Custom-made T-shirts! Altitude Sickness! Short Sleeves? A Group of Five Students Climbing Mt. Fuji in Their Last Summer【28】

【2014/8/30,31】

I climbed Mount Fuji during my solo trip around Japan.

I had already toured Eastern Japan, and was about to embark on my journey through Western Japan.

PM 2:00

The end of August, nearing the end of summer vacation, had good weather.

We drove to Mount Fuji from our hometown in a friend's car.

We made a rule that the loser of a rock-paper-scissors game among the five of us would drive, but this led to a tragedy later...

We created original T-shirts for taking commemorative photos on site. The student vibes were strong, for better or worse.

We headed to Fujinomiya on the expressway, taking breaks along the way.

PM 6:30

We purchased beverages and food at a local supermarket.

PM 8:00

We reached the 5th station of Mount Fuji around 8:00 PM.

From here, we aimed to reach the summit by sunrise.

AM 4:00

The rain was on and off, so we couldn't take many photos. We could only see faint lights of the town far below, and couldn't really enjoy the scenery.

The climb was tough partly because our gear was inadequate. We wore soccer jerseys, windbreakers, and raincoats, but it was cold. Above all, we all wore sneakers, so we slipped often on the gravel path.

AM 6:30

As we neared the summit, the sky cleared up and more people appeared. We had already witnessed the sunrise on our way, and saw the moment the sun rose.

The summit had rocky areas, something resembling a torii gate, and spots for commemorative photos. There were also restrooms and vending machines, so we could relax a bit.

The view from the summit was breathtaking.

Friend A was lying down due to altitude sickness, and didn't seem to be in the mood to enjoy the scenery.

Amidst others bundling up in down jackets, friend B went shirtless.

The ascent took about 8 hours, but the descent only took about 4 hours.

We took commemorative photos upon our return, marking the successful climb.

Afterwards, friend A, who had altitude sickness, lost the rock-paper-scissors game to decide the driver for the return trip home, and had to drive for about an hour in discomfort.

We stopped at a ramen shop on the way and the pork bone ramen tasted exceptionally good, but friend A rested in the car.

That concludes the Mount Fuji climbing chapter. Now, the journey through Western Japan begins.