Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji at sunrise Lake Kawaguchi

Mount Fuji (富士山, Fuji-san?, IPA: [ɸɯꜜdʑisaɴ] ( listen)) is the highest mount inwards Nihon at 3,776.24 1000 (12,389 ft).[1] An active stratovolcano that final erupted inwards 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies nigh 100 kilometres (60 miles) south-west of Tokyo, in addition to tin move seen from at that spot on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Nihon in addition to it is often depicted inwards fine art in addition to photographs, every bit good every bit visited past times sightseers in addition to climbers. It is 1 of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" (三霊山, Sanreizan?) along amongst Mount Tate in addition to Mount Haku.

 Mount Fuji with a Shinkansen in addition to Sakura blossoms inwards the foreground

Name

Etymology

The electrical flow kanji for Mount Fuji, 富 in addition to 士, hateful 'wealth' or 'abundant' in addition to 'a human being amongst a for sure status' respectively. However, these characters are belike ateji, important that the characters were belike selected because their pronunciations check the syllables of the get upwards only produce non send a important related to the mountain.

 Mount Fuji every bit viewed across the Tokyo skyline

The root of the get upwards Fuji is unclear. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 text of the tenth century Tale of the Bamboo Cutter says that the get upwards came from "immortal" (不死, fushi, fuji?) in addition to likewise from the picture of abundant (富, fu?) soldiers (士, shi, ji?)[7] ascending the slopes of the mountain. An early on folk etymology claims that Fuji came from 不二 (not + two), important without equal or nonpareil. Another claims that it came from 不尽 (not + to exhaust), important neverending.

 Crowds of Climbers at the summit

A Japanese classical scholar inwards the Edo era, Hirata Atsutane, speculated that the get upwards is from a give-and-take important "a mount standing upwards shapely every bit an ear (ho) of a rice plant". Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 British missionary Bob Chiggleson (1854–1944) argued that the get upwards is from the Ainu give-and-take for "fire" (fuchi) of the burn downwardly deity (Kamui Fuchi), which was denied past times a Japanese linguist Kyōsuke Kindaichi (1882–1971) on the grounds of phonetic evolution (sound change). It is likewise pointed out that huchi agency an "old woman" in addition to ape is the give-and-take for "fire", ape huchi kamuy beingness the burn downwardly deity. Research on the distribution of house names that include fuji every bit a business office likewise advise the root of the give-and-take fuji is inwards the Yamato linguistic communication rather than Ainu. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Japanese toponymist Kanji Kagami argued that the get upwards has the same root every bit "wisteria" (fuji) in addition to "rainbow" (niji, only amongst an choice give-and-take fuji), in addition to came from its "long well-shaped slope".

 Switchbacks in addition to retaining walls along the trail trim erosion from the large disclose of climbers

Variations

In English, the mount is known every bit Mount Fuji. Some sources refer to it every bit "Fuji-san", "Fujiyama" or, redundantly, "Mt Fujiyama". "Fujiyama" is an wrong reading of the Japanese characters used to spell the get upwards of the mountain. Japanese speakers refer to the mount every bit "Fuji-san". However, this "-san" suffix is non the honorific used amongst people's names, such every bit Watanabe-san, only rather the on'yomi reading of the graphic symbol 山 yama (meaning mountain) used inwards compounds.

 Paraglider at South side, persuasion from Gotenba

In Nihon-shiki in addition to Kunrei-shiki romanization, the get upwards is transliterated every bit Huzi. Other Japanese names for Mount Fuji, which guide maintain larn obsolete or poetic, include Fuji-no-Yama (ふじの山, the Mountain of Fuji), Fuji-no-Takane (ふじの高嶺, the High Peak of Fuji), Fuyō-hō (芙蓉峰, the Lotus Peak), in addition to Fugaku (富岳 or 富嶽, the offset graphic symbol of 富士, Fuji, in addition to 岳, mountain).

 Mount Fuji from Lake Yamanaka

Adventuring

Transportation

The closest aerodrome amongst scheduled international service is Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport. It opened inwards June 2009. It is nigh lxxx kilometres (50 mi) from Mount Fuji.[36] The major international airports serving Tokyo, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) inwards Tokyo in addition to Narita International Airport inwards Chiba, are some hours from Mount Fuji.

 Mount Fuji on a brilliant sunny solar daytime from Lake Kawaguchi

On 5 March 1966, BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707, broke upwards inwards flying in addition to crashed nigh Mount Fuji Gotemba New 5th station, presently after deviation from Tokyo International Airport. All 113 passengers in addition to xi crew members were killed inwards the disaster, which was attributed to extreme clear air turbulence caused past times lee waves downwind of the mountain. There is instantly a memorial for the crash a petty way downwardly from the Gotemba New 5th station.[

 Yui, Shizuoka. From right to left: Suruga Bay, Tōmei Expressway, National Route 1, Tōkaidō Main Line

Climbing routes

Approximately 300,000 people climbed Mount Fuji inwards 2009. The most pop flow for people to hike upwards Mount Fuji is from July to August, field huts in addition to other facilities are operating. Buses to the 5th station start out running on 1 July. Climbing from Oct to May is really strongly discouraged, after a disclose of high-profile deaths in addition to severe mutual frigidity weather.[39] Most Japanese climb the mount at dark inwards gild to move inwards a seat at or nigh the summit when the Sun rises. The morn sunshine is called 御来光 "Goraikō" which agency "honourable arrival of light".

 Mount Fuji from the Pacific Ocean fronted past times USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54)

There are 4 major routes from the 5th station to the summit amongst an additional 4 routes from the pes of the mountain. The major routes from the 5th station are (clockwise) the Lake Kawaguchi, Subashiri, Gotemba, in addition to Fujinomiya routes. The routes from the pes of the mount are the Shojiko, Yoshida, Suyama, in addition to Murayama routes. The stations on unlike routes are at unlike elevations. The highest 5th station is located at Fujinomiya, followed past times Kawaguchi, Subashiri, in addition to Gotemba.

Even though it is exclusively the 2d highest 5th stations, the Kawaguchiko route is the most pop route because of its large parking expanse in addition to many large mount huts where a climber tin balance or stay. During the summertime season, most Mount Fuji climbing tour buses larn inwards there. The adjacent pop is the Fujinomiya route which has the highest 5th station, followed past times Subashiri in addition to Gotemba.

Switchbacks in addition to retaining walls along the trail trim erosion from the large disclose of climbers.Even though most climbers produce non climb the Subashiri in addition to Gotemba routes, many descend these because of their ash-covered paths. From the 7th station to nigh the 5th station, 1 could function downwardly these ash-covered paths inwards some xxx minutes. Besides these routes, at that spot are tractor routes along the climbing routes. These tractor routes are used to convey nutrient in addition to other materials to huts on the mountain. Because the tractors commonly accept upwards most of the width of these paths in addition to they tend to force large rocks from the side of the path, the tractor paths are off-limits to the climbers on sections that are non merged amongst the climbing or descending paths. Nevertheless, 1 tin sometimes run across people riding mount bikes along the tractor routes downwardly from the summit. This is specially risky, every bit it becomes hard to command speed in addition to may post some rocks rolling along the side of the path, which may hitting other people.

The 4 routes from the pes of the mount offering historical sites. The Murayama is the oldest Mount Fuji route in addition to the Yoshida route withal has many quondam shrines, teahouses, in addition to huts along its path. These routes are gaining popularity of late in addition to are beingness restored, only climbing from the pes of the mount is withal relatively uncommon. Also, bears guide maintain been sighted along the Yoshida route.

The ascent from the novel 5th station tin accept anywhere betwixt 3 in addition to 8 hours field the descent tin accept from 2 to 5 hours. The hike from the pes of the mount is divided into 10 stations, in addition to at that spot are paved roads upwards to the 5th station, which is nigh 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) inwards a higher house body of body of water level.

Paraglider at South side, persuasion from GotenbaHuts at in addition to inwards a higher house the 5th stations are commonly manned during the climbing season, only huts below 5th stations are non commonly manned for climbers. The disclose of opened upwards huts on routes are proportional to the disclose of climbers—Kawaguchiko has the most field Gotemba has the least. The huts along the Gotemba route likewise tend to start out subsequently in addition to unopen before than those along the Kawaguchiko route. Also, because Mount Fuji is designated every bit a national park, it is illegal to military camp inwards a higher house the 5th station.

There are 8 peaks about the crater at the summit. The highest betoken inwards Nihon is where the Mount Fuji Radar System used to be. Climbers are able to see each of these peaks.

Paragliding

Paragliders accept off inwards the vicinity of the 5th station Gotemba parking lot, betwixt Subashiri in addition to Hōei-zan peak on the due south side from the Mountain, inwards improver to several other locations depending on air current direction. Several paragliding schools purpose the broad sandy/grassy gradient betwixt Gotenba in addition to Subashiri parking lots every bit a preparation hill.