It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve actually written a bit since my last post, but I get easily distracted and forget to finish things sometimes. I’m hoping to knock out a bit of my back catalog over summer vacation. We’ll see… Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to lately. Enjoy.
On the last weekend of July, I conquered one of the most common bucket list goals: climb Mt. Fuji.
Now many of you are probably thinking, “Curtis, the most exercise I’ve ever seen you do is run to the kitchen when you smell bacon.” This is true. There was great concern from both myself and those around me for my ability to make it through this alive. All the websites state “even a beginner can climb Mt. Fuji.” Apparently, however, that’s assuming the beginner trains for a month or so before. I had about three weeks. I walk and bike all the time here, but avoid most things too strenuous. One night my friend invited me to run a 5k as prep. I needed some practice since I hadn’t done much running/jogging recently (read: 10 years). I managed to do it without passing out, so I apparently interpreted that as being fine and did almost nothing after that. “It’s fiiiine.”
Most of our group of 9 rode a night bus to Fuji, leaving late Thursday night and arriving Friday morning. I can’t sleep on buses, and there was no way I was going to lose sleep the night before the climb, so I stayed at a nearby hotel. I arrived around 9 only to discover that I had booked the reservation for the wrong month (I had made the reservation while booking another vacation). Luckily they still had rooms available or I would have been in trouble. They told me that from 9:30-11:00, they had complementary ramen as a midnight snack, which is apparently common for this chain and I think all hotels should adopt it. So I showered, got my ramen, took some sleep aid, and went right to bed. I wanted to get as much sleep as I could (unlike those suckers on the bus who had some trouble sleeping). This hotel also had onsen (hot springs) on the top floor for men and women (the latter requiring a password that they wouldn’t tell me), but I didn’t have time to use them since I got there too late.
The next morning our schedule got moved ahead to try and avoid the coming rain, so I had to skip the breakfast buffet, grabbed a donut and yogurt from the konbini (convenience store) and rushed to the station to take my (1.5hr) bus to the meeting place. From there, we made another konbini run to get water, snacks, and anything else we might need for the hike. Then we took yet another (1hr) bus to the 5th station – the starting point. This bus was a lot more crowded and therefore we didn’t have anywhere to sit down. Not thrilled with the idea of standing up for an hour before starting a long hike, we decided to just sit down on the floor of the bus. I hadn’t had time to eat my gyudon (rice with beef), so I just ate it there. The 5th station is about 2,300m (1.5mi) up, so we could already feel our ears popping and the air growing a little thinner on the bus.
The climb up Mt. Fuji is dotted with various “stations,” which act as checkpoints. The starting point for most climbers is the aforementioned 5th station. Most people who go to Fuji but don’t actually climb it just go here. There’s restaurants, souvenir shops, and another shop with pretty much everything you’d need for a hike. I got a can of oxygen, some Fuji cookies, and a wooden walking stick. You could get a walking stick with bells or a flag attached. I thought the bells would annoy the hell out of me, so I got one with a little fuji flag (there were also Japanese and American flags). All of them had a small brand near the bottom marking the fifth station. More on that in a minute.
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The stations of Mt. Fuji[/caption]
At each station, there’s usually a small shop with drinks, food, oxygen cans, and other climbing essentials. The higher you climb, the more expensive these items generally get. They also have bathrooms, which cost 200yen ($2). Some are based on the honor system, some have attendants, and one even had a turnstile. The bathroom were mostly clean (except two that smelled like something had died in them three days earlier) and had normal toilets, but due to the general lack up plumbing way up there, you had to throw away toilet paper and to flush you had basically a power washer to wash it down. Most of these stations also have a man with a branding iron that will brand your walking stick for a donation of $3. This brand has the elevation, the station number, and usually a god or other design on it. As a kid, in my favorite book series The Lost Years of Merlin, Merlin carried a staff with runes carved into it for each of his accomplishments. Finally, I was able to get my own staff that marked my journey up the mountain.
It was about 1:00 when we started the ascent up the mountain. We passed by tons of people who had just run in the Fuji Mountain Race, the thought of which blows my mind. The sky was overcast and it was pretty foggy, so while it was pretty hot, it wasn’t as bad as it would’ve been in the blistering sun. The downside to this is that our view down the mountain was mostly just gray. Within the first half hour, I already started having doubts. Other than tag, walking, and biking, the most physical exercise I’d done recently (read: past 10 years) was running a 5k two weeks previously. I wasn’t the only one, either. The more people we passed, the more we wondered if we should pace ourselves better. The first half of the climb is mostly just walking up hills that gradually get steeper, there’s no actual climbing (on the trail we took at least). After an uncertain amount of time, we reached the 6th station. One out of three done, right? We knew this wasn’t quite true (see map above), but it was still our first major checkpoint. We took a break, drank some water, then continued up.
Friday isn’t one of the busiest days, but there were plenty of people climbing. Most of them in large groups that were sometimes a pain to get stuck behind. They all wore brightly-colored jackets, and were thusly nicknamed Skittles. The path was largely a series of zig-zags, with areas in the corners to rest (though we sometimes got told we should sit against the wall instead, which seemed stupid because that was usually more in the way). If we saw a large group coming up behind us, we hurried to get moving ahead of them. We equated it to video games where the lava/toxic sludge/etc. moves slowly upward or sideways and you’re forced to keep moving or you die.
Honestly the sequence of events after that gets hazy. It was basically climb a few zig-zags, water break, repeat. Eventually we made it to the first 7th station (there were a few smaller ones after). We got the first of our staff runes, and decided to use the opportunity to take a snack break. I had brought jerky-like sausages, some cookies, energy bars, and peanut butter. By peanut butter, I don’t mean those Jiff To-Go cups, because they don’t have those here. I mean I scooped a bunch of PB into a zip-loc and ate that with a spoon because I’m American (eating PB (especially by the spoon) is apparently very American. Teachers always reference Meet Joe Black because apparently Brad Pitt eating PB off a spoon was so crazy that it stuck with them 20 years later).
Each mini-station became the flag at the end of a Mario level. They were our small victories in our 1,100m (3,600ft) hike to our hut (those numbers are elevation difference, not walking distance). Because of the fog, we could never see much further than that. It felt like a old game where you could only see a small amount of the path in front of you until you got closer, then the next part of the level would load (we’ve been over this, everything is a game). At some point a little before sunset, the skies finally started to open up enough to get one of the best pictures I took there (below). It was the first time we could really tell how high up we were. We were actually above the clouds. We were actually climbing Mt. Fuji.
After we had passed through a few of the 7th mini-stations, we knew we had to be close. Each new station was a roller coaster of “is this it‽ (that ‽ is called an interrobang. Everyone should use it)” followed by slight disappointment when it was yet another 7th station. By the third or fourth mini-station, the rain that had been threatening us all day finally came. We changed into our rain gear (which for me was enough to also combat the lowering temperatures), and continued up the mountain. A few more runes and a few breaks later, we finally made it to the 8th station! …Except not quite to our hut. We asked the man working the station how much longer until Tomoe (our hut). “Around four more! About 1 hour!” So close, yet so far. The kitchens were starting to make dinner, so we could catch wafts of curry rice (which I eat now (Japanese curry isn’t spicy)) as we walked by, adding to our hunger.
At around 8pm (7hrs into our hike), we read the words that we had been looking for all day: Tomoe 8th Station. We were finally done for the day. Before you walk in, two men with hairdryers dry you off to make sure you don’t get the inside wet. We got bags for our shoes and wet clothes and made “reservations” for our dinner. A little before 9, we went downstairs with the other groups who were there and were served curry rice with a hamburg steak. I doubt it was actually that good, but after climbing for 7hrs, it was the most delicious food in the world. We got ready for bed as quickly as we could since we had to be up at one to leave and make it for sunrise. Our “room” was a small 6ft wide, 10ft deep, 3ft high space (total guesses – my head almost touched the top when sitting, laying down I could touch both ends if I raised my hand, and it snuggly fit 6 people slave ship sardine-style) which dropped off into a smaller area where three more non-claustrophobic people were shoved. Despite the temperature probably in the 40’s (F) outside, the 9 people in a tight space generated enough heat to make sure we were sweating most of the night. We might as well have been a big 6-person spoon with how close we were. You couldn’t move without playing footsy or having our hot sweaty backs rub against each other. Next to our room, the restaurant continued with the people running the hut shouting all night. We didn’t sleep well, but we fell asleep quickly from exhaustion.
The next morning we woke up, slowly got ready (our initial goal was to beat the large group leaving at 1:30 but we didn’t quite make it). I couldn’t find my phone the night before, but I was too tired to care, and figured it was in my bag or the blankets. Now I still couldn’t find it. I worried that I might have left it in the bathroom, in which case I was likely screwed (even in Japan). I went down and asked if anyone found it. Nope. As we were leaving, I shook out all the blankets again and it finally tumbled out. I wasn’t screwed after all. Regardless of when you leave around then, you just walk up in a giant line (or queue as some call it). It was pitch black, so we all had our headlamps (fun fact: across the pond it’s called a head torch, which we interpreted as tying a big flaming stick onto your head). There were times when stars would pop out, but in general it was too cloudy to see anything but black. However, looking down you could see a line of stars – little dots from everyone’s headlamps as they worked their way up the path.
Sometime between 3 and 4:00, the sky started to lighten just a little from pitch black to a dark gray. People would try to take pictures of the first light, but I’m guessing it didn’t turn out too well on their phone cameras. Two European dbags behind me kept complaining that these people were holding up the lines, and it was a good thing Japanese people were polite, because in Europe, they would have been [some threat I forgot]. I wanted to push them off. The line was slow because there were multiple parts where it had to become single file. People were taking pictures because they stopped, not the other way around (usually). It was then that I understood why British people say “Europeans” as if they’re not included in that group. We took a small break for breakfast (we had left in a bit of a hurry trying to get in front of the crowd), then kept going. The only indication of how much time was passing was the growing “light.” (And, you know, our phones, but I pretty much ignored mine. It won’t tell you the distance left, so I didn’t care.) Finally I hear some murmuring of “we’re here.” I look up and see the black outline of a tori (orange shrine gate) against a dark blue-gray sky. It was the finish line. With the end finally in sight, we rushed up the stairs to the summit. We did it.
At the top was a kind of temple, and a few other wooden buildings filled with restaurants. In the temple, you could get a shuin, or red seal. I’ve been collecting them since I came to Japan, but in spite of reminding myself to do it multiple times, I forgot to pack my book. Luckily, you could buy them separately (they have to be done on special paper because it’s a religious thing) or buy another book. I’ve already bought a second book because I forgot it once, so I decided to just get the paper separately (and then I can frame it with a nice picture). I also received the final rune on my staff. Rather than using a heated brand like the others, this one was dipped in red ink and carved into the staff. It marked the chojo, the summit. My staff was complete.
This was all while waiting for the main event – sunrise. We had arrived around 4:00, giving us about 45 minutes to look around before we could see the sun… Or would have, had it not been for the intense fog and clouds around us. Based on all the pictures, I thought the summit was above most of the clouds so it wouldn’t be a problem (I know there’s multiple layers, but optimistic me said there’d be a gap once got there). Instead we saw gray. Lots and lots of gray. It didn’t take away from the achievement of having climbed Fuji, but it was still a little disappointing after getting up so early. We took our pictures together, got some food, and rested a bit before starting back down. At the top, there’s a big crater that you can walk around and get to the “true” highest point on Fuji, but it would’ve added another 1.5 hours. Nope, I’m good. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot to do. At that point, we split up to do different things. Some went to the crater, some looked around more, and I started my descent with three others.
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Expectation vs Reality[/caption]
The way down isn’t as difficult since there’s no big steps or rocks you have to find your footing in, but it was still annoying. The entire path is a zig-zag made of clay and volcanic gravel, so your feet slip constantly. I almost rolled my ankle multiple times, and was sure that my bad knee was going to start hurting (which is why I had ibuprofen for breakfast). Fortunately, my bad knee was fine. Unfortunately I learned my other knee sucks, too. We tried doing everything to make the climb down easier – walking backwards (reduces impact), walking in a zigzag (increases amount of your foot in contact with the ground, but adds a lot of walking), and using my walking stick to vault/support myself. Shortly after starting our descent, the skies opened up enough to get some decent pictures.
There are much fewer stops on the way down because it’s easier and faster. However, that means there are less bathrooms. We changed at the 8th station because it was getting too hot. This was the last stop for a while until the first 7th way further down the mountain. After descending for a bit, two of our group decided they really needed to go to the bathroom. There was nowhere “just off the path” to go, so this meant we had to run down to the next station. Earlier we had seen a hiker attempt to run down until he tripped and almost went off the edge lemming-style (ok, it wasn’t that steep, but we thought he was gonna die for a second). The problem with running to the next station other than safety (which we were much more careful about) was that it was very tiring, and we actually had no idea how much farther we had to go. Due to the fog, we also couldn’t see much more than 50 feet in front of us. Each zig-zag was about 100 feet, so we would run half way down that “zig” before we could make out shadows of what was there, then continue down the zag and half next zig (this totally makes sense, right), only to be disappointed in the shadows of people. Finally, we saw the outline of a building and there was much celebration. We took a break from our running (which definitely cut a huge chunk of time out of our run), then continued to the 5th station. 3.5 hours after starting our descent, we reached the 5th station (that’s pretty good time – our estimate was 5 hrs). We rejoiced in finally making it back to the starting line. We were done.
We went to the cafeteria and just died. Eventually we got some food in our stomachs and found the strength to stand back up. I looked at my clock. It was only 9am. It seemed like we had been up for an eternity, and it was barely breakfast. I had left my hotel not 24 hours before. We took a bus back down to our initial meeting spot where we waited a few hours for the bus we would take home. One of the reasons we had chosen now to do Fuji was a kind of farewell tour to some of the JETs returning to their countries, and I can’t think of a better way to have said goodbye than doing this together. They were three of the best friends I’ve made in Japan, and ones who I’d known since my first day arriving in Mie. However, we were too tired to feel feelings. It wouldn’t really hit me until later (and now writing this). So we said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways. I finally arrived home a little before midnight, took a much-needed shower, fell onto my mattress (I don’t have a bed, takes up too much space), and got some of the best sleep of my life.
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