Climbing Mount Fuji is only permitted during the summer months from mid-July to mid-September the routes and mountain huts are closed out of season. Fuji is also the subject of many poems in literature.įour hiking routes lead from different starting points to the summit of Mount Fuji: Yoshida Route, Subashiri Route, Gotemba Route and Fujinomiya Route. At the same time, it is a popular subject in Japanese art and can be found, among other things, in the famous woodblock prints by the artist Hokusai. Due to the strikingly symmetrical volcanic cone, Fuji is widely regarded as the most beautiful mountain in the world and is often viewed as a symbol of Japan. It has been since 2013 part of the UNESCO World Heritage. It is located on the main island of Honshu on the borders of the Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures and, when the weather is clear, is even visible from Tokyo. The mountain also plays an important role in Buddhism, because in the so-called Shugendo, climbing a mountain is viewed as an expression of faith. At 3,776 meters above sea level, Mount Fuji or Fujisan is the highest and most famous mountain in Japan. In Shinto, Mount Fuji has been sacred for centuries and around it are more than 1,300 so-called Sengen shrines. At the northern foot of the mountain are the five Fuji lakes.
Its last known eruption was in 1707 and lasted about two weeks. It is a stratovolcano on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is classified as active, but with a low risk of eruption.
