Climb Mount Fuji & Hokkaido experiences (photos & video below)
It was exactly two years ago
I climbed Mount Fuji (3.766 m.a.s.l., Honshu Island, Japan). It all started with
the development of that though a few years earlier… I wanted to climb Fujisan
and I wanted also to ski on the world’s most famous powder snow… How could I do
it all in one?! I had to go work there to finance my trip and climb Fuji during
the winter time!
After being accepted in a
ski school in Furano (town and ski resort on the northern island of Hokkaido),
I had to deal with some bureaucracy before putting my plan into action. Finally,
I arrived at Furano on the first days of December 2018 to ‘acclimatize’,
although the slopes were not yet opened…
Quite an exotic culture! Snowed
almost every single day! In fact, the advantage of Hokkaido’s powder snow is
the location of the island, on the way of the confluence of Siberian cold winds
meeting the humidity from the Chinese coast… That winter I must have counted
only 4 days when the skies were blue and there was no snow-flakes falling from
above.
After the wonderful ski
experience (tried 3 different resorts), enriched with the attendance of a
typical tea ceremony, a festival of drums and fireworks, dinners at local sushi
restaurants, not forgetting the strong sake drink, the ice city, the ice festival, the climb of Mount Asahidake (2.291 m) – highest of the island,
where I met temperatures of -24º –, and a visit to icebergs crashing against
the north-west coastline, I’ve sent my luggage (with Yamato agency) to the
Narita airport in Tokyo and booked a hostel near the main bus station to prepare
the logistics of my climb. Next morning I took a two hours bus to Kawaguchico
and stayed at the ‘luxurious’ K’s Hostel (5 minutes walk from the lake with the
same name).
On the 21st February I did all my last planning, inspections
and meteorology consultation (there is a lot of information available but also
many routes, making it difficult for the tourist to decide). On the 22nd
I woke up at 2 a.m., left at 2:50 on a rented bicycle (at the same hostel) and after
1 hour riding uphill (passing the incredible ‘singing road’ – if you drive your
car at a speed of 60 km/h you will hear a song provoked by the wheels on the asphalt)
I reached a Tea House (closed for the season) where I left the bike because the
hard snow started there: it was my starting point, at 1.100 meters altitude. 2.676
meters up, to go! After my fist steps on ice there was this gate with a disturbing
sign: “Please beware there is a bear in the area”… Sometime later I’ve crossed
an access road and a second worrying sign said “Notice: Mt. Fuji trail is
closed from September 10, 2017”…
Later on I was sweating although temperatures
were bellow -20º (had to change my wet first layer and my hands almost froze,
taking them a good while to get warm again). Nine hours later I’ve reached the
crater but the summit lies on the opposite side… It took me another 40 minutes
and I had to pass that lip of the crater where the south winds almost through you
down (actually I was forced to move forward on my knees for a few meters). At
13:45 I started my way down and almost at the bottom I spotted something
living, behind the bushes… Thought it was a bear! Some sort of local bear… not
big but furry. Tried to make it move… it was shivering! Later on, searching
with the help of my photo I found out it had little horns… it was a ‘serow’
(sort of local goat).
At 19:30 I was back at K’s (16 hours 40’ after), ready
for a hot shower (almost all my sweaty clothes into the washing machine). Next morning
I biked around the Kawaguchico lake (one of the ‘the 5 lakes’ area) and jumped
in the cold waters of the Saiko lake, before resting in the hot pools of a
typical Japanese spa next to my hostel. The day after I was flying home from
Tokyo, happy with my experiences on the land of the rising sun!
Video links:
Japan all impressions (5’56’’):
https://youtu.be/akzvcV1vhOU
Photos:
skiing Furano
Tomamu ski resort
Abashiri ice festival
Abashiri sea of ice
Abashiri fishing port
Mt. Fuji, from Kawaguchico
hostel in Tokyo
Tokyo
