Food & Water Preparation Before Climbing Mt. Fuji

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How to replenish your energy while climbing Mount Fuji?

Mount Fuji is originally a very deserted volcano, especially during the summer climbing period. Basically you will not find any natural water sources during the climb. All supplies, food, drinking water, and fuel are transported by local staff from the city to different shops and mountain huts on Mount Fuji. This way you can spend money on the items you need while climbing Mount Fuji.

Even so, it doesn’t mean you can climb Mount Fuji without any preparation. In particular, food and drinking water on Mount Fuji are sold at several times the original price. If you do not bring enough food and drinking water, it means that you will spend a lot of money to complete the entire trip to climb Mount Fuji.

A more serious impact is that there are no shops on the downhill trails of some hiking routes, which means that even if you have a lot of cash, it is impossible for you to buy the food and drinking water you need.

Therefore, before climbing Mount Fuji, you must prepare enough food and drinking water, and buy some drinks and foods that are easy to carry and can quickly replenish energy. This will not only reduce the weight of your mountaineering backpack, but also support you throughout the entire climb up Mount Fuji.

In terms of energy supplement foods, some common sports drinks and foods are suitable for use when climbing Mount Fuji. These items can be purchased at some sporting goods stores, such as Tokyo L-Breath and Tokyo Victoria Sports, which often launch energy supplement kits for climbing Mount Fuji from July to September every year.

Regarding drinking water, you can decide how much drinking water to prepare based on the weather on the day you climb Mount Fuji. Under normal circumstances, 4 liters of drinking water is enough for the entire trip to climb Mount Fuji. But when climbing Mount Fuji in sunny and hot weather, you need to prepare more drinking water, or go to the mountain hut to buy extra drinking water.

More information on climbing Mount Fuji: First time summit strategy/climbing route/starting time & necessary information
More information on accommodation in Mount Fuji: Mount Fuji mountain hut list / Mount Fuji equipment list / Yulaiguangkan reservation information

Food recommendations for climbing Mount Fuji

Although you can buy food and drinks from mountain huts while climbing Mount Fuji, these foods and drinks are not cheap. In addition, mountain huts usually sell foods that are simple to prepare and easy to heat, such as ramen and bento boxes. None of these foods are easy to digest, and the choices are limited.

On the other hand, mountain huts can be separated by a 30- to 60-minute walking distance. If you start climbing Mount Fuji without bringing enough food, you may suffer from hypothermia due to lack of physical strength and be forced to give up the climb.

In order to replenish the most energy anytime and anywhere during the climb of Mount Fuji and reduce the weight of the backpack, the following foods are suitable for purchase before setting off to Mount Fuji:

• high energy jelly
• high energy food
• Energy Gel (High Energy Syrup)
• Sports drink Pocari Sweat
• Packaging simple everyday foods

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high energy jelly

In general mountain climbing competitions and sports with relatively high physical exertion, high-energy jelly is a common energy supplement.

A more common high-energy jelly that is easy to buy is Weider in Jelly's high-energy jelly. The good thing is that you can buy it at any convenience store or supermarket. In addition, a pack of high-energy jelly can provide you with the energy, sugar, and water you need during mountaineering, and it can be eaten anytime and anywhere, so it has become the first choice for mountaineering food.

On the other hand, when you climb to an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, you may lose your appetite because your body is not adapting. In this case, these high-energy jellies make it easier for you to swallow, get the energy you need, and buy time to rest in your mountain hut.

high energy food

High-energy foods are foods that can provide you with energy and make you feel full at the same time.

Common high-energy foods, such as Power Bar series wafers and Power Bar cola candies, can be purchased at mountaineering equipment stores in Tokyo. These high-energy foods are usually very cheap and can provide a lot of energy in a short period of time, making them suitable for you to eat when you rest during mountain climbing.

One thing to note is that these high-energy foods must be chewed completely before swallowing, and a certain amount of water must be consumed at the same time to aid digestion. If you plan to buy these high-energy foods, you need to plan more rest time during your hiking trip and bring more drinking water before starting your hiking trip.

Between high-energy jelly and high-energy food, which one is best for climbing Mount Fuji?

In daily mountaineering and mountaineering competitions, high-energy jelly and high-energy food will have different supporters. Some people like high-energy jelly, while others prefer high-energy foods.

However, based on past experience in climbing Mount Fuji, high-energy jelly is more suitable for use when climbing Mount Fuji.

The reason is: After a long period of mountaineering, your appetite will actually decrease a lot. Even the act of chewing food seems a bit out of control. When considering that the body still needs to replenish energy and water, high-energy jelly can solve the above two problems at the same time.

In addition, the packaging of high-energy jelly is more convenient for eating and has a twist-top lid, which is most suitable for replenishing energy anytime and anywhere during mountain climbing. Unlike those high-energy wafers and cola candies, you have to take time to stop before eating, and you also need to consume drinking water to aid digestion.

However, high-energy jelly is not without its drawbacks.

Since the portion size of high-energy jelly is relatively small, each pack is only about 300ml on average. So you need to prepare 3-4 packs of high-energy jelly, so that you can meet the energy needs of the mountain climbing journey and the downhill journey. However, since the main component of high-energy jelly is water, high-energy jelly will increase your weight.

In other words, both high-energy jelly and high-energy food can be carried on a mountaineering trip to Mount Fuji. In this way, you can choose different ways to replenish energy at different times, and solve multiple problems such as weight and backpack space at the same time.

Although it is more convenient to say that high-energy jelly is more convenient, but because the weight of each pack is not too much, it is only about 300ml, that is to say, it may take 3 packs to 4 packs to climb Mount Fuji once to climb the mountain. .
However, the weight of 4 packs is about 1kg of load (because 1kg of water is equal to 1kg of weight), and it is easy to cause the problem of overweight equipment. Therefore, when calculating your own energy needs, it is also recommended to carry high-energy foods such as cola candies at the same time, so that you can balance the requirements in terms of energy needs and the total weight of equipment.

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Energy Gel (high energy syrup)

High-energy syrup is a high-energy food in a compact package. These high-energy syrups are usually high in sugar, very sweet, and have a jam-like texture.

The main ingredients of this high-energy syrup are high-concentration syrup, which is easy to swallow, quickly replenishes energy during climbing Fuji, and is a compact emergency food.

The biggest difference between high-energy syrups like Hammer Gel and Weider in Jelly high-energy jelly is that the packaging of high-energy syrups like Hammer Gel is mainly sealed, so you must finish it as soon as possible after opening it. .

In addition, high-energy syrup does not require chewing, but it does require consuming a certain amount of drinking water to aid digestion. Therefore, before carrying high-energy syrup to climb Mount Fuji, be sure to bring enough drinking water.

One thing worth paying attention to is that different brands of high-energy syrups have different flavors, some of which you may have never encountered before. So before your official climbing day, be sure to buy a few packs to try.

Sports drink Pocari Sweat

I believe you should have drank Pocari Sweat in your daily life.

Pocari Sweat is a drink that can replenish sugar and salt at the same time. It is also the drink of choice for many climbers when climbing Mount Fuji. You can choose to carry the same amount of drinking water and Pocari Sweat and drink them alternately during your climb up Mount Fuji. Or you can purchase Pocari Sweat powder and 4 liters of drinking water, so you can turn drinking water into Pocari Sweat sports drink anytime, anywhere.

Liquid Pocari Sweat can be purchased in supermarkets and convenience stores in Tokyo, and the price is about the same as drinking water. However, compared to Pocari Water in liquid form, Pocari Sweat's powder granules are more difficult to find. If you are thinking about taking Pocari Sweat powder to climb Mount Fuji, you need to prepare it before arriving in Japan.

Should I take Dobo Mineral Sweat with me to climb Mount Fuji?

In general, you should consider the amount of Pocari Sweat in the liquid together with the amount of drinking water.

If you are carrying 3 liters of drinking water to climb Mount Fuji, you may consider converting 1 liter of drinking water into liquid Pocari Sweat. However, we would not recommend carrying Pocari Sweat without drinking water at all, as drinking water has other important uses while climbing Mount Fuji.

Do you need to carry salt pills when climbing Mount Fuji?

Sweating while climbing Mount Fuji also means your body will lose some salt. So, do you need to carry salt pills to climb Mount Fuji? There are two things you need to consider on this one: how much salt you will lose, and whether you will be properly replenished while climbing Mount Fuji.

First, if you climb Mount Fuji on a sunny day with strong sunlight, you may lose a lot of salt through sweat. On the contrary, if it is cloudy on the day you climb Mount Fuji, your chances of losing salt through sweat will be lower. In addition, if you bring some mineral drinks and Japanese rice balls to climb Mount Fuji, you can supplement the salt your body needs through food.

In other words, whether you need to bring salt pills to climb Mount Fuji depends on the weather that day and the food you will bring. If you are still very worried about salt supplementation, preparing a small amount of salt pills is also worth considering.

Everyday Packaged Food

Daily packaged foods, such as Japanese rice balls, fruits, candies, chocolates, and potato chips, are all suitable foods to carry when climbing Mount Fuji. Not only can these foods replenish a lot of energy, but they can also add a little more fun to your mountaineering trip.

However, when choosing these daily packaged foods, you need to pay attention to the following restrictions:

• Onigiri – Since onigiri hardens at low temperatures, you should eat all the onigiri before reaching the top of Mount Fuji.
• Chocolate – Since chocolate hardens at low temperatures, it is only suitable to eat below the eighth station (approximately 3,000 meters above sea level) or in a mountain hut.
• Packaged Potato Chips – Since packaged potato chips contain gas and will explode in the low pressure environment at Mount Fuji, you will need to cut the packaging of the chips before you start.
• Snacks – Avoid bringing any snacks that are too spicy or too salty to avoid consuming too much water while climbing.

In addition, the mountain huts on Mount Fuji also sell different types of food, such as canned hot drinks and canned corn soup. Although the price will be a little higher than usual, it will be a very good climbing experience to enjoy hot food on Mount Fuji.

FAQ: Should I bring cup noodles with me to climb Mount Fuji?

I heard that the temperature at the top of Mount Fuji is very low, and it will be very cold while waiting for the sunrise. If you bring cup noodles with you to climb Mount Fuji in advance, you can enjoy cup noodles and watch the sunrise at the top of Mount Fuji.

Carrying cup noodles with you to climb Mount Fuji is indeed a good idea, but we definitely don’t recommend it.

More information on accommodation in Mount Fuji: Mount Fuji mountain hut list / Yulaiguangkan reservation information / Tokyo Hotel Deals

Mount Fuji has no hot water supply

If you want to enjoy cup noodles while enjoying the sunrise, it means you need to find hot water on Mount Fuji to cook cup noodles. You can consider preparing hot water in the hotel and then taking it to the top of Mount Fuji, but you have to consider the load-bearing problem and the problem of storing hot water.

Or you can try to buy hot water from the mountain hut on Mount Fuji to make cup noodles, but they may not sell the hot water to you, and they may charge you a high fee, so you have to buy cups directly from the mountain hut. noodle.

To put it simply, cup noodles are sold at mountain huts on Mt. Fuji, and the store managers at the mountain huts also hope that you will buy the cup noodles they make for you instead of selling hot water to cook them for you.

The problem of garbage disposal

Since Mount Fuji does not have any trash cans, climbers need to take away all garbage themselves. If you plan to bring cup noodles to enjoy on the top of Mount Fuji, you must also consider how to deal with cup noodles, plastic cups, food waste, etc. You have to bring these back to the hotel from the top of Mount Fuji, rather than letting the mountain hut on Mount Fuji handle it for you.

On the contrary, if you choose to purchase Cup Noodles from Mountain Hut, you can ask Mountain Hut staff to dispose of Cup Noodles’ plastic cups and food waste for you. They will use tractors to transport the garbage back to the city's garbage collection station, and you can easily and slowly return to the starting point of the hiking trail to the next attraction.

Summarize

Preparing a complete set of mountaineering equipment and climbing itinerary before setting off to climb Mount Fuji can increase your chances of reaching the top of Mount Fuji. However, food preparation for climbing Mount Fuji is equally important, because you must have enough energy before you can climb to the top of Mount Fuji and hold on until the sunrise.

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