he who climbs it twice is a fool.
-Japanese proverb
Rising 12,388 feet (3,776m) over the Kanto Plain, Mt. Fuji - called Fuji-san by the Japanese - is the highest mountain in Japan, and by far the most beloved. In fact, climbing Mt. Fuji began as a religious practice; and some religious sects in Japan today still consider the mountain sacred.
The mountain is actually a composite volcano, formed by three separate volcanoes. Mt. Fuji's crater has a diameter of about 2,600 feet (800 m), and it's base has a diameter of roughly 25-30 miles (40-50 km).
The short climbing season runs from July 1 through August 31, so tens of thousands of climbers crowd the slopes each day, hopeful of reaching the summit. The ascent is divided into ten official stages, marked by stations that - for a 200 yen fee - will burn a souvenir stamp into your climbing stick. In recent times, numerous "unofficial" stations have cropped up along the slope, offering snacks, cool drinks, souvenirs and stamps, but most hardcore local climbers shun these stamps as "bogus."
Modern climbers usually drive to the fifth station and begin the climb from there; but, even starting from this advantageous position, the summit is a good five hours of steady hiking away. Not everyone makes it. Even though it is more of a hike than a true "climb," it is a grueling hike up a steeply sloping trail that switches back on itself every few hundred feet (the climbing trails can be vaguely seen in the Fuji photo at the top right corner of this article). Add to that the effects of altitude and the unpredictable weather (which changes drastically during the ascent from hot to cold in the best of conditions, but usually features sudden downpours, too), and it's no wonder that numerous confident climbers have had their hopes dashed somewhere between the fifth and eighth stations.
The best way for folks unfamiliar with Japan to make the climb is to take advantage of a tour, which handles all the transportation, parking, accommodations (for the overnight tour), etc. Two types of tour are usually available - a one-day trek, where the hike starts before 6 a.m. and returns to the fifth station before sundown; and the overnight, which starts the climb at about 5 p.m., spends the night at the Fuji Hotel in the original eighth station, then begins the climb the next morning in the wee hours to reach the summit in time for the sunrise (a traditional "pilgrimmage" of sorts for the Japanese).
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