Mt. Fuji 富士山 (Route 3776)

Hiked in 2 days on the 24th and 25th.
Day 1:  Fujizuka 富士塚 -> Yomogi-yu よもぎ湯 -> PICA Omote-fuji PICA表富士 -> Hoei Sansou 宝永山荘 (6th Station) -> Goraikou Sansou 御来光山荘 (New 7th Station).
Day 2:  Goraikou Sansou 御来光山荘 (New 7th Station) -> Kengamine 剣ヶ峯 -> Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station 富士スバルライン五合目.

I had wanted to climb Mt. Fuji for a long time, but never really found the motivation to do it. Even though Mt. Fuji is one of Japan's most iconic places, the trails are said to be monotonous and packed with people. It was only when I ran across a random post about Route 3776 on social media that I decided to embark on this trip. A sea-to-summit challenge, from 0 meters to Japan's highest point, sounded absolutely enticing.

[Day 1]  I attempted the challenge together with a friend. To avoid the brutal summer heat, we decided to do the first part of the hike, which involved walking through a city, overnight. The plan was to get out of this asphalt and concrete heat trap into the forest before the sun rose. We arrived at Fujizuka, Fuji-shi around 11pm on the 23rd. We wanted to really start from zero, so we walked to a nearby beach and only then did we start recording on our smartwatches. The sky was clear, the moon was full, and the temperature was not so high.

As good as the start was, there was nothing particularly exciting in the first 30-ish km. Just a long and arduous walk on paved roads, which my knees were definitely not thankful for. Even in the forest, when the sun came out, the heat and humidity immediately rose, and I was sweating buckets. Unfortunately I was too tired and engrossed and forgot to take any pictures of this part. We arrived at an official trailhead near the old toll gate on Fujisan Sky Line around noon on the 24th. Before any real climbing was done, my legs had already given out. From here until the new 7th station, I was just dragging my feet and taking a break every 10 minutes or so. It was a terrible experience. We managed to arrive at Goraikou Sansou before dark, much behind schedule, and only got about 6 hours of rest before continuing our climb the next day. We also met up with a 3rd team member here.

[Day 2]  We restarted the climb around midnight. Plenty of people around were also getting ready. The clouds had gathered and we could feel our clothes and backpacks getting wet. Probably because it was a weekday, there weren't too many climbers, and we proceeded smoothly before taking a break at the 9th station. It wasn’t until near the top that we got caught in a traffic jam and almost missed the sunrise. Thankfully we arrived at the summit just in time to see goraikou 御来光. Due to heavy clouds, we only caught a glimpse of the sun for a few seconds before it disappeared again.

At the top, we lined up to take a picture together at Kengamine, the highest point of the mountain. Then we followed Ohachimeguri お鉢めぐり trail clockwise around the crater, before stopping by one of the shops to take shelter from strong wind and enjoy some warm drinks. We descended using the Yoshida/Subashiri trail. At the junction of the two trails, since no one could decide which way to go, I flipped a coin — which pointed us down the Yoshida trail.

The sky cleared up once we were about one-third down the mountain. The surrounding cities, lakes, and mountains became visible, creating stunning scenery. Being able to see familiar places from above is one of my favorite things about mountain climbing. Kofu Basin, Mt. Misaka-Kurodake, Mt. Mitsutoge, Lake Kawaguchi, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Fujiyoshida-shi, Lake Yamanaka, Greater Tokyo area, Enoshima, Sagami Sea, Mt. Myojogatake, Mt. Myojingatake, Mt. Kintoki, etc. It was a beautiful sight. It could have been even better if I hadn't forgotten my sunscreen. The sun since its appearance had been scorching, leaving sunburn on my arms that would later take 6+ months to fade.

We visited a restaurant after reaching the 5th station on Fuji Subaru Line around noon on the 25th. Here I got myself a big parfait as a reward for finishing the trip. 58km hiked, 3900m of elevation gain, breaking all personal records. It was supposed to be a glorious ending — if I hadn't got carsick on the bus to Kawaguchiko Station that ruined the rest of my day.