PIKANDA

Mt. Fuji has 3 major entrances in its skirt of the mountain. They are Yoshida Entrance of Yamanashi Prefecture, Subashiri Entrance of Shizuoka Pref. and Fujinomiya Entrance of Shizuoka Pref. Among them, most popular, easy to access and the shortest difference in height is the trail of Fujinomiya Entrance.

Mt. Fuji is recommended to climb between 1 July to 31 August as a summer season for every hikers. It is not illegal if somebody climbs that mountain in mid winter, though it is quite dangerous for unexperienced or not trained mountaineers for the threat of falling from extreamly icy trail. About a dozen people die from falling in each year in Mt. Fuji.

For mountain ski-freaks, the best season to have fan in Mt.Fuji is Mid May to Early June. This is not the only case for Mt. Fuji, it is also the best season in another 3,000m class Japanese mountains such as those of Japanese Northern Alps. (eg, Mt. Yari, Mt.Tateyama or Mt.Hakuba)

In summer season, we are not allowed to drive directoly up to the end of the road at which three major trail entrances exist. Fujinomiya Entrance which is at the end of Fujisan-Sky-Line is also prohibited to drive up between 12 June to 1 September for 2013 summer season.

Each trail entrances are called as same Japanese word 'Gogohme', that means the point of half-way to the mountain top in every Japanese mountains. Height of Fujinomiya entrance 'Gogohme' is about 2400m above sea level. Hikers must park their cars in the parking place at lower altitude, and transfer to a shuttle bus in this period of time. But skiers need not to mind this because we go Fujisan for skiing or snowboarding in off hiking season. We can directoly drive up to each 'Gogome' by our own cars in May or June. (Note each drive way is restricted to pass in night time, officially)

Here, I want to introduce you one of my backcountry cronocles on Mt. Fuji in late May of 2012.


Parking space of 'Gogohme' of Fujinomiya Entrance. At the end of the road 'Fujisan-sky-line', 6:30 in the morning, there already had been no vacancy in the parking area. We had came here the day before and stayed one night in the tent which had been set up on the asphalt of the parking space and removed before 6 a.m.


People who started hiking before 5 a.m. had already in their half way to the summit on the wide steep.


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May be continued if you want to know more about the backcountry skiing and snowboading in Japan and comment to this article. Author PIKANDA :)