Home Mt. Fuji Climbing How Long Does It Take to Climb Mount Fuji? Complete Itinerary for Beginner

How Long Does It Take to Climb Mount Fuji? Complete Itinerary for Beginner

by Ryu_C@RakuRakuJP

The importance of planning your trip to climb Mount Fuji

To successfully climb Mount Fuji, you need to reserve a mountain hut and climbing equipment on Mount Fuji in advance. You also need to book air tickets and a hotel in Tokyo. However, in addition to these things, you also need a complete mountain climbing plan.

How important is a complete mountain climbing plan? A complete mountain climbing plan can clearly know what time you should set off from Tokyo, what time you should start climbing Mount Fuji, what time you will reach the top of Fuji, and what time you will return to the starting point of the Mount Fuji hiking trail.

On the other hand, when you prepare a complete climbing plan, you can estimate the time you will arrive at the mountain hut and check your speed during the climb to Mount Fuji to calculate a suitable departure time.

More travel information around Mount Fuji: Climbing Mt.Fuji / Lake Kawaguchi / Tokyo
Latest Mount Fuji travel discounts: Tokyo attractions deals / Tokyo Accommodation Deals / Lake Kawaguchi Accommodation Deals

Mount Fuji Mountain Hut-8th Station-Mountain Hut Recommendations
The time required to reach Mount Fuji from different climbing routes is completely different. (Click on image to enlarge)

How long does it take to climb Mount Fuji? Calculated from the starting point of the climbing trip

The time required to reach the top of Mount Fuji varies depending on the climbing route. For the sake of convenience, the following discussion will focus on the most popular mountaineering route – the Yoshida Line.

Taking the Yoshida Line climb as an example, the most typical trip is to take a bus from Shinjuku, Tokyo to Mount Fuji. Then start from the fifth station of the Yoshida Line SUBARU LINE, slowly climb up to the mountain hut to rest for a few hours, and then go to the top of Fuji to enjoy the sunrise. After enjoying the sunrise, we slowly returned from Mount Fuji to the starting point of the hiking trail, and then took the bus back to Tokyo.

To put it simply, the entire trip to climb Mount Fuji takes about 24 hours. If you plan to join a Mount Fuji climbing group organized by some local travel agencies in Japan, the entire climbing process will take about 30 to 36 hours.

More information on Mount Fuji climbing tours: Local Tour climbing Mount Fuji

Fuji Mountain Climbing Group-Climb Mount Fuji
A sample itinerary for a local Mount Fuji climbing group in Japan. (Click on the image to learn more)

A hiking trip with the goal of reaching the mountain hut before sunset

As mentioned in another article, most mountain huts on Mount Fuji have gate restrictions. If you arrive at the mountain hut after the scheduled time, they will not prepare dinner for you, and may even transfer your original hut to someone else. hiker. So when you are planning your trip to climb Mount Fuji, you must pay attention to the time to reach the mountain hut.

If you are also taking a bus from Tokyo to Mount Fuji, you can refer to the following Mount Fuji climbing itinerary.

More information on Mount Fuji Mountain Hut: Mount Fuji mountain hut list / Fujisan Goraikokan Reservation Information

Depart from Tokyo to Mount Fuji at 07:00 in the morning

If you are also going to Mount Fuji from Tokyo, you can choose to take a bus from Shinjuku directly to the entrance of the Mount Fuji Yoshida Line fifth station, or first take a bus or JR train to Lake Kawaguchi, and then take a bus from Kawaguchi Lake to the fifth station of Mount Fuji Yoshida Line Head.

Driving directiontransportation timeFirst train time
Shinjuku to Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station2 hours and 35 minutes06:45
Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchi1 hour 50 minutes06:05
Lake Kawaguchi to Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station55 minutes08:50

Regardless of any of the above transportation options, you can choose to take the bus departing from Tokyo at 07:00 in the morning, and then arrive at the 5th station of the Fujiyama Yoshida Line before 11:00 in the morning. On the other hand, if you will be climbing Mount Fuji on weekends or holidays, taking the bus early can avoid the crowds of people climbing Mount Fuji and increase your chances of successfully boarding the bus.

More Mount Fuji bus information: Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Bus/Fujikyu Bus Route List
A must-buy transportation package for climbing Mount Fuji: Shinjuku – Mount Fuji JR Ticket / Tokyo Airport Skyliner Ticket / JR Pass Tokyo Wide Area Pass

Fujikyu Bus-Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchi
There are regular buses from Shinjuku to Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station every day. (Click on the image to learn more)

Arrive at Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station before 11:00 a.m.

If you take the bus from Tokyo to the 5th station of the Fuji-Yoshida Line at 06:45 in the morning, you should arrive at the 5th station of the Fuji-Yoshida Line around 09:30. Even if you choose to take a bus that leaves later, you can arrive at the Fujisan Yoshida Line 5th Station before 10:30.

After arriving at the Fuji-Yoshida Line 5th Station, you should take some time to look around the Fuji-Yoshida Line 5th Station. This includes going to the 5th station post office of the Mount Fuji Yoshida Line, going to the restroom, buying food, and taking the time to adapt to the high altitude and low oxygen environment of Mount Fuji. On the other hand, you should also find time to do warm-up exercises.

Under normal circumstances, you need to spend 60 minutes – 120 minutes at the fifth station of the Fuji Yoshida Line before you begin to adapt to the high altitude environment of Mount Fuji.

More Mount Fuji climbing information: Must-see preparations for climbing Mount Fuji for the first time

Start climbing Mount Fuji before 12:00 noon

Since you need to reach the mountain hut on Mount Fuji before sunset, you must start climbing Mount Fuji before 12:00 noon.

Assuming that the sunset will be at 18:00 that day, it will take you a total of 4 hours – 6 hours to climb from the 5th station of Mount Fuji Yoshida Line to the 8th station of the mountain hut. In other words, you must start your climbing trip before 12:00 noon.

If you like to take photos and admire the sea of clouds while climbing Mount Fuji, you should start from the 5th station of the Mount Fuji Yoshida Line half an hour to an hour early so that you can arrive at the mountain hut on Mount Fuji before sunset.

If you don’t encounter bad weather on your way up Mount Fuji, you should be able to arrive at the mountain hut around 17:00 – 18:00 in the afternoon and enjoy the sunset in front of the mountain hut.

Arrive at Mount Fuji Mountain Lodge before 18:00

Many Mount Fuji mountain huts will arrange to serve dinner between 17:00 and 20:30, and then turn off the lights around 21:30. So you must arrive at the mountain hut before dinner time is over so that you can receive your lunch for the day and breakfast for the next day.

More information on Mount Fuji Mountain Hut: Mount Fuji mountain hut list / Fujisan Goraikokan Reservation Information

Depart Mount Fuji Mountain Lodge and head to the top of Mount Fuji

After a short rest in the mountain hut, it’s time to leave the mountain hut and head to the top of Mount Fuji to enjoy the sunrise.

Since the distance between each mountain hut and the top of Fuji is different, if you stay in a lower mountain hut, it will take more time to reach the top of Fuji. On the contrary, if you stay in the highest mountain hut on the Yoshida Line, you can leave the mountain hut later.

Take for example a trip to climb Mount Fuji in mid-August and stay at a mountain hut at the seventh station. The sunrise time that day is 05:00. Your climbing itinerary will be as follows:

timeTrip goal
00:00Depart from Mount Fuji 7th Station
01:30Arrive at Mount Fuji 8th Station
03:00Arrive at Mount Fuji Main 8th Station
03:30Arrive at Mt. Fuji 8 in 5 scoops
04:00Arrive at Mount Fuji 9th Station
04:30Arrive at Mount Fuji and wait for the sunrise

To put it simply, if you plan to stay at the mountain hut at the seventh station, you need to climb to the top of Mount Fuji before starting around 00:00, but as long as you stay at the Goraikokan, you can consider leaving the Goraikokan at 03:30 and be on time Arrive at Mount Fuji before sunrise.

However, one thing to note is that when you climb Mount Fuji on weekends or during Japanese holidays, you must be prepared to take longer to reach the top of Mount Fuji. Because there are so many people climbing Mount Fuji at this time, and the climbing trails are very narrow, the climbing speed will definitely be much slower than expected.

More information on Mount Fuji sunrise time: Mount Fuji sunrise time/Sword Peak/Post Office on the top of Mount Fuji

Waiting for the sunrise at Mount Fuji

To enjoy the most beautiful sunrise at Mount Fuji, you should arrive at Mount Fuji 30 minutes before so you can enjoy the changes in the sky every second. Therefore, you must check the sunrise time of the day before setting off, and then decide the time to leave the mountain hut based on the weather of the day, the number of people climbing Mt. Fuji, and the distance between you and Mt. Fuji.

Don’t arrive at the top of Mount Fuji too early, as this will increase your risk of hypothermia

The sunrise time from July to September is between 04:30 and 05:22. In theory, you can enjoy the entire sunrise process at 06:00. The next step is to climb Jianfeng or start descending.

Mount Fuji sunrise
During sunrise, the sky over Mount Fuji is constantly changing every second. (Click on image to enlarge)
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Heading to Jianfeng/Getting ready to go down the mountain

At 06:00 in the morning, you can choose to go to the highest point of Mt. Fuji - Kenmine and the post office on the top of Mt. Fuji, or you can choose to start back to the starting point of the Yoshida Line hiking trail.

An exclusive commemorative stamp for climbing Mt. Fuji
Postmarks limited to the Fujiyama Post Office. (Click on image to enlarge)

If you plan to go to the highest point of Mount Fuji - Kenmine and the post office on the top of Mount Fuji, it will take an average person 90 minutes to complete this section, and then another 4 to 5 hours to return to Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Head. Under normal circumstances, you can return to Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station before 12:00 noon.

More information about Mount Fuji: Mount Fuji sunrise time/Sword Peak/Post Office on the top of Mount Fuji

Fuji Mountain Climbing Route-Descending Time
The time required to descend Mount Fuji's various climbing routes. (Click to enlarge the image, fujisan-climb.jp)

After returning to the fifth station, you can choose to continue your sightseeing trip to Lake Kawaguchi, or take the bus directly back to Tokyo. During holidays and weekends, because there are more people climbing Mount Fuji, it may take you a little longer to successfully board the bus.

Of course, you can choose to stay at the 5th station of the Fujisan Yoshida Line for a few more hours, but you must pay attention to the frequency of the Fujisan Bus.

Mt. Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station – The last mountaineering bus to Shinjuku: Departs from Yoshida 5th Station at 17:00 pm
Mount Fuji Yoshida Line 5th Station - Lake Kawaguchi The last mountaineering bus departs from Yoshida 5th Station at 17:50 pm

If time permits, we would recommend that you arrange a half-day trip to Lake Kawaguchi for sightseeing and stay at a hot spring hotel in Lake Kawaguchi. This way you can enjoy the hot springs while enjoying the view of Mount Fuji from different angles.

If you don’t plan to go to Lake Kawaguchi, you can take the bus directly back to Tokyo from the fifth station of the Fujiyama Yoshida Line and arrive at Tokyo Shinjuku Bus Terminal around 16:00 in the afternoon.

More Lake Kawaguchi transportation package deals: JR Fuji Express train / JR Tokyo Wide Area Pass / Mt. Fuji – Hakone Area 3-Day Tour Pass

Mifujien-Lake Kawaguchi-Hot Spring Hotel
A hot spring hotel located next to Lake Kawaguchi, where you can view Mount Fuji from your room. (Click on the image to learn more)

Summarize

To successfully climb Mount Fuji, you not only need sufficient preparation before the trip, but also need a complete itinerary to plan every detail during your climb to Mount Fuji. On the other hand, detailed itinerary planning can help you check the progress of the entire climb to Mount Fuji, so that you will not miss some important moments by spending too much time taking photos and resting.

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