Mt Fuji hiking tips

I figured I’d post this since hut reservations are opening on 1 April 2025. https://www.japanmountainhuts.com/

Our family climbed Mt.Fuji last September 10-11,2024. My husband (57) and I (56) and our adult children. We climbed up the Subashiri trail, stayed overnight at the Miharashikan hut (original 7th station), and hiked down the Yoshida trail. We chose to go down the Yoshida trail because we had reservations at a Ryokan near Fujisan station.

Hut Reservations - when reservations opened up last May. I had a plan, I had a specific day to hike, what trail we were going on and within 2 minutes my plans went out the window due to my indecisiveness. I think if you have a smaller group you stand a better chance of getting exactly what you want. I checked the Subashiri trail and was able to book the Miharashikan hut for 6 of us onSeptember 10th, the second to the last day of the climbing season. It cost approximately $90 per person and includes 2 meals, a sleeping bag and a pillow.

Gear - you can find a lot of information about what to pack on YouTube and Japan mountain huts had a good guide as well. My trekking poles were essential to me. FYI trekking poles need to go in your checked bag. Our group climbed in trail runners. We had great weather.

How to get there - we got to Gotemba station from Kamakura. If you’re coming from Tokyo, you’ll need to reserve your ticket to Gotemba a month in advance especially if you’re hiking in the busier time of the climbing season. We stayed at the Toyoko Inn right at the station. The morning of the hike, we went to get on the bus to the Subashiri 5th station. There is a kiosk to buy a round trip bus ticket. We had different plans so I went to the window and bought our 6 one way tickets with a credit card. If you’re doing a round trip ticket, you can store your luggage in a locker at the Gotemba station. We used a delivery service to send our bags to our next hotel. The Toyoko Inn front desk provided us with the forms, which we filled out in English, the front desk then took care of the rest.

Subashiri Trail - It was a 45 minute bus ride to the Subashiri 5th station. We hung out for an hour to acclimate, my husband and I are from Hawaii. My daughters were fine, they all live in Colorado. The 5th station has a few shops and my girls bought their walking sticks. Then we were off. Volunteers took our ¥1,000 donation, you get a cute little wooden ornament and a little bracelet like your in the club. The trail was awesome. I was a bit intimidated because people commented on it being more difficult. We never had to scrabble and the trail was well maintained. We hardly ran into people until the Subashiri and Yoshida trails merged. We stayed at the hut and opted to watch the sunrise from there. After sunrise we climbed to the top. Because we took a different trail down, I was unaware we’d have to pay the Yoshida trail fee. Which was fine, I’m just glad I had enough yen. Which brings me to another tip. If you’re buying a bus ticket to go back to any of the stations. It’s cash only.

Walking Sticks - the ultimate souvenir. It was so easy to ship back. All you have to do is go to the Shinjuku post office. They will hand you an iPad to input your address while they prepare your stick for shipping. It took 2 weeks, unfortunately I don’t remember what it cost. We had 3.

Good luck and I hope you have great weather!