"Journey to the top"

It was tougher than the "journey to the west" because I don't have any magic that the monkey god had, plus I have a weak knee and a not-so-strong body condition. With great excitement and anticipation, I was looking forward to this package tour as a chance to experience the climbing of this famous, mighty tourist site of Mt. Fuji. I don't know what kind of package tour I was registered for, so I'd better not complain about the guide-less climbing. Luckily, we met a young Japanese guy (born in Osaka, educated in Kyoto and working in Kobe) who was on his fist-time climbing Mt. Fuji alone and who was really kind to keep us company all through the trekking, although he could move faster on his own.

Surely, that was a really real CLIMBING, from the 5th stage of about 2,300m above sea level to the top of 3,776m, which almost killed me in exhaustion (sometimes I needed to use the canned oxygen when I couldn't breath properly) when I nearly reached the 8th stage (where a not-so-delicious dinner and a just-for-4-people-with-no-any-space-left bed was provided) and again when I climbed the steep rocky path to the top in the dark after a 2-hour-sleepless sleep. Here once again, I gotta be super grateful to B.VR and B.SK for their help and close company, and also sorry for being a burden for them. In total, it took me and other guys over 9 hours (5 from the 5th stage and 4 from the 8th stage) to the top, yet it wasn't the end of all the pains and endurance. The temperature was so low that I was nearly frozen while we were waiting to see the sunrise. Plus, we gotta endure the strong smell from the toilet just meters away. Tired, hungry, sleepy and cold, I didn't appreciate the view of the sunrise much. I just wished it to come out as fast as possible, so that it'd get warmer. After the sun was totally up, we went for breakfast. What would you think if you were charged 800 yen for a bowl of no-meat-shouyuu ramen (soup noodle)? And how about 200 yen for a visit to a very dirty, smelly toilet? The tap water is so scarce that I couldn't even wash my hands thoroughly let alone brush my teeth nor wash my face. This was totally not the image I've had for Mt. Fuji.

After breakfast, we decided to descend a bit earlier than the set time because we already experienced 2 hours late in climbing last night. The ideal time is 4 hours, but I took about 5 hours. A bit improvement was resulted from experience and route conditions. Yet, the stony soil and steepness of the route made the descending walk slippery and foot aching. My knees and ankles got very tired and one of my toes got "pong bek". God did bless me for surviving the 5.6km zigzag route from the 8th stage back to the 5th.

At the 5th stage, where people get prepared for the climbing.
The history of the birth of Mt. Fuji

The formation started about 15,000,000 years ago.

(Since my Japanese is limited, read and search more by yourself. Ehe...) Viewed from the bus stop at the 5th stage

(No idea if that's Mt. Fuji; I should have asked someone.)The climbing route Climbing team, with Ken-chan (the 1st from left), our unexpected and kind "guide" at the 6th stage (after 1-hour walk from the 5th stage + photo taking)
That's the rest of the climbing route, needing another 8 hours including short breaks
Waiting to see the sunrise at the top
@ 4:54am
@ 4:57am
@ 4:57am
@ 4:58am @ 5:02am
The volcanic site
The crowd around the volcanic site after the sun rised
The descending route
Finally, back to the 5th stage, about 30 minutes behind the schedule, though.

Well, let me conclude this tough journey to the top of Mt. Fuji in a positive way although I didn't find it a bit of fun at all. First of all, I've gained another unforgettable life experience - climbing the mighty Mt. Fuji. Second, I've done what I thought I couldn't have been able to do - going through the rocky, stony routes to the top, 3,776m above sea level. Third, I think it's trained me, the immature mountain climber, to be stronger and more persistent. Fourth, it's gained me more value of friendship, both new and old. Last (?), although I'm not superstitious, I've prayed for the healthiness of everyone (esp. my family and friends); I've always believed that healthiness is the best blessing of all.

The stamp of the top, 3,776m

Please accept my giant thanks, everyone in the team, for making this trip possible, memorable and successful.