Mount Fuji Climbing Season Opens
Friday, 2026/07/03181 words3 minutes1138 reads
Mount Fuji's climbing season officially opened on Wednesday as two of the four main hiking trails welcomed visitors. Climbers who reached the summit were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise breaking through the clouds around 4:30 a.m. in favorable weather conditions.
To manage the increasing number of visitors, Yamanashi Prefecture has installed two self-service payment kiosks at the 5th station on the popular Yoshida Trail. These kiosks allow climbers to pay the 4,000 yen entrance fee on-site, reducing congestion for those who haven't preregistered online. The Subashiri Trail on the Shizuoka side also opened earlier than in previous years.
Despite recent challenges including a strong earthquake and two typhoons near Japan, visitor numbers remained high. Jasper Overall, a 26-year-old Australian student, expressed relief at experiencing the sunrise after worrying about the typhoon. Last year, the Yoshida Trail saw 121,068 climbers, a 5.4 percent increase from the previous year.
Both prefectures have introduced various regulations to address concerns about unprepared hikers and the surge in foreign tourists. The mountain, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site since 2013, will remain open until September 10.
