Climbing the Mountain

This weekend I did what everybody (at least all the foreigners) do when they come to Japan. I climbed Mt. Fuji. Traditionally, you're supposed to watch the sunrise at the top of the mountain. In Japan during the summer, the sun rises around 5am. Here's an overview of my schedule for the climb.

6:00pm - Depart Tokyo (Shinjuku Station)
8:15pm - Arrive Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko 5th Station)
8:30pm - Begin ascent
4:30am - Reach summit
5:00am - View sunrise
5:30am - Begin descent
9:30am - Return to 5th Station

In hindsight, replacing 8 hours of sleep with 12 hours of climbing is not a good idea. But it was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. Emphasis on once. There is a Japanese proverb about climbing Mt. Fuji. "He who climbs Mt. Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool." Wise words.

From Japan - Mt. Fuji