Can I do a same-day Mt. Fuji hike from Tokyo?
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Can I do a same-day Mt. Fuji hike from Tokyo?

by Dan
(Massachusetts, USA)

I plan to climb on July 2nd and would like to do a same-day hike from Tokyo. It looks like I will take the first bus in the morning from Shinjuku to Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, but I can't figure out how to get back to Tokyo on the same day. Unless we race up and down the mountain I don't think that we can make the last bus back to Tokyo from 5th Station. Also, I'm assuming that the bus on July 2nd won't require an advance purchase because it's not a particularly busy climbing day, is that right? Any help with this would be appreciated.

Bonus question: any chance that we'll need microspikes on July 2nd or no?

Thanks!

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Jun 09, 2018
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Huh?!
by: Dan

Soooo....is this site only for people who have never climbed before? "Uninformed fools" only? What about people who assessed the distance and altitude gain and know that they can do that in one day because they've done comparable, or more difficult, hikes many times? Oh well.

Jun 09, 2018
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Don't do it! Only uninformed fools attempt what you're suggesting...
by: Gary Wolff

"Because of serious climber safety issues in recent years related to the one-day style of Mt. Fuji climbing called "bullet climbing" ("Dangan-Tozan" (弾丸登山) in Japanese), prefectural officials have worked diligently to educate and warn climbers against doing this, especially 1st-time climbers of Mt. Fuji from overseas, the segment of the climbing population where this seems to be the biggest problem. Climbing incidents most often involve people who view climbing Mt. Fuji like a sightseeing outing and thus fail to make adequate preparations. This sort of 1-day climber tourism is taking a toll on the Fuji-san's delicate environmental balance, and may accelerate future actions to limit the number of climbers on Japan’s holiest peak and newest World Heritage Site.

A recent report by Japan's environment ministry showed that 28% of all 1st-time climbers of Mt. Fuji opt to climb up and down in only one day, starting in the late evening (often despite inadequate fitness) and hiking all night long to reach the summit in time for sunrise. This number is drastically higher for foreign climbers who make up 30% of Mt. Fuji climbers. Furthermore, 14% of bullet climbers (compared to only 5% of standard climbers) give up climbing to the top because they become ill. Plus, the number of bullet climbers who seek help at 1st-aid stations is 3 times higher than that of standard climbers.

One-day bullet climbing is considered dangerous as it increases climber susceptibility to injury, below-normal body temperatures, and altitude sickness, a condition that should never be taken too lightly. The shortage of oxygen supply at high altitudes can cause fatigue, lethargy, and headaches, which in turn may lead to accidents, physical imbalance, dehydration, circulatory system anomalies, and even the possible lethal condition known as cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain caused by excessive fluid buildup."

(https://www.garyjwolff.com/climbing-mt-fuji-page2.html#47)

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