Fuji Mountain Climbing Diary – The Day I Gave Up at the 8th Station
On August 23, 2009, at 9:00 AM,
I arrived by bus at the Fujinomiya 5th Station (approx. 2,400m elevation).
This is the highest point on Mount Fuji that you can reach by bus.Even though it was clear at the foot of the mountain, everything here was pure white.
I couldn’t tell if it was fog or clouds — the boundary had completely disappeared.
I’m embarrassed to admit how clueless I was…
Normally, people spend about an hour at the 5th Station to acclimate to the altitude and prevent altitude sickness.
Not knowing that, I started climbing right away. The result? I was completely out of breath in no time.
People who had rested properly kept passing me one after another…
As I gained elevation, the view suddenly opened up.
A vast sea of clouds spread out below me. I was standing above the clouds!!
This was exactly what I had come for! My excitement shot through the roof.
This photo was taken near the 7th Station, around 3,000m.
Looking down the slope, I saw a long line of climbers stretching into the distance.
They looked so small, like a trail of ants marching up the mountain.
A little after 1:00 PM,
I saw this sign:
“Omote-guchi 8th Station Hut (Ikeda) – Sunrise Viewing Point, Elevation 3,250m”The moment I read it, I was overcome with emotion.
“3,250 meters… isn’t that already amazing? How much higher is the summit?”
There were still about 3 hours left to the top…
Then, just after 2:00 PM, I felt something cold brush against my cheek.
Sweat? No… this is rain.The second I realized it, the climbers around me started buzzing with panic.
“This is impossible! We should turn back!”
A seasoned-looking older man declared it firmly, and his words carried real weight.
People who had been pushing toward the summit just moments before began descending one after another.
The path I had carefully climbed over 3 hours, I now rushed down as fast as I could.
With every step, a strong impact shot through my knees and thighs.
The gravity that I barely noticed on the way up now dragged my whole body downward without mercy.The rain-soaked trail was slippery in places, and on steep sections I couldn’t help but break into a jog.
My breathing grew ragged. My heart pounded like a drum.
Still, I couldn’t stop. I had no choice but to keep moving.The scenery I had savored so slowly on the ascent now blurred past me.
The altitude I had worked so hard to gain over 3 hours disappeared in just 30 to 40 minutes.My ankles screamed in protest, but I kept sliding and scrambling down the muddy path.
Finally, when the view opened up a little and I could see the 5th Station huts in the distance, the tension finally left my shoulders.
From the 8th Station, which had taken me 3 hours to reach, I had raced back down to the 5th Station in less than 40 minutes.My legs were shaking uncontrollably and my knees felt like solid rods, but a deep sense of relief washed over me — I had made it down safely.
My legs were completely spent.
Still, the evening sky turned out to be surprisingly beautiful, so I pulled out my camera and took a shot.
“Well… since we came all this way, I should at least take a commemorative photo.”
Even as I told myself that and pressed the shutter, it was pure sour grapes.“Never again! Not this mountain!”
I genuinely meant it from the bottom of my heart.
I’m done with Mount Fuji for the rest of my life. Next time, I’ll come by helicopter.That’s what I swore…
And as of 2026, I still haven’t completed a full Fuji climb.
Shooting Date: August 23, 2009
Location: Mount Fuji (Omote-guchi Trail, 5th to 8th Station)
Camera: LUMIX digital camera
Weather: Cloudy with occasional thunderstorms, followed by sunset
Result: Turned back at the 8th Station (3,250m)