Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain and on a clear day can be seen from Tokyo. The mountain is a symmetrical volcanic cone and is a national symbol of Japan, which can be found represented in many different types of art.

Climbing Mount Fuji is only possible from July to August, and even in the heat of summer the top of the mountain can still be very cold often going below freezing at night. Outside of the climbing season it is illegal to climb the mountain without prior police permission. It is however possible to do a number of hikes at the bottom of the mountain, where the paths are less steep.

Climbing the mountain can take between 4 and 8 hours depending on your fitness, and in the annual race it has been completed in under 2 hours. Coming down the mountain normally takes between 2 to 4 hours. Most people will opt to do the climb and descent over two days, however this can mean that the routes up get crowded so try to be clever in timing your climb. The most popular time is to try and reach the summit for sunrise, and with 300 000 people a year making the climb you may prefer to start in the late morning and try to get the sunset then stay overnight and see the sunrise before descending.

There are a number of main climbing routes up the mountain that start from the fifth stations, the most popular is Kawaguchiko route. This route starts of nicely but quickly becomes fairly standard volcanic landscape that gets steeper as you go further, there is no rock climbing required and the route is well marked by day and night. At the top you will find a number of huts selling drinks and snacks and of course some vending machines. The Gotembaguchi route is lower than Kawaguchiko route and so takes longer, but you will find less people here but you do have to walk through an ash field which can mean that the ash will somehow penetrate everything you are wearing. Other routes are Subashiri and Fujinomiya. The shortest is Fujinomiya but you will not be able to see the sunrise before the summit. Most routes start out from the fifth station but there are also a number of routes that start off from the bottom of the mountain.

At the summit of the mountain it will take you about an hour to walk around the crater which has been dormant for several hundred years. You can also buy a number of souvenirs from your climb as well as sending a postcard marked from the highest post office in Japan.

It is possible to get accommodation on the mountain, but with so many people going up it is a good idea to book in advance. The accommodation is fairly basic and will be shared with many other climbers they also have toilets here but you will need a collection of 100 to 200 yen coins in order to use them.

There are lots of ways to get to Mount Fuji with the most popular route coming from Tokyo but there are no direct train routes but you can get close and then take a short bus ride allowing you access to all of the climbing routes. However you get there, the chance to climb the mountain should not be missed as climbing Mount Fuji is a great experience and the views beyond breathtaking.