Japan is one of the most culturally magnificent places in the world, and its long term isolation is largely responsible for its unique culture and the survival of its amazing history. If you only had 24 hours in Japan and wanted to do the most iconic thing possible, you would climb Mt. Fuji. Thousands of Japanese people flock to the mountain everyday during climbing season, so it must be fun and incredibly awesome right? It was simply one of the worst things that I’ve ever done.

In many ways Fuji is a tourist trap. Every bathroom costs money, and the price progressively increase until it reaches $3 at the top of the mountain. Drinks and food vary in the same way. Realistically, you could pay $2 for a drink at the bottom of the mountain and $3 to get rid of it at the top: the humour that I find in this cannot be expressed in words. You may be thinking “it’s a mountain, why not just walk over the hill somewhere and utilize glorious nature?” To use the word “climb” for Mt. Fuji is misleading. If you take the easy path to the top during peak season, you won’t be climbing anything; you’ll be waiting in the longest line you’ve ever seen. We essentially stood for over seven hours, occasionally shuffling forward, until we reached the top of the mountain. This line is only a few feet wide, roped off from the rest of the “dangerous” mountain that is off limits. A good tip to keep in mind if you visit Japan is that if you are planning on going somewhere, most likely several thousand Japanese people are planning the same thing.

So there you have it, climbing Fuji on the main path is essentially a tourist trap. There are hundreds of Japanese business-men looking to cash in on your hunger, thirst, and need to relieve yourself. The system is set up so that you cannot avoid paying for some of these essentials; after all you’re going to have to go to the bathroom at least once. On top of this, you have to pay $20 for a hot, overcrowded bus to the 5th station of the mountain where the climb begins. The climb is normally seven hours up and around three hours down.

So yeah, it was a miserable experience. So why bother to go?


We made it just in time for sunrise; even though I almost missed it for a $3 bathroom visit. To be honest, the sunrise was cool, but I felt like it just wasn’t as good of a view as I had hoped for. I decided to leave the massive group of people and walk up a bit further. I climbed on top of a small hill, away from all of the stores and people. As I turned around and looked out over the mountain, I simply lost my breath. It was the most beautiful view that I’d ever seen in my entire life.

Now when I hear someone way “I climbed Mt. Fuji,” I’ll understand that it is not a statement of simply physical accomplishment, but rather patience and endurance. I’ll know what the person wants to say: “I waited on the stupid mountain for seven hours, standing behind slow people who refused to move. I paid $5 for a hot chocolate at the top and then I basically rolled down the slippery steep path for two hours, back to the miserably hot bus where I had my knees mashed against the back of the seat for another hour. If the top wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, I probably would have flung myself off.” Fuji is symbolic of Japan; everyday is a waiting game. I wait for the train, the bus, the bus again, another train. Everybody here is usually waiting for something. If they are lucky enough, as I am, their waiting leads to little moments of beauty that make the wait worth it. In the case of Fuji, the misery of the wait is rewarded with a masterpiece.

So, after all, this is supposed to be a tip post, so here you go:

  1. Bring all of you own food and water. (Buying it there is ridiculously expensive).
  2. Bring warm clothing (It’s not nearly as cold as you’ll be told it is, but it’s still nippy towards the top.
  3. Bring patient friends (It’s not worth it without awesome friends).
  4. Don’t take the easiest route (It’s inundated with people who shouldn’t be climbing a mountain and are eager to get in your way. It’s also a horribly long line).
  5. Be sure to climb in the middle of the climbing season (It’s too busy during the beginning and end of the season).
  6. Climb at night, starting around 9pm. (This way you’ll see the sunrise, which is really the only thing, besides friends and bragging rights that makes it worth it.)
  7. If you have no stamina or like to complain, don’t bother going (the latter almost disqualified me).
  8. Once you feel that you can wait no longer expect to wait for at least another three hours.
  9. Take care of your body. (Drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, and snack often).
  10. Remember that you have to climb down.

Please go here to see the whole thing; I wanted to embed them all!. Fuji Photos