The Fujinomiya 5th Station is the second most popular and second most developed of the four fifth stations on Mount Fuji. It is the easiest to access by public transportation from western Japan, and is served by direct buses from Shin-Fuji and Mishima Stations along the JR Tokaido Shinkansen.
The windy road, that leads up to the 5th station, is named Fujisan Skyline and used to be a toll road. It is now free to use, but gets closed to private vehicles during the peak of the the climbing season (weekends and national holidays from July 15 through August and daily August 15-18, 2011), when shuttle buses are in operation. The road gets also closed during winter from late November to late April.
The Fujinomiya Trail around the Fujinomiya 5th Station
Besides a lot of parking lots, the Fujinomiya 5th Station offers a shop, restaurant and toilets. As with the shops found at the other fifth stations, this is the last chance for climbers to get food, water, oxygen, and other supplies at reasonable prices before the prices skyrocket at higher elevations.
At 2400 meters above sea level, the Fujinomiya 5th Station is the highest of the fifth stations, and the Fujinomiya Trail is the shortest route up Mount Fuji. The ascent takes four to seven hours, while the descent takes two to six hours. There are about half a dozen mountain huts along the way. The Fujinomiya Trail is the only route that is not split into separate ascending and descending trails, which can result in congestions on busy days of the climbing season. Note also that the trail does not offer views of the sunrise before reaching the summit.
Besides the trail to the summit, Fujinomiya 5th Station offers a shorter hiking trail to Hoeizan, a nearby secondary peak with crater on the slopes of Mount Fuji. Hoeizan was formed in 1707 and 1708 during the Hoei Era of the Edo Period, when Mount Fuji last erupted.
The trail to Hoeizan branches off the Fujinomiya Trail at the 6th station, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach the crater rim, from where nice views of Hoeizan's crater and peak can be enjoyed. Hikers can then return to the 5th Station via a circular route or continue for another 30-60 minutes through the crater and up to the peak of Hoeizan on the opposite side of the crater.
From its 2693 meter high peak, Hoeizan offers an unobstructed, panoramic view down to the Pacific Ocean, and as far away as Tokyo on a clear day. The return trip down into the crater includes a short "sand run" similar to the Osunabashiri of the Gotemba Trail and is considerably faster than the ascent.
The summits of Mount Fuji (left) and Hoeizan (right)
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