Climbing mount Fuji

Hi,
I'm planning to climb Mt Fuji in July and wonder if anyone could please help me with the following questions:
1. I am debating between Kawaguchi-Yoshida climbing trail and Fujinomya climbing trail which i understand the Fujinomiya may be shorter. Since i am a beginner and have never climbed Mt Fuji before, which trail will be better for me? Is it common to ascend one route and descent another route?
2. I don't live in Japan, can't speak Japanese and will head straight for Mt Fuji after landing in Tokyo. Is there any way to make a booking to stay overnight at a mountain hut , say at the 8th station?
3. I notice that there are tours climbing Mt Fuji costing approx. $500 for 2 days, 1 night. Will it be better for me to join a tour in opposed to arranging by myself noted that I've been to Japan myself before and never joined a tour and didn't have any problems when i was in Japan.

Thank you very much in advance!

1) Depends on how you get to mt fuji. When you go there what kind of ticket are you going to buy? E.g fr kawaguchiko station to 5th station return ticket can't be used if you climb one route and then come down another.
2) if you go on a weekday there is usually space so you can sleep without booking but if someone else can post a website I think you can book ahead.
3)it's not tht hard actually ! Elderly people and even children have climbed ! I suggest watching some YouTube videos for a rough guide of experience. However my advice would be : buy all your water and food before going as these 100 yen water can be 600 yen at the top. Also wear very warm clothing as it can easily hit 0 or below 0 degrees (even in summer !). Also buy a stick, it will greatly help you when going down as it helps to prevent you from completely falling from the small gravel trail.
I didn't take a tour and I only spent 90,000 yen for accommodation, stick and some warm food. You can save a lot of money if you do it yourself. Just watch YouTube videos and decide !
Good luck friend

In July, I went up by Yoshida track from Tokyo in the morning. I slept in "Fuji Hotel" on the 8th level to finish the track before sunrise. It was an organized trip by bus "Willer." You can see it here:
http://www.soleilrouge.org/fujisan-l-ascension-d-une-vie

Thank you guys!!!
I think i'll try to arrange the trip by myself instead of joining tours. I can see that there is a list of mountain huts' telephone numbers from the Fujisan official website but it seems that they don't have a website or anything for you to book online. I'll see if i can ask anyone to help making a booking via telephone when i'm in Japan.
A few more questions though.
I know that they have coin lockers at the 5th station; but are they time limited?
I intend to climb Mount Fuji between 15th to 20th July during weekdays. Will it be very crowded during that time and is the weather usually stable around that time?

Thank you very much in advance :D

Hi,
I climbed Mt. Fuji in August 2010. That was before it was a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Try to avoid the weekends and O-bon (mid-August), then it's less crowded.

I've written about my climbing experience with lots of useful information here: http://zoomingjapan.com/travel/climbing-mount-fuji-in-august/

Hope that helps you a bit with your planning! ^__^

Thank you so much. Your blog is very informative and answers most of my questions :D

You're welcome.
Glad to hear that. ^__^

Thanks for sharing, zoomingjapan!

In fact, I'll be going in August on my own and I have booked a climbing tour with a bus company. The bus would bring me from Tokyo and a guide to be with the group all the way up and down Mt Fuji. More than 10years ago, I had trekked in Nepal for a few days, but i'm unsure how it would be for Mt Fuji. So I think it's better to have someone around for the climb. Hopefully with a guide and some other group members, I'll be fit to make it to the summit. Praying for good weather!