Climbing Mt Fuji/Sunday night/July

I've done a little research both here and on other sites that says you basically have to form a queue to climb Fujisan on the weekend or a public holiday.

I was wondering if the same rule applied to a Sunday evening? Will we be 'lining up' to see the sunrise? (We're planning on climbing through the night).

Mt. Fuji will probably be extremely crowded during climbing season. I haven't been there myself, but I've read comments and watched a few traveling shows.

I've climbed Fuji twice. Once during the day and once at night.

During the day there were definitely a lot of people hiking, and the trails were packed, but they kept moving and I didn't have to wait behind anyone.

Hiking at night was far better. There were still quite a few people hiking but it was much more spaced out than during the day. Around 2am all the people who stayed in the lodges will join the procession. There will be a lot of people at the top to see the sunrise but there was no lack of places to watch from.

To stay ahead of the queues, you need to make sure that you have got past the 8th station huts before people start pouring out at around 2.30- 3am. Both times I climbed we left at about 9pm and managed to stay ahead of these queues- they weren't far behind us, and wanting to stay ahead of them was motivation to keep going!

We were among the first few people to arrive on the top both times and did have to wait in the cold for a while for sunrise, but it was worth it not to be stuck in the bottlenecks.

Sunday night will obviously not be as crowded as Saturday night as the next day is a working day (unless you are climbing on the 20th in which case the next day is a public holiday and it will probably be packed.

Is it possible doing this mt in one day, including going back to Tokyo?
I did mt Kilimanjaro (5997) and the first 3500m quiet easely in one day. But there might be different atmospheric conditions here. Is starting at noon possible to do for a more experienced 'climber'? Also I don't have 'mountain shoes' with me, only good running shoes. Maybe some equipment can be rented there?
Thx for youre advice.

Is it possible doing this mt in one day, including going back to Tokyo?

Yes, it isn't uncommon to climb Mt. Fuji as a day trip from Tokyo.

Is starting at noon possible to do for a more experienced 'climber'?

I would recommend starting as early as possible. It's not a difficult, more of a steep walk than a climb. If you are an experienced hiker I wouldn't imagine it taking more than 5-6 hours up and 3-4 hours back down. That's still roughly 10 hours though so you should start early enough to be back down to make the last buses back to Tokyo.

Also I don't have 'mountain shoes' with me, only good running shoes. Maybe some equipment can be rented there?

No special gear is needed except sturdy shoes, unless hiking at night in which case warm clothing and a flashlight are essential. You will probably be more comfortable hiking in light hiking boots however.

Is it possible doing this mt in one day, including going back to Tokyo?

Most people will do it in an 2-day 1-night trip. The average person takes about 10-15 hours for the hike, not including access to the mountain and back. You would have to hurry at a high speed, and be very good physical shape, especially if you use public transportation.

Fuji has other access points, that are nearly empty of people and less cluttered (concrete barriers and mountain huts) than the popular, and possibly least scenic, Kawaguchi trail (though the view is still nice).

Outside of the "official" climbing season, July 20 through late August, the mountain can be nearly empty.

If you are an experienced climber, you can climb Fuji in less than 5 hours. The weather is the main obstacle, and can be comparable to some of the tallest mountains. Running shoes are fine, but could be overly worn down by pumice once you reach the bottom.