Climbing Fuji from Sengen Shrine

Hello,

I'm trying to find any information regarding this Fuji approach, but there is only little and ambigous. Maybe someone could help me.

I wanted to climb Fuji somewhere in July, starting all the way from Sengen Shrine. I'm not sure whether I have to stay one day on 5th station or would I be able to go all the way to 8th station huts in one day to take a night there before reaching the summit.

Is it possible to go all the way to the 8th station in one day (starting, let say, at 8-9am)?
How long it takes to take part of Yoshida trail from Sengen Shrine to 5th station?

Any help would be really appreciated.

Hi,

I am a trail runner and have experience of climbing from Sengen Shrine upto the summit. You do not have to stay on 5th station if you walk from Sengen shrine since your body can be adjusted to the altitude while walking. When you walk from the bottom, you will not pass the new 5th Station where there are shops (end of car road - Subaru Line) unless you extend walk to there say half an hour. You can carry on upto 6-7th station in one day. Since most of people want to see the sunrise from the top, they depart the cabin with headlight at midnight. Recently we have really terrible jam from 7th station upto the summit and you need to start early enough (or you take descending route) If you start 8-9am, you will miss the sunrise but you could enjoy much easier and warmer climbing. You should go around the volcano hole (Ohachi meguri), it takes about two hours including reaching real summit (3776m) My time record with altitude/distance follows:
(1) 0830 Sengen Shrine (850m) - 0920 Nakano Chaya (1100m) 4.5km - easy trail in woods
(2) Nakano Chaya (1100m) - 1040 Umagaeshi (1450m) - 3.5km - paved road in woods
(3) Umagaeshi (1450m) - 1340 Satogoya cabin(2230m) - 4.4km - from this part it is real mountain climbing
(4) Satogoya - 5th Station - 1545 Hinodekan cabin (2700m)
(5) 2400 depart Hinodekan - 0450 Summit (3715m)
(6) Ohachi-meguri (walking around volcano hole and go to the real summit 3776m) 2 hours.

There is a website called "yama-reco" for climbers to post their records/photos but unfortunately they are in Japanese. One sample is linked below for the record of who climbed from Sengen jinja to the summit in one day.
http://www.yamareco.com/modules/yamareco/detail-511353.html

P.S. There are several Sengen Jinja Shrines. The formal name of the one on the Yoshida route is "Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja". In the meantime "Fuji Hongu Sengen Jinja", is located at opposite side of Mt.Fuji.

Thank you very much. That is extremely helpful.

Considering I am probably not as good hiker as you are, I think that 7th station is reasonable.
All that is to see sunrise at the summit of course, so I'm trying to assess how early in the morning should I start from Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja and how far I can go (best would be pobably 8th station).

I was on Fuji three years ago, so I'm aware of the traffic, but then I started at 5th station.

Can you tell me a bit about first part of Yoshida trail (part from Sengen Jinja to place where 5th station path meets)? Is it marked well enough to not get lost?

Hi,
My record is the one I went in hiking tour, so the pace was not too fast. There are two points you should be careful:
1. Entrance of the trail- After you go to the main shrine for praying (or just seeing), then you walk the paved path seeing the shrine on your left. Just before the path joins the wider road, there is an entrance of trail on your right. But this road and the trail go closely in parallel all the way up to Nakano Chaya, so even if you cannot find the entrance, you have some points to join the trail from the paved road. Runners (for practice of race on July 22) run on the paved road.

2. Nakano Chaya - one road separates to two in Y-shape and you go on the right path seeing the cafe on your left.

Basically the path from Shrine upto Umagaeshi is very straight, so you won't be lost. In July you have other hikers/runners too.

Perfect!

Thank you very much for all information. I'm gonna start arranging stuff to make all possible :)