Climbing Mount Fuji - September 2008

I am currently planning a 3 week trip to Japan during September. Unfortunately work and other commitments in the UK mean September is the only time we can go - I realise that the official climbing season for Mt Fuji only runs during July and August, but based on info on this site it seems that some of the huts stay open til mid september and searching the forum it looks like other people have climbed mt fuji in September. I would be interested in any advice / info anyone may have beyond that contained on this site about climbing in September. We would probably try to make it one of the first things we did, and we plan to arrive in Japan (flying into Tokyo from UK) around 4th or 5th September. I think the direct buses from Shinjuku to the 5th station only run on weekends - does anyone know when the timetables for these buses are released? Is it a lot more hassle to get the bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko station and then another bus from there to the 5th station, if we decided trying to do it on the weekend of 6th/7th september was not feasible? I understand that booking huts has to be done from within Japan - is this the kind of thing we could expect a hotel in Tokyo to help us with? (haven't decided where to stay in Tokyo yet, but generally, would this be the kind of thing Japanese hotels would be happy to help you with?) We plan to learn as much Japanese as we can before we go, but our language skills will be quite limited... Finally, given that we would be climbing in the "off" season, but only a week or so after the end of the official climbing station, could we expect to see other people on the climb? / Is the trail from Kawaguchiko 5th station fairly obvious? (I figure when there are loads of people climbing in the summer then it would be pretty obvious which way to go, but am little concerned that the number of people climbing will suddenly be a lot less from the beginning of september and the route may not be very clear). Many thanks in advance for all your help. Ruth

There should be plenty of climbers/hikers left at the beginning of September, as this is when the climbing clubs go out to clean all the trash off the mountain. If you get off the trail you can find gulleys filled with trash on your own.

If the huts are closed, you can still get to the top and back in a day leaving from Tokyo Shinjuku Station and getting a bus to Gogome.
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/access/ac018mtfuji...
You just have to go a bet better equipped, as if climbing a 13,000' peak without tourist facilities.

From Gogome to the top and back takes about 9 hours. Down isn't that much faster unless you find a nice gravel slide to run down. If you want stay until dawn, you might think about bringing some sleeping equipment and bivy bags or light tent. You should also take layers of clothing in case the weather changes. It can get cold at the top in September. When I climbed it in May one year I took so many layers that I equipped an unequipped hiker as well as myself and we both got to the top (He gave me a ride back in to Tokyo as payment). I also climbed it in February and took an ice ax and crampons along, which I didn't need, but if I had, I could have gotten safely up/down.

Finding the Tozando trail (Yoshidaguchi) from Shin-Gogome isn't a problem unless it's pitch black. You just keep heading out from the direction of the end of the road toward Gogome and turn right.

Info link:
http://www17.plala.or.jp/climb_fujiyama/useful%20links.html

There is a lot of info on this site if you use the search as questions on Fuji come up here a lot.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

Thanks very much for the info - very helpful :o)