of the zig-zagging ascending trail. It was perfect night time climbing weather. There was no wind at all and above, the sky was largely clear of cloud. I stopped often, switched off my head light and just enjoyed the sense of calm. This calm is one of the reasons I personally love climbing at night.
I continued on up and took a brief break outside the first rest hut. I continued this pattern of stopping for a break and a drink of water until I got to the 2 mountain huts at the 8th Station where the ascending and descending trails connect. I took an extended break here and pulled on some extra layers and put on my rain gear to protect myself against the wind which had started to pick up but was not particularly strong.
Looking up from the 8th Station I could make out the headlights of climbers heading for the summit. I could have joined the ascending trail but like I have done many times before I opted for the descending trail. At an easy gentle pace it is about 2 hours to the summit. That said it is quite tough going because the trail from around the 8th Station is pretty steep so I did what I have always done - walk about a 100 yards, stop to take a rest and then continue. A large rock marks the final turn which takes you to the summit and about 90 or so minutes later I was at the final turn and making my way up to the summit.
The wind was seemed stronger than what it had been forecast to be so as I got to the summit I headed clockwise around the summit and found a spot that offered a little protection.