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Mount
Fuji also called, as Fujiyama is the most poplar and
undisputedly the number one landmark of Japan. It is located
on the Southern Honshu Island and is the highest mountain in
Japan, rising to 12,388 feet (3,776 m) near the Pacific
coast in Yamanashi and Shizuoka ken, 100 km west of Tokyo,
with the apex broken by a cone-shaped crater 610 m (2000 ft)
in diameter. Mount Fuji is relatively a young volcano and
has attained its present shape about 5000 years ago and was
a result of a series of volcanic activities by the
Ashitakayama/Ko-Mitake (Small Mitake), Ko-Fuji (Old Fuji)
and Shin-Fuji (New Fuji) volcanoes. The Ko-Mitake volcano is
dormant since 100 thousand years ago. The Ko-Fuji volcano,
which formed the base of the current, Mount Fuji was active
between 100 thousand and 10 thousand years ago. Shin-Fuji
volcano which is responsible for the mountain’s current
shape started to erupt about 10 thousand years ago and
erupted repeatedly for over 100 times during a period of
about 10 thousand years. Mount Fuji last erupted on November
24, 1707 and has been sleeping since then, but still the
geologists regard it as an active volcano.
‘The Holy
Mountain’, is what Mount Fuji is called as and its name of
Ainu origin implies “everlasting life.” Thousands of
pilgrims visit the mountain from all parts of Japan and
there are a number of shrines and temples are on its slopes.
The major attraction of the mountain is certainly the
various views it provides that change along with seasons and
even as the time flows during a day. During winter, it is a
flawless volcanic cone with its snow-capped tops, so winters
and early spring are the best seasons to to catch the best
view of this picture-perfect mountain. Five lakes surround
the northern side of Mount Fuji, namely: Lake Motosuko, Lake
Shojinko, Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanako, and Lake Subarshiri,
which are frequently visited by tourists. These lakes
provide a good view of Mount Fuji alongside different water
sports.
The
official and the best climbing season of Mount Fuji is from
1st July to 31st August every year as
the weather is very nice and pleasant. Conquering this
sacred mountain by both young and old at their own caliber
with a proper plan and equipments is a great achievement in
itself. As we go above from the base of the mountain to its
apex there are 10 posts in–between. You need not start
your climb from the base itself as you can reach the 4th
or the 5th post by road and from here it takes
about 4-5 hours to reach the peak and about 2-3 hours to
descend. Huts and lodges are situated all over the
mountainside and are quite affordable and provide meals to
the climbers and the tourists. But Camping is not allowed on
the mountain. There are various routes on offer for climbing
Mount Fuji, including: Fujinomiya trail, Gotenba trail, and
Subashiri trail.
The
splendor of Mount Fuji has been viewed by millions and has
been praised and written about by numerous travel writers,
poets and presented in different art forms by painters all
over the world.
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