“It’s an easy climb” a coworker of mine sends messages me. “You’ll have no issue doing it, old people go up and down it all the time.” Perfect, this shouldn’t be a problem, I initially thought. I feel like he’d have been right too had I not climbed up through what I could only describe as a typhoon. Funny how things never turn out the way you planned…

Worth Seeing: 4.5 water logged iPhones out of 5. Definitely worth doing. Bring lots of water and food, leave anything you don’t need with you at the bottom.

Getting There: I took a bus from the terminal outside of Shinjuku station for 2700 Yen which took me to the Fuji Subaru Station at the base of the Yoshida Trail. It’s best to refer to here though, as the schedule, price, and bus routes my change and are seasonally dependant.

9 am – And I would walk 500 miles…

Early on Day 3, I packed my bags, checked out of my capsule hotel and headed out. Out the door at 9am, knowing the buses were at 11 and later around 1, I thought I was doing pretty good for my self. That confidence didn’t last long. As I was running out the door I got talking to another backpacker from Indonesia who had climbed Fuji that week before. He was surprised to see me “Leaving so late”. He told me that he arrived at the bus terminal at 9 am, and the buses were already booked until 3 pm for that day, and that was on a Tuesday. He went on saying if I hadn’t gotten a bus ticket, I likely wasn’t leaving until closer to the evening…..

11 am – Today’s Theme of the Day: Don’t Listen To Everyone

Being slightly nervous after that news, I rushed to the bus terminal, running in at 10:50, assuming the 11am bus was out of the question, probably even the 1 oclock bus too. By the grace of what ever god was smiling on me that day, the line moved quickly, I got to the front, the lady handed me a ticket for 11am, and was told “gate 26, you have 3 minutes”. Woah! What was that guy talking about then? Didn’t matter, I had a ticket and had to run. Little did I know that moment essentially set the theme for the next 36 hours…

Update: I realized afterwards the guy I was talking to had climbed Mount Fuji during obon week, the one week a year where all of Japan essentially takes it vacation at the same time, which is why there were so many crowds when he went. I intentionally scheduled my vacation the week afterwards to avoid such crowds and was glad to have done it.

As rain began to pour down, I threw my bags on the bus. I was barely in my seat before the bus took left. I couldn’t have cut it any closer.

1 pm – Zoom Zoom, Drip Drip

It was a 2 hour bus ride out of Tokyo to the 5th station of mount fuji where all climbers begin at. You aren’t allowed to start at the very base, you have to take a bus to the 5th station. As we got closer and closer, the rain only came down harder. I was in a spring jacket and jeans…ever so slightly under dressed Mistake #1. I  had kept an eye on the weather leading up to it, but the forecast only got more concerning, and by the morning I left Tokyo, it went from overcast to rainstorms for a the preceeding two days. I knew weather in mountains is anyone’s guess sometimes, so I figured it was worth at least giving it a shot. That said though, I didn’t have a pack cover, or even a poncho, I thought I’d be fine with an umbrella to cover me, Mistake #2.

They were selling rain gear at the 5th station, but there were only smalls left, and pack covers were being sold for $70…. The umbrella was going to have to work. After a quick meal of chicken and rice, I left the 5th station and started walking. By pure luck, 10 feet into the walk I found a pack cover laying on the ground, and with no one around, I liberated this little peace of luck, which JUST managed to fit over my pack. Perfect. The rain only got stronger and a thick fog settled in, which was essentially all I saw for the next 18 hours.

Mount Fuji has a handful of trails to take. I took the more popular Yoshida trail, which is roughly 7.5 km long. It starts off almost flat, but becomes steeper as you get past the 7th and 8th stations. My plan was to take the shorter yet steeper Fujinomiya trail down on the far side of the mountain to catch another bus to take me to Shin-Fuji station, and then by train to Kyoto. That was the plan at least.

3 pm – Hey Look, More Rain, Wow…

After about a kilometer and a half, the rain and wind started to really pick up. I had 40 lbs worth of packs with me, with a 60L Osprey that was packed to the brim, and a Dakine backpack on my front with half a dozen $3 dollar water bottles and a handful of snicker bars. This was Mistake #3. I should’ve left my main pack at the bottom, but since I was taking the bus on the far side, I didn’t have a choice unless I wanted to backtrack to Tokyo. I also had years of caneo trips and portages where carrying a 30 lb equipment bag on your back and a 30 lb food pack on your front for 3 kilometers was a normal thing. That said though, In hinde sight, I should’ve just taken what I needed and left the rest in Tokyo or in a locker at the base of the mountain and just to come back down the same route and gone from there. Lesson Learned.

4pm – Any longer and I might be swimming up the Mountain

As the trail got steeper, the wind started to rip up the mountain, popping up my umbrella and ripping it out of my hands a few times. I started to realize the umbrella wasn’t gonna work in the higher winds. I was prepped for the cold weather at the top, but not for the rain. I had to get dry. Soon after the 7th station, I started coming up on Mountain Huts and managed to pick up a poncho and rain pants for 20 bucks from one of them. The only problem was I’m 6’5″ at 230 lbs. The coat barely fit and the pants tore as I put them on, It was manageable, but far from perfect.

The solid dirt path quickly degraded into hardened lava. It was rough simply because between the rain and the random rock formations, you really had to choose where to take each step along the way.

The path begin to get very steep and the terrain was jagged and wet.

 

5 pm – Toyokan Inn

Another hour spent climbing this, and 3 hours after setting off from the 5th station, I arrived at the Toyokan Inn half way between the 7th and 8th stations. I was wiped from lugging my packs and soaked to my core from the power wash I’d just been given. The hut had a spin drier, which almost did nothing, but was better than leaving my clothes as was.

The Inn it’s self was very nice. It felt almost like a Cottage in Muskoka back in Canada, for those who’ve been lucky enough to find themselves up there. They laid out a dinner for me; A ground beef patty, lots of rice, soup and green tea. It tasted like the most satisfying meal I’d had since I had gotten to Japan. I was handed breakfast for the next morning; three rice rolls with ginger wrapped in a banana leaf.

I was one of the few English speakers in the hut for most of the night. Since most people wanted to get up early around 1 am to make it to the summit for sunrise, most people were in bed around 8 and 9. And with the wind howling outside, there wasn’t a whole lot to do otherwise. I definitely noticed the air felt thinner and was glad to be taking 8 hours to acclimatize, but it wasn’t anything overly problematic. There were some others though who I saw weren’t dealing with it as well.

1 am – Up an At ’em

As the sound of my iPhone going off pulled me out of sleep, I decided to see if the weather had improved at all. The wind was hallowing and the rain had laid off a touch, but was still pounding on the deck out front. The clouds would clear in some locations, but when I turned around 2 minutes later it was 50 feet of visibility again. Just then, the 3 Japanese guys next to me got up and started prepping. I figured I’d give it a try then. At least I wouldn’t be the only one.

Attempting to hike the summit at 1 am. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but you could see twinkle of lights of the cities below suddenly appear then be blocked out by the  fast moving cloud cover moving through.

 

1:30 am – Best Laid Plans

The rocks were glazed in water, and with that and the lack of visibility, it was turning out to be a tricky start to the morning. That said, nothing felt largely unsafe about it. As long as I took my time and didn’t rush it or push it too hard I’d be okay. Unfortunately the decision to carry on turned out not to be up to me ultimately.

About 30 minutes into climbing we saw a line of people coming down. I knew that didn’t bode well. The guy in the front of the line coming down told us that the summit was closed and that they had been turned around about an hour further up. They said it would be closed for at least the next two days due to weather.

That was the low point in the trip, or in any trip I’ve ever had. After all the money I had spent to get here, and effort to get this far, and then you’re told it’s “no go” this far up. Disappointment doesn’t even quiet fill it. Feeling as if I didn’t have much choice about it, I went back down, not sure what to do. This really messed things up as now I had to climb back down, take another 2 hour bus ride back to Tokyo, and then figure out what train to get to make it to Kyoto from there. Not to mention the fact that with half a mountain worth of climbers having to do the same thing, god knows when I’d be able to make it to Tokyo. I thought about the irony that I had watched the episode of Departures the day before I left to gain some last minute inspiration of sights to see. In it they try to climb Mount Fuji, but a storm rolls in and they’re turned around before even getting there. Here I was having the same conversation with my self they did, all that money and effort, and for what, except I was already half way up. But you know what, it was a gamble to even try I guess.

I arrived back down to the hut, the owner was turning people away who hadn’t stayed the night, or was charging 50 dollars for 3 hours to stay. After a bit of broken English negotiation he let me back in since I had been there earlier, but was told I had to be out by 7 am. I just tossed and turned for the next 3 hours until I decided to check the weather again around 5am. The hut staff were now telling everyone the summit was closed and to go back down. Most people were awake by now, and were weighing their options much like me.

5am – I’d Gotten this Far

One of the other travelers I met was a Russian guy roughly the same age as me. He was talking about going back down and was saying one of the staff knew a quicker way down and would show us. He had his own reasons for going down as he was on a tight schedule, but I wasn’t so much and for me personally I felt defeated and that going down I was just giving up before even hearing an official word from anyone. Most people were gearing up for going back down, but I started to notice small groups head up the mountain on their own. Just then the other guy I’d been talking too said they were going back down. I made the split decision. I told him that ‘I’d gotten this far’. I wanted to hear it for my self.

I’d been looking forward to this for months and I didn’t see any reason right there not to do it, the rain had died down for the most part, and the wind followed suit. Yes the weather report the day before said it was supposed to storm, but I also know weather in mountains is incredibly fluid and any forecast is an educated guess. It was a bit of a gamble, but figured it was worth the shot. Worst case scenario if I got caught in a storm, I knew there were hut’s for a long way still up the mountain.

6 am – 8th Station

It wasn’t too long before I came up on the 8th station. Although my still semi damp clothes and carrying all the stuff I had was starting to wear on me. I dropped my bags just as two Japanese guys came over and struck up a conversation.

“America…?”

“No Canada” I responded.

We started talking, their English was not bad and we managed to have a decent half broken English conversation. I went to go buy a 5 dollar water when the guys stopped me. “Help me lighten my pack” he said as he tossed me two bottle of water. He tossed me a few chocolate bars and food too. I couldn’t believe it. The three of us started hiking together and I met the rest of their group. They were all teachers in Japan, so we had something to talk about. As we climbed, they were teaching me Japanese words while I was trying to do the same with English.

The temperature dropped, and the air started to be noticeably thin, but meeting up with this group, the climb started to really pick up speed. It felt like half the time had passed before we rounded the 9th station, the sun started to pierce through the clouds and everyone on the side of the mountain started to cheer. But just as quick as it came, it clouded back up again. My parents had lived in Alberta when they had me, and spent a lot of time in the Rocky Mountains. They always said “If you didn’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes”. I truly saw what they meant here.

Unfortunately, as soon as it cleared, the fog hurdled back in. It was at this point we started to hear rumbles in the sky. My stomach sunk as I figured it was thunder, and that those storms I saw in the forecast the day before were beginning to blow in. The rumbles continued, but they started to settle in at even intervals. I said to one of the other teachers if it was thunder, but an American behind me said it was from an artillery range not to far away. And with nothing in the way, the sound carries all the way up the mountain.

10 am – Summit

As we got half way between the 9th station and the summit, I really started to feel the weight of the packs. The terrain had improved though with it being a combination of dirt and large rocks. With the red and black soil, crazy geology and tight visibility, it felt almost like you were on mars. That said though, there wasn’t anymore hardened lava to traverse.

One last push and we made it to the last set of Tori gates, 20 more feet and we’d made it to the top. Mother nature gave one last dump of rain and wind, and then she leveled out. I’d made it.

We were never told to turn back, or came up on anything saying “closed”. It was clear sailing, and we’d made it. In fact, had I gone up at 1 am, or had I turned around, I wouldn’t have met the incredible group of teachers. The wind was still whipping through, but after about 20 minutes of being at the top, the cloud cover blew out. The timing couldn’t have been better. Just then, my new Japanese friends/saviors called me over, they’d ordered me raymen from one of the huts at the top, and they refused to let me pay. These guys completely took me under their wing and made sure I had a positive experience. I couldn’t have been more grateful for these people.

The view from the top was spectacular. What was probably just as amazing was seeing the other mountain ranges around you, but seeing how high you were above even them! There was still a layer of clouds which floated through below separating you between the top and cities below in the distance, giving that much more contrast to everything. It was while eating, I took out some paper and decided to write a letter home. It was while I was spelling that I realized then the altitude had gotten to me. I took it easy from then on. We finished up lunch and started to hike along the edge of the crater.

It was at this point when one of the teachers asked me where I was going after. I told them I was going to Kyoto that night, and had to get there by 6pm for checkin. The look of shock on his face when I said that made me realize I may have under estimated my timing and what it was going to take to still make it there for today. I was so focued on getting to the top that I hadn’t fully considered the fact the delay with not making it to the top at sunrise pushed everything back by 5 hours. He looked up train times on his phone and told me there was one leaving Shin-Fuji at 3 oclock. It was 11 am and still had a 2-3 hour hike down and a two hour bus ride. The guesthouse let me know too that they couldn’t guarantee being in the guesthouse outside the checkin time I specified. I didn’t want to arrive and have no one there; It wasn’t like Korea where I could crash at a JimJaBang if I get stuck.

11:30 am – What goes up, must come down.

We shook hands, took pictures, and parted ways. The weather had completely turned in the best way, and I start almost running down the Fujinomia trail with enthusiasm. I ran into probably half a dozen westerners on the way down, stopping briefly to rest and to chat.

2:20pm – Super Happy City Bus Fun Time

24 hours almost to the minute from when I left, I got to the bottom. But by that time, that enthusiasm was gone, and I was spent. The trail coming down was almost gravel at times, which gave way to a handful of solid falls on my arse. By the time I got down, it was past a quarter 2, and my legs were rubber. I had to find the bus station, so I gave it one last push and ran up to a rather official looking man, holding a rather official looking clipboard and wearing a rather official looking vest. He asked me why I had two bags, and if I’m carrying them down for a friend, or jokes if I robbed someone of there stuff… I get it, I made a mistake bringing both packs. Ha… Ha…

He tells me there’s a bus leaving at 2:30, I had 10 minutes. I get sorted in the right direction towards the ticket both, using all 4 of the Japanese words I knew, I buy a bus ticket and hop on a grey hound looking bus that says Shin-Fuji, although there was no time specified anywhere. As I’m half way up the stairs the ticket man pulled me back by my bag. “This is the 3 o’clock bus, you’re taking the 2:30 bus” as he points to a run down city bus from the 70’s.

Now, I’ve never spent 2 hours on a city bus, and it wasn’t really something I had on my list of things to do. I couldn’t even fit in the seats. After 2 hours of what I could only describe as a 6’5″ man trying out different yoga poses trying to get comfortable in the tiny pitched seats, the bus finally pulled up to Shin-Fuji Station. it was now 4:40. So much for making it to Kyoto for 6 pm. With no WiFi or cell, there was no way to tell the guesthouse to wait for me or that I was on my way. I just had to risk it and hope they’d still be there. A normal hostel, I’d be fine, but a guesthouse, it’s a bit more of a flip of the coin.

4:40 pm – Keeping with the pace of the day…

I was exhausted at this point, I smelt like a gym sock that had been stuck in a cars glove compartment on a summer day. Powered purely by the rush of the day at this point, I briskly walked into the information booth (with a sign that says ‘English Available’) and asked the lady in my politest Canadian accent I could pull off:

“Hi, I need to get to Kyoto as quick as possible.”

“Absolutely sir, there is a train leaving in 10 minutes, although you’ll need to change trains at h….Wow you look you’re coming back from camping. Where are you coming from?”

In my head I’m thinking, you said 10 minutes from now, why are you striking up a conversation. I try to put on the nicest smile I can muster while trying to add in a tone of urgency to my voice:

“uh..from Mount Fuji, so which train do I need to change at to g/”

She cuts me off.

“Wow, how was it?!?! Did you get the crazy storm we had??? Did you see the sunrise?? Was it hard???” ….

This went on for way longer than it should’ve. She honestly was a very nice and sincere lady and I stayed polite. I could only laugh about it afterwards. She took me personally to the seat registration agent to get sorted and made sure I got to the right track number.

Surprise surprise, I’m racing to catch a mode of transportation again. I run right onto the train. Not 2 minutes later it takes off.

4:55pm – At Least the Rain Had Stopped

I change trains in Hammamatsu, get on another train. An hour and a half later I arrived in Kyoto, in the middle of rush hour during pure chaos. I knew where the hostel was, but in my exhaustion and lack of patience to figure out another subway/train system, I briefly ignore advice given by Anthony Bourdain in regards to Japan and Cabs and hail the first one I see. After spending 10 minutes for the cab to figure out the address of the guesthouse we were off (Mistake #4: should’ve had the address in Japanese, not just Romanised lettering, but it’s what the guesthouse gave). The cab started off at 600 yen (~6 dollars… holy crap I’m not in Korea anymore for sure). The cabbie starts flying up the road, I mean this guy must be ex-Formula 1. His navigation skills didn’t match his driving ability though, and by his mannerisms, I start getting seriously concerned if this guy even knows where he’s going. After 20 more dollars on the meter, he hangs a left done a tight side road for another 3 dollars. Just as I truly started to think this guy had no idea where he was, I see this small sign with the guesthouses name hanging out front a traditional looking Japanese house.

8:00 pm – Bueller … bueller…..

It’s dark now but I can finally stop rushing and running. The door to the house is open, so I call in but get no answer. I walk in until I reach the back courtyard and notice a sign in front of a door “ring for us”. I push the buzzer, wait a minute or two, push the buzzer again, wait aagin, then finally this rather eccentric Japanese man pops his head out.

“Robert?!, Hello! Hello! Hello!”.

He takes me upstairs to my room, I drop my bags. He asks if I’ve eaten anything. I hadn’t had a bite since that raymen at 11 am on the mountain. He takes me around the neighborhood and shows me where to get food, beer, water, and a sushi place he recommends. After airing out my bag, I head over to the sushi restaurant. There was a European couple in the back, but It was only me, and an old Japanese lady at the other end sitting at the bar. The owner cuts the sushi fresh in front of me, handing me a platter and some soup. He barely speaks a word of English, and my Japanese had barely progressed since arriving. We have a non-verbal, broken English/Japanese conversation on how to properly eat sushi. He hands me a bottle of Japanese beer he recommends to pair with it, and a bowl of a soup to have with it.

With my stomach full, I walk back to the guesthouse. Exhausted, yet satisfied in so many ways. Day’s like today were the reason I wanted to travel. I lay down, having not even had the chance to process the blur that was the previous 36 hours, my head hits the pillow. And I was out.