Blogs from Mt Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan, Asia - page 7

(Day 182 on the road)I arrived at the base of Mt. Fuji, in the town of Kawaguchiko, with the obvious intention of climbing the mountain. Every year, 600.000 people make the ascent, and this year I was going to make it 600.001 climbers. Before battling with the mountain however, I was fighting bad weather. I spent six full days in the hostel as it pretty much rained continuously. I didn't mind too much however as I could do with a rest anyway. I spent the days sleeping, reading my book, talking to other travellers, cooking, watching movies, going to the onsen, and generally just taking it very easy. Spending the time at the hostel and seeing many people come and go over the week made me realise one thing I had noticed before: I am much ... read more

* We mentioned Japan was cheap .... True, unless you're a fan of fresh fruit and vegies. 1 x mango @ $24 + 1 x peach @ $12.99 + 1 x bunch of grapes @ $8.50 = weekly food budget blown on half a fruit salad. * More fruity facts .... each individual piece of fruit is custom-wrapped in a polystyrene lattice sock. Perhaps this explains the elevated cost? * Talk about polite .... Pull into a Japanese petrol station for a fill-up and afterwards you'll be personally escorted out to the street and recieve a deep bow for your troubles. * Japanese hospitality at it's best .... Homestay in a Minchuku and you'll have your hosts come a-knockin' on your bedroom door every half hour bearing treats. 1st knock: exotic chilled pink shots of a ... read more

Although this was two weeks ago, I still strongly recall the pain that was Mt. Fuji. At first, it seemed like the hike wouldn't be too bad...long and not really what you would call true hiking. But, then it got worse. Because we were hiking on a three-day weekend, there were so many people there. Rather than enjoying the hike up the mountain and the beautiful view when you looked down, it was like waiting in line for what seemed like forever. My favorite part (of course) was when we got to the top. The view was pretty amazing. For miles you saw mountains and rolling clouds below you, absolutely beautiful. The hike back down was easier because there were no lines, but it hurts your knees and legs quite a bit. My tips: Go to ... read more

I CLIMBED MT. FUJI! I made it all the way to the top.. been up 35 hours now, going to go to bed. Will write more about it later and add pictures!... read more

So the past 48 hours have been quite an adventure. To sum it up: No sleep, freezing wind, blindly climbing through clouds, rock climbing, still no sleep, the best moment of my life, then harsh sun, volcanic ash, slippery rocks, missing the last shinkansen to our next planned destination, trying our luck in Kyoto, realizing all the hostels and hotels are booked, coming to terms with sleeping in the train station, and then finally finding a vacant hotel room and a hot shower and SLEEP! Climbing Mt. Fuji was a really cool experience, although it got a lot colder than we expected. And the last 100 meters of elevation had very strong gusts of icy wind. The kind that you have to crouch down and brace yourself or get blown away. There were a lot of ... read more