Fuji-san 5th Station

So we went to Fuji-san's 5th station on the weekend. We didn't go to climb to the peak, just to do some sightseeing at the 5th station, where most climbers start their ascent towards Japan's highest mountain. I must say that it was largely disappointing. It took almost 3.5 hours by bus to get there due to all the traffic accidents that we encountered enroute. Once we got there, we had less than 2 hours before our return highway express bus back to Shinjuku station. The whole time we were there except for the last 12 minutes, the skies were so foggy, you could barely see 50 m ahead or behind you. The views were not great.

To make matters worse, the food was more disappointing than the views. The restaurant / lodge/ rest stop pictured above had pretty plain tasting gyuudon --- and I like those beef bowls with rice. One of my friends couldn't finish eating the bowl and decided to buy some BBQ beef from one of the street vendor stalls outside. To her disappointment, the beef from outside was worse than the beef in the gyuudon. And we didn't think it could be possible!

Because we lacked time, we decided not to do any of the short hikes to possible other sites for photo opportunities. We were recommended a site which was 40 minutes away, but after we had finished lunch, there wasn't sufficient time to go on that and make it back in time for our return bus home. So we walked the perimeter of 5th station.

I must say that 5th station was rather disappointing ... it seemed rather kitschy, with more souvenir shops and stuff than tourists willing to buy them. When we arrived, we all shivered. It was about 16 to 18 deg C, which is actually nice for us Canadians, but having been subject to the hot and humid Japan summer, it seemed almost too chilly for shorts. I showed up in shorts and a tank top. There were people there with sweaters and windbreakers, scarves and hats. Everyone had long pants. We got a few stares. I guess when you exhale and you can see your breath, it's not a good sign. I guess it was a good thing that we weren't climbing to the peak that day, because it only gets colder as you get higher.

We stopped off at the shrine and the temple and their lookout points at the 5th station. Mostly we did it out of wanting to do something with our time and to get our money's worth out of the trip. I think having gone to Kamakura and Yamadera temple in Yamagata Ken, that these two places of worship just weren't going to compare. Also, seeing as how we didn't know to what deity or for what purpose we were praying, the visits seemed that much more hallow. The structures were interesting to see, but the lack of other tourists there just made them seem that much more desperate. Above was the sparsely populated wishing wall for paper tied wishes. I think that no more than 20 wishes were tied to it that day.

All the horses at 5th station seemed to be unoccupied that day. No one wanted to ride one or take a photo with one. It just didn't seem like a nice horse-riding day. Poor horses.

Below are some photos of the fog. The last photo is the start of the fog actually lifting. Can't say that the views improved much with the little fog that lifted, but I'm sure had we stayed another 3 or 4 hours, we would have had some good night views of Fuji.

ACCESS: Keio highway express bus from Shinjuku station, JR west exit to Fuji 5th station. Call in advance to reserve your ticket. Booking by phone only, payment to be made on day you pick up the ticket.