Hiking Mt Fuji 2022 (my second time!) - Yoshida Trail w/wind & rainy conditions

My husband told me he was interested in hiking Mt Fuji during our stint in Japan. We would only really consider climbing during the open season, July through early September, and wanted to avoid any crowded periods, so we made it a point to try for it this year (before Japan officially opens up for mainstream tourism). Based on our work schedules, we opted for the first Sunday in July. We told our friends about our plans and ended up with a group of 10 including us!

Timeline overview:

July 3

07:40 Leave house in Kanagawa

10:30 Park car near Fuji Subaru line 5th station

11:00 Eat lunch at 5th station

12:00 Start hike (Yoshida Trail) at 5th station

12:40 6th station

13:45 First 7th station mountain hut

15:30 First 8th station mountain hut

17:05 Reach Hachigome Tomoekan (our mountain hut reservation)

19:30 Bed time

July 4

01:45 Wake up, prep and pack bags

02:30 Leave Hachigome Tomoekan for summit

03:30 Arrive at summit

04:35 Leave summit after "sunrise"

07:30 Back at 5th station (done!)

Sunday, July 3

My husband, his friend and I planned to drive over for the start of the hike together, so he stayed over at our house the night before. I made some spam musubis (2 for each of us) in the morning and then we all piled into the car with our packs and water at around 07:40am.

The drive from where we live in Kanagawa to Mt Fuji's 5th station was estimated to be around 2 hours and 40 minutes. Luckily, I was not navigating, so we got there without any issues. There is a cash only toll-like gate near the base for the Fuji Subaru line. We paid 2100yen for a standard car and this is an entrance-only fee (no need to pay on your way out).

There is a bit of a winding drive up, but it's quick enough and you can't get lost. If you are planning to do the overnight hike, you should park along the road leading up to the 5th station. There are marked stalls and you can't miss it. From the parking area that's closest to the main 5th station area, it's about a 20-30 minute walk but I believe there may be a shuttle if you end up parking a bit farther. There were a lot of hikers leaving when we arrived, so we were able to get one of the closest parking spots. The walk back up is actually quite nice to help get your acclimated to the altitude. 

At the 5th station, we went to the 2nd floor of the large building on the right, Unjo Kaku, and purchased lunch. I got a katsu curry plate and my husband got a pork donburi with miso soup. We waited here for the rest of the group to arrive. There were lots of tables available. 

Note: the bathrooms in this building are 100yen per visit but if you go across the lot to the Lounge building across the way, there is a free bathroom. 

Once everyone had arrived and had a chance to eat (if they wanted to) we did some final bathroom visits and purchased our hiking sticks.

We passed the temperature check, got a quick brief about the trail, paid our 1000yen entry fee and then we were on our way just after 12:00. There was some light rain - enough to warrant rain coats and ponchos, but the temperature wasn't too cold yet.

We got to the 6th station fairly quickly, at around 12:40 and just continued walking.

First 7th station mountain hut and first stamps on our hiking sticks - Hanagoya (2700m) at 13:45.

7th station Hinodekan (2720m) just 15 minutes later at 13:57. (I think they said they weren't doing stamps here.)

7th station (Nanagome) Tomoekan (2740m) at 14:04.

Kamaiwakan (2790m) at 14:19.

I stopped to go to the bathroom for 200yen here. They had the water gun to "flush" the toilet haha.

Meanwhile, my husband took care of getting our stamps.

Fujichikan (2800m) at 14:33.

Toriiso (2900m) at 14:47.

Last 7th station mountain hut, Toyokan (3000m) at 15:04.

First 8th station mountain hut Taishikan (3100m) at 15:30.

It is still windy and rainy but we finally got a glimpse of the ground below. We also stopped here to finally put on our jackets instead of just using our ponchos. I was ridiculously cold and literally could not hold the camera steady to take a video. 

Horaikan (3150m) at 15:47.

Hakuunso (3200m) at ?? We must have passed it but I don't have any photos of the mountain hut. I was suffering from the cold at this point and could barely keep going during the wind, much less take my phone out of my pocket so I guess that's my excuse lol. I'm really surprised I missed it though. 

Gansomuro (3250m) at 16:20.

Stopped for the stamp, had a snack and also added more layers and gloves before continuing.

Fujisan Hotel (3400m) at 16:57.

And finally made it to 8th station (Hachigome) Tomoekan (3400m) at 17:02, just about 5 hours after we started the hike. This is where we had our mountain hut reservation. 3 of our friends had already made it there, 1 of them was even there 1.5 hours before us haha.

We were brought into the hut, took off our shoes and had our bags laid out on a plastic tarp. We took out our dry, clean clothes and then were shown to private changing areas. I think last time I had changed in the bathroom, so having a full space to change clothes that felt fairly clean was very, very useful especially because the clothes I was wearing were so wet and cold. 

Once dry, we were shown to our bunk area. Our friend who arrived first had arranged for our 3-3 person "rooms" and 1-1 person room to all be near each other. We were on the upper floor in the farthest back corner which was great because no one had to pass through us and we could take up all the floor space in the corner.

In comparison to how the bunks were 5 years ago, these 3 person bunk spaces are very spacious and very nice! We each had an outlet by our "beds" and the bedding all appeared clean and warm. We had our own light and lots of hooks around for hanging our things. While it's still pretty close quarters, it's not shoulder-to-shoulder and at least it's only with other people you know.

We had our dinner (included in our room reservation) when everyone arrived around 18:45. Each person got a little tray with rice, hamburger patty and curry with green tea. It looks like the exact same meal from 5 years ago!

For those with reservations at Hachigome Tomoekan, the bathroom fee is 100yen instead of the usual 200yen. This toilet had a "flush" lever but you dispose the toilet paper in the waste bin vs in the toilet bowl.

We settled in for sleep at around 19:30. The mountain hut staff had informed us that the weather was looking very bad for sunrise the next day and did not advise leaving before 03:00 or potentially not going at all depending on the weather. As a group, we settled on making the decision the next morning.

Monday, July 4

We starting waking up around 01:45 to get ready to hit the summit - repacked our bags, put on enough layers, added headlamps, etc. Tomoekan allows you to leave some of your belongings if you want to but they warned us that we wouldn't be allowed back in with wet clothes. My husband, his friend and I chose to take all of our stuff bc we didn't have much leftover after putting on all the warm clothes.

The view from the mountain hut just as we were leaving for the summit.

And here we go! On the move again at 02:30.

There was still a fair bit of wind and rain, plus there was now quite a bit of haze/fog and without the sunlight, we had to rely on our headlamps to see where we were going. I felt a lot better having all of my layers on, but it was still quite cold. We stopped a few times along the way for a short break, but I didn't have my camera out much due to the dark + wearing gloves + rain.

Finally reached the summit, but early! at 03:30. My husband had actually set out ahead and made it there at 03:15 (within 45 minutes of leaving our mountain hut). The group of 4 I was in took just about an hour to get there. There were no crowds of people and we barely passed or got passed by anyone on our way up (maybe saw 10 other people at most). We almost didn't even recognize that we got to the summit because everything is closed up there!

We waited for the rest of the group and sunrise, huddled together by the first building for warmth. The last of the group made it at 04:15 so my husband was up there for an hour, just in the cold and dark lol. I have to say, that was one of the least enjoyable parts. There was nothing to do or see and even though we made it, there was practically no reward.

The sun was supposed to rise at around 04:30, but we didn't see it. It did get a little lighter, enough to be able to somewhat see without the headlamps, but no sun to be had like on my last Fuji hike. Complete haze/cloud cover and it just continued to rain somehow. 

We took one more group photo before all heading back down at 04:35 because we were a bit miserable and cold at this point. Didn't even bother taking it against the area where the sun would have been because it was literally just grey. Hopefully this building proves we were there!

The top part of the descending trail is closed, so we had to make our way down the way we came for the first bit. It's much faster and without needing the headlamp for every little step, we were able to go a bit quickly.

At 05:14, we stopped at Goraikoukan, the highest mountain hut at "Station 8.5", on the way down because we hadn't wanted to bother on the way up (although it wouldn't really have mattered since we had so much time anyway). There were a lot of other people getting stamps, so it took awhile. Not a great picture but I was still wet and cold tbh.

Eventually made it back to our mountain hut, Hachigome Tomoekan at 05:30 where some of the group went back in for some refreshments and repacking their bags. After a brief break, since we already had all of our stuff and I was starting to get cold again, my husband and I continued on down the mountain on our own, intending to catch up with his friend who was about 10-15 minutes ahead of us. 

Just a bit after Hachigome Tomoekan on the descending trail, there's a sign to fork to the right for the Yoshida Trail Down Mountain. This is where it branches off to a portion of the Yoshida trail that we hadn't been on yet and is specifically meant for the descent. It's mostly loose dirt and rocks, so it's easy to hike down if you go heel first and have gaiters to prevent rocks from getting into your shoes. The hiking stick helps a lot here as well to help keep your balance.

Just after 06:00, the clouds cleared up for a bit and we actually had a semi-decent view. Nothing compared to the blue skies with the sun high in the sky that I had seen previously, but probably the best we saw during the entire hike this year.

Still cold and a bit rainy though so we kept on our bag covers and jackets.

We descended at a fairly rapid pace, and eventually caught up with my husband's friend at the 7th station rest stop at around 06:40 where he had thankfully taken a break. The only good thing about the clouds was that it was actually not too difficult to keep hiking downward since we were largely shielded from the sun and therefore not as easily fatigued. Being wet still sucked though lol.

We reached the 6th station area just after 07:00.

In between the 6th and 5th station, there was a huge, sudden downpour of rain. We weren't expecting it at all and thought we were practically home free. It was the heaviest rain of the entire hike with the runoff constantly moving on the ground and we got absolutely drenched. Luckily it was not as windy or cold at the elevation we were at, but it was still a huge bummer. I didn't take my phone out much for this part because it surely would have slipped out of my hand into a huge waiting puddle.

We finally made it back to the 5th station at 07:30, still in the pouring rain, with the descent taking us just 3 hours from the summit. There really wasn't anything open at the 5th station at this time, and we were drenched anyway, so decided to just keep walking to our car down the hill.

15 minutes later and we were officially, officially done hiking now that we had access to the car again! Even though we were all still completely drenched, we hopped in the car and drove back up to the 5th station lounge area where we changed into dry clothes.

Unfortunately, I had anticipated being hot after returning from the hike and had only packed a cropped tshirt and shorts (facepalm). I absolutely did change out of my soaking wet clothes, but then didn't feel like going out anywhere after that - 1. it was still actively raining, hard and 2. I was now extremely cold again with no new layers to add lol. We were happy to be done and since all passengers in our car were present, we messaged the rest of the group and decided to start heading home (which everyone understood). 

A bit of an anti-climatic ending, but it seemed to follow the theme of the hike lol. Cold, wet, miserable, disappointing but with a small sense of achievement! 

What to know before you hike Mt Fuji (Yoshida Trail)

I created a quick google doc as an overview for everyone based on my previous Mt Fuji hike but slightly adjusted for our visit in 2022. If you are planning to do an overnight stay and be at the summit for sunrise, I still stand by this info!

If it is forecasted to rain during your hike, I would say a bag cover (can be a trash bag if big enough) and/or poncho are absolutely essential unless your bag is waterproof.

Physical/exercise

I've actually managed to somewhat maintain my fitness levels compared to where I started last time, but I will say that despite the temperature/weather, I think I had a much better hike this time. My recent exercise routine is typically just running lately (about 15 miles/week depending on how much else I have going on). That being said, I don't think you need to have done that in order to complete the hike. If you are healthy and somewhat active and give yourself enough time for the ascent and know when to take breaks, you'll be good. I think having the right gear - a good backpack, enough water and appropriate clothes for the weather - is just as high of a priority as physical health.

Mountain hut stay 

If you are planning to do an overnight hike and want some place safe and dry to rest, checking availability/booking your mountain hut is one of the first things you should do. I typically opt for the higher 8th station mountain huts, so there's less of a climb in the dark getting to the summit, but that does mean more time/effort spent climbing on your first day, and they are often a little more expensive.

I checked Goraikoukan (highest mountain hut at the "8.5th" station) and 8th station Tomoekan when we knew our dates and both had availability. 

After reading through their websites, I opted for 8th station Tomoekan because they seem to have renovated since I last hiked in 2017 and now exclusively offered "private" rooms with options from 1-6 people per room. The price had also increased slightly but it very much sounded worth it. For our group of 10, we opted to book 3-3 person rooms and 1-1 person room, and everyone seemed happy with this arrangement vs us all potentially being amongst bunks with strangers. 

I would absolutely recommend Hachigome Tomoekan if you think you can make it up there on the ascent for the private rooms alone, a total game changer. But aside from that, I feel like we got great service from the staff there as well. We paid 10,000yen/person (doesn't matter what the room size is) and it was well worth it imo. It did suck because it took us so long to reach it in the bad weather, but that's definitely not the mountain hut's fault and we did have less to deal with the next morning at least. 

Lessons learned

I had endeavored to climb Mt Fuji back in 2017 because I was looking for something to do in the summer in Japan (that happened to be when there were cheap flights) and that was just one of things that was on most lists and something I hadn't done yet. Prepping and traveling for a big hike when I hadn't really regularly been working out back then was really daunting - ensuring that I was ready physically but also just buying and packing a bunch of hiking gear in my suitcase + all the logistics about getting to and from the mountain from the Airbnb.

Positives: This was a much different experience now that I'm living in Japan but also going with a big group of friends, aside from just having the experience of having done it once before. I had a lot more fun with the group than I anticipated and hiked almost the entire thing with someone who was the same speed as me without feeling like I was holding anyone back too much. 

It also felt like a huge convenience factor to be able to drive to the 5th station and arrive and leave essentially whatever time we wanted and not having to crowd in with other dirty strangers. We even went to a rest stop on the way back to Kanagawa to get some much needed warm food. 

There was hardly anyone else on the trail compared to 5 years ago. Whether this is mainly due to the constant rain, being early in the open hiking season or due to Japan still being closed to tourists, I'm not sure, but that was definitely way different for me. Not having to jockey for position and being able to freely climb and descend at my own pace without being blocked by huge lines of people was really nice. 

Negatives: Obviously the weather. I honestly don't think my spirit is typically so easily broken, but there were honestly points where I thought I wouldn't go to the summit because of the cold and the rain. We didn't get any good views and could barely move at some parts.

It took me such a long time to get my body back to a reasonable temperature without shivering even after changing into dry clothes at the mountain hut. When the wind blew, it was strong and miserable and it absolutely kicked my butt, especially in combination with the rain. I know I should have added more layers sooner, but I was so convinced that this hike would mirror my previous one where the sun would eventually come out and I wanted to keep those clothes safe and dry for as long as possible. The hike is truly pretty terrible in the rain if you're not properly prepared (mentally and with clothing items) for it. 

While I'm unlikely to hike Fuji again, if I did, I would NEVER go during a poor weather day. It's absolutely not worth it - we didn't see the sun once, even though our entire timeline for reaching the summit was based around sunrise. 

It was a somewhat awful experience, but it was still an experience - enforced by a lot of our friend group here joining in. I did a lot of the planning, so I feel a bit bad about how poorly the weather turned out, but I had picked the date based on our work schedule and when I had anticipated the crowds would be fairly low, so at least I was right about one thing. The rain and lack of a real sunrise was truly disappointing along with nothing being open at the summit (couldn't even get the final stamp), but it pushed a lot of us physically to complete, and I think there's a certain sense of accomplishment with that. I am happy we all did it, and I love the group photos so much - almost makes me forget all the bad parts because I couldn't be fussed to take pictures when the environment was that shitty lol. 

Will I ever return? Probably not...but I never thought I'd hike this twice tbh anyway. If I did try again, I think I would go for a hike up to the summit and back down in the same day (without mountain hut stay)...Since we live close enough, we should be able to just drive over during the open season with our pick of day based on the weather since we wouldn't require advance reservations for anything. Let's see if I can convince my husband 😅