Last Sunday, I checked another long-time “to-do” item off my list with a ride on the “Sweets Car” of the Fuji View Express. The train runs on the Fujikyu (FujiQ) Railway, and connects Ōtsuki station with Mt. Fuji Station and other points in the Fuji Five Lakes region of Yamanashi Prefecture. The “Sweets Plan” ticket (which includes both the base fare and the express ticket fare, as well as the special sweets and drinks) covers passage from Ōtsuki to one of Mt. Fuji, Fujikyu Highland, or Kawaguchiko Stations; given my other plans for the day, I opted to end my
Read moreMt. Fuji
CHAPTER 22: Summit Dawn

While it’s possible to climb up and back from the summit of Mt. Fuji in a day (and given the altitude of the Fujinomiya trailhead, I actually made several longer one-day round-trip hikes during the 100 Summits year), we opted for the more typical “overnight hike” in order to try and catch the sunrise from Fuji’s summit.
Read moreCHAPTER 21: Mount Fuji

After years of waiting (and more than two dozen attempted viewings spoiled by clouds) this was my first full view of Mt. Fuji, from the window of my hotel in Fujinomiya, the morning we began the climb.
Read moreFujisan Decides

Anyone who climbs mountains regularly knows that the climber gets to plan, and to attempt, but the mountain has a say–if not a deciding voice–in whether or not you stand upon its peak. In some cases, that also goes for whether or not you even see the summit.
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