Start the trip. Heading to the Mt. Fuji by tour bus!
Start the trip. Heading to the Mt. Fuji by tour bus! We started our journey at 7:30am at the West side area of Shinjuku Center Building, where the staff of Willer Travel were waiting for us and led us to the bus.
In the bus, our tour guide, Takajima san greeted the group and handled out the itinerary sheet and badge to each of us.
The bus ride was smooth and on time. We were all excited to see Fuji San appearing in front of our eyes.
Lunch was pleasant surprise:- Hotpot with plenty of side dishes!
Everyone was enjoying the lunch as well as getting to know each other.
So yummy, the food is gone in a flash!!
Our hiking guide timed the pace very well:- we reached the summit just 3 minutes before sunrise! Unfortunately it was so cloudy that the sun was blocked. As it was very cold (about 2℃) we started to descend.
This is when the clouds started to disperse! And suddenly everything was clear and the view was fabulous!
Everyone was in awe by the beautiful horizon.
After the sun is up, we got to see the rocky path (with no vegetation) that we walked up at night. Descending was more difficult than ascending, because more attention is required to prevent falling. It was getting hotter and hotter, as we walked down to 8th station hut, and as the sun arose.
After breakfast at 8th station hut and a short rest, we started our descent at 6:40 am. The 3 hour descent felt like an endless Zig Zag downward path. It was also getting really hot the lower we went. And we started to remove the several layers of clothing along the way. The beautiful scenery and the occasion truck kept us going.
When we finally arrived at the 5th station, we congratulated each other of the incredible feat! We repack our baggage and rested until the bus arrive to bring us to Benifuji no yu, where everyone had a hearty bath and relaxing onsen.
On our way back to Shinjuku, most of us exchanged contact details in the bus and made plans to visit each other in the future.
Review by Trial Traveler from Malaysia
