Mt Fuji

Myself and 3 friends are looking at travelling to Japan in 2011, we would like to climb Mt Fuji. Could anyone tell me how far, long, time it takes etc. More info the better. We are just back from the Great Wall and previous to that The Inca Trail so like a challenge.

There is a wealth of info on climbing Fuji. You can see some videos here
http://www.youtube.com/ichinensei2

The info you need depends on whether you want to climb all night, or start from the afternoon and take it leisurely. Some people just like to start at 10pm, climb straight up to see the sunrise and back down. I took the more leisurely option - starting in the afternoon. I prefered this because you can see the nice views and take pictures. It was also a great experience to climb right thru the clouds.
For more info, you can go here
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

I climbed from the Kawaguchiko side which has the most huts, and I slept in one. People will tell you you get very small space (u do) but it was a great experience.

Mike is right- millions of people have climbed Fuji, so as you would expect, a Google search will turn up lots of info. Unless you are climbers experienced with using crampons and ice axes, don't think of climbing outside the main summer climbing season (early July to mid September) as outside those times it is usually very snowy and treacherous and quite a different mountain.

This is the best webpage for Mt Fuji climb. It is the official city of Fujiyoshida site and has all relevant and current info on climbing. They publish a climbing guide every year, maps, places to stay,info on Mountain huts, festivals, climbing plans etc. Hope this helps!
http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp/div/english/ht...
(oh, this is the Fuji page, just go to the home page if you want other info on the area.) Also, I agree that you need to stay within the climbing season (July-August peak). I climbed last year in August, and got caught in a huge downpour and lightning storm. One man lost his life to lightning strike that
day. This was a rare case, but sometimes even in summer the weather can be dangerous. (Bring raingear) :)

I was up there last year on Jul 27th! It was below 0C and the wind was ferocious! Bring lots of warm clothes!

I have not climb Mt. Fuji. So I cannot tell you from my experience. But if you have traveled all over the world, and climb other mountains, Mt. Fuji is not that great and not a challenge at all.

I lived in Japan and was never tempted to climb it because of the crowds in summer. You see photos and videos of long line of people climbing along the trail. It's like climbing Mt.Si here in Seattle on a summer weekend. Rush hour traffic no different from walking in Shibuya or Shinjuku in Tokyo.
I climbed Mt. Rainier here in Washington where there are permanent glaciers and that's a different story. You might be actually risking your life.

No offense to those who accomplished a lifetime dream of climbing Mt. Fuji but if you are one of those experienced climber I will skip it.

Chad

When Japan annexed Taiwan, Mt. Fuji no longer became the tallest mountain in Japan. It was Mt. Yu in the small island of Taiwan. It is 3952 meter high, taller by 176 meters than Mt Fuji. Today Mt. Yu is the tallest peak in the whole Northest Asia.
There is an interesting historical note about this mountain. Japanese renamed Mt Yu to (Mt) Niitaka yama. In the attack of Pearl Harbor, "Niitaka yama wo nobore" (climb Niitaka yama) was the code name for the attack.

Chad (Japanese history major)

Mount Fuji is not the most challenging of mountains (in the summer) IF you are an experienced mountain-climber and thrill seeker..yes. BUT, Mount Fuji is an icon, a symbol of Japan, and for many, it is a spiritual journey. It also for most people is at least, a tough climb. I felt like I was climbing stairs (steep) for 7 hours all the way up to the summit. And to say it's not dangerous, people (experienced climbers with snow and ice) have been literally blown off the mountain by the winds when they try to climb off-season. Sorry, I didn't notice in the first post that they wanted a challenge, but they mentioned they visited some very important worldly sites. Sooooo, maybe they would like to see and climb Mt Fuji.
I'll probably never do it again, but I'm glad I did. I live here so I guess I'm a little defensive, sorry. Anyhoo, poster of this question, the Mount Fuji area is a beautiful place to see whether you climb the mountain or not.

I did it last year and will do it again next year. I know there is a saying You're a Fool not to climb it, and a Fool to Climb it twice. But, it's great exercise, you get to spend X number of hours bonding with your friends, You see great views and when the sun rises, it is really truly magical..