Hopefully I won't butcher this, but here goes. In the Shinto tradition, all of nature is inhabited by spirits (kami) benevolent and otherwise. 'Age and beauty appear to indicate benevolent or particularly revered kami. Believers build and place small wooden gates at the base of huge old trees that mimic the design of the gates to Shinto and Zen Bhuddist temples. The little gates show that, just like the temple, the tree's space is hallowed ground.Even today, climbers purchase a walking stick with jingle bells tied to the top to wake up Fuji-san so she knows you are coming, for if you startle her, she may fling you to your death. Pilgrims still climb Fuji-san in traditional dress, covered in jingle bells, wearing a woven conical hat and traditional dress, complete with soft two-toed sock-shoes that looked completely inadequate.
A volcanic cone, the mountain is absolutely devoid of water or vegetation, and the summit is a huge crater. It's entire surface is made up of half -dollar-sized and smaller loose volcanic rocks. The path to the summit is marked by 10 gomei, which are sort of passage points to measure pilgrims' progress. At each gomei, climbers can pay a small fee to have the milestone hot branded onto their wooden walking stick. Even after all my travels, my branded Fuji-san walking stick is my most prized souvenir.
On a practical note, climbers arrive in bus loads from Kyoto and Tokyo, and there are a few special nights per year when the mountain is downright crowded, like the night I climbed, the O-bon festival. Trains and buses serve the area, and in addition to hotels and ryokan (traditional inns), there is a nearby pine forest campground for the budget or adventure traveler that is spectacular. The 5th gomei is the current starting point for climbers, and is the last point where water, food and hiking supplies can be purchased. On the day I chose to climb, at 5 pm the temperature at the 5th gomei was close to 100 degrees F, and at the summit the next morning, it was about 38 degrees F, so layers are essential. All supplies that reach the various levels along the way, including oxygen inhalers and water, are carried up the mountain on someones back. Offerings are limited to only the essentials: green tea, water, oxygen, bells, and noodle soup, all sold at a steep premium.
There are hotels of a sort on the side of the mountain at about gomei 8 or 9 that allow climbers to have some basic shelter during the wee hours of the morning before sunrise. Basic may be generous to describe what's offered. The hotel is one large room with two levels of open plywood platforms. Guests are instructed to sleep foot to shoulder so that more people can fit onto the platforms. Most hikers only sleep for about 90 minutes before hitting the trail again. Innkeepers are expert in waking guests up in just the right amount of time to summit for sunrise.
The trail is a switchback that is largely made of loose volcanic stone, with only the occasional boulder to scramble across. The stones are sharp, and those that stumble end up with painful scrapes, burns and cuts similar to coral. The switchback is at a gentle but unwavering grade. Many climbers simply climb in sneakers, and it's really more of a hike than a climb. It typically takes about 5-6 hours to climb up, and about 2 to climb down. The route downward is unadorned but for one or two water and noodle spots. The entire downward switchback is on the sunny, south side of the mountain, and the slope is perfectly consistent the whole way. Many brave souls sort of skip downward, sliding on the razor sharp pebbles as if on a sand dune, making short work of the decent.
It's worth climbing Fuji-san to see the sunrise at the summit- a truly once in a lifetime experience. Just don't sneak up on her!
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