Mt. Fuji international friendship hikes 2008
Mt. Fuji climb dates: Aug 9~10• Aug 23~24 • Sep 6~7
See the breath-taking sunrise and make new friends while scaling Japan's highest and most famous mountain.
A brief description of what will happen on the hike:
Saturday
• Meet at Shinjuku at 10:30am • Get on the bus • Have lunch at the service area • Arrive at Kawaguchiko (Yongome) 4th station at around 2pm • Rest/sleep/acclimatize on the bus for 2hrs • Arrive at Kawaguchiko (Gogome) 5th station at around 4:30pm • Orientation • Pairing (buddy-buddy system) • Distribution of supplies • Safety briefing • Stretching • Group photo (the "before" photo) • Start the overnight hike at 5:30pm • Arrive at the 6th station at around 7:30pm • Arrive at the 7th station at around 9:30pm • Arrive at the 8th station at around 11:30pm
Sunday
• Arrive at the 9th station at around 1:30am • Arrive at the summit at around 4am • Have breakfast at one of the huts • See the sunrise at around 5am (if weather permits) • See the crater (or do the 2hrs around the crater walk) • Start the descend at 6am • Arrive back at Kawaguchiko 5th station at around 10am • Rest/sleep on the bus • Have lunch at the service area at around 1pm • Arrive back in Shinjuku at around 4pm
How much: 20,000yen
Price includes;
• Private bus transportation (Shinjuku-Kawaguchiko 5th station-Shinjuku) • Headlights • Spare batteries • Oxygen canister • Hiking stick • Hand gloves • Energy drinks • Energy snacks • Accident insurance • Mt. Fuji souvenir t-shirt • Experienced hike guides
Not included;
• Softdrinks • Mineral water • Lunch • Breakfast
Take note the following:
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• Itinerary may vary due to the weather, traffic condition & other unavoidable circumstances • The official hiking season is from July until end of August but climbing in early September is allowed and actually preferable • We will use the Kawaguchiko hiking route for both ascending and descending way • The weather up there will be very cold even in the summer, around 5-degrees celsius minus 15-degrees wind factor, so be well prepared • Headlight with spare batteries and oxygen (to help prevent altitude sickness) will be provided • Buddy-buddy system will be applied. You and your partner should look out for each other throughout the hike • Only bring the stuff you need for the hike, the lighter the backpack, the better • You can leave some of your things (e.g. spare clothes) in the lockers at the 5th station • The average hike takes 5-7 hours (standard for fairly fit people) but we will do it at a very slow pace, around 9-11 hours, to avoid the risk of people vommitting (worse case, collapsing) due to altitude sickness. This way, even people without any hiking experience have a great chance of making it to the summit, and it should also take out some of the sting from continuous hiking • If your only goal is to reach the summit. arriving at 6am will be just fine • If the weather permits, we can hike around the crater for about 2 hours, go to the post office (at the summit) and send some postcards to love ones from the top of Japan • Crater walk is highly recommended but optional • The views at different sides of Mt. Fuji are spectacular • Hiking stick for sale at the 5th station (1,000yen or 1,500yen w/ flag) • Stick stamps available at every stations for 200yen • Final details will be sent two days before the event
What to wear/bring:
• Ski/jacket & pants (highly recommended) or rain coat • Warm clothes (fleece/thermals) • Spare clothes • Hiking shoes or trainers w/ ankle protection • Soft/thick socks • Hiking stick • Waterproof backpack • Hat • Sunglasses • Suncream • Light food (for dinner) • Mineral water (2.5~3 liters recommended) • Small thermos bottle (filled with soup, coffeee or tea) • Cellular phone • MP player • Camera • Cash
Check URL's for:
• Climbing Mt. Fuji information & guidelines • Photos from previous hike