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Learn about Mount Fuji, a sacred and iconic volcano that can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days. Find out how to get there, what to do, where to stay and when to climb this active mountain.
Learn about Mount Fuji, the highest mountain and active volcano in Japan, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover its history, culture, geography, etymology and more.
Learn how to climb, explore and enjoy Mt. Fuji, Japan's most iconic mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Find trails, hot springs, lakes, views and more in this comprehensive guide.
The Top 30 Spots for Viewing Mt. Fuji | Mt. Fuji Guide | Travel Japan（Japan National Tourism Organization）- Mt. Fuji Climbing Guide | Mt. Fuji Hike | Travel Japan | JNTO
- Guide to Climbing Mt.Fuji: Yoshida trail | Mt. Fuji Guide | Travel Japan（Japan National Tourism Organization）
- Guide to Climbing Mt.Fuji: Fujinomiya trail | Mt. Fuji Guide | Travel Japan（Japan National Tourism Organization）
- Guide to Climbing Mt.Fuji: Subashiri trail | Mt. Fuji Guide | Travel Japan（Japan National Tourism Organization）
- What's Mt.Fuji | Mt. Fuji Guide | Travel Japan（Japan National Tourism Organization）
- Overview
- Cultural significance
- Origin
Rising to 12,388 feet (3,776 metres), Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan and is known for its graceful conical form. It is the country’s sacred symbol, and temples and shrines are located around and on the volcano. Climbing the mountain has long been a religious practice, and Fuji is one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions.
Where is Mount Fuji located?
The mountain is located in Yamanashi and Shizuoka ken (prefectures) of central Honshu, Japan, about 60 miles (100 km) west of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. It is the major feature of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and it is at the centre of a UNESCO World Heritage site designated in 2013.
How was Mount Fuji formed?
While tradition holds that the volcano was created by an earthquake, the truth is more complex. Fuji seems to have formed during the past 2.6 million years. The present-day mountain is a composite of three successive volcanoes: at the bottom is Komitake, which was surmounted by Ko Fuji (“Old Fuji”) and, finally, by the most recent, Shin Fuji (“New Fuji”). Over the millennia the lava and other ejecta from Ko Fuji covered most of Komitake.
Is Mount Fuji active?
The origin of the mountain’s name is uncertain. It first appears as Fuji no Yama in Hitachi no kuni fudoki (713 ce), an early government record. Among the several theories about the source of the name is that it is derived from an Ainu term meaning “fire,” coupled with san, the Japanese word for “mountain.” The Chinese ideograms (kanji) now used to write Fuji connote more of a sense of good fortune or well-being. In the present day the Japanese typically refer to the mountain as Fujisan, whereas foreign visitors tend to refer to the mountain somewhat incorrectly as Mount Fujiyama, which translates to “Mount Fuji mountain” in the Japanese language.
Mount Fuji, with its graceful conical form, has become famous throughout the world and is considered the sacred symbol of Japan. Among Japanese there is a sense of personal identification with the mountain, and each summer thousands of Japanese climb to the shrine on its peak. Its image has been reproduced countless times in Japanese art, perhaps no more famously than in the series of woodblock prints Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai, which were originally published between 1826 and 1833.
According to tradition, the volcano was formed in 286 bce by an earthquake. The truth is somewhat more complex. The age of Fuji is disputed, but it seems to have formed during the past 2.6 million years on a base dating from up to 65 million years ago; the first eruptions and the first peaks probably occurred sometime after 700,000 years ago. The earliest precursors to Mount Fuji were Komitake (which forms the mountain’s north slope) and Ashitaka-yama (which sits southeast of the mountain). Mount Fuji is a stratovolcano that rose sometime after 400,000 years ago between the peaks of Komitake and Ashitaka-yama. The present-day mountain is a composite of three successive volcanoes: at the bottom is Komitake, which was surmounted by Ko Fuji (“Old Fuji”) about 100,000 years ago and, finally, by the most recent, Shin Fuji (“New Fuji”). Over the millennia, the lava and other ejecta from Ko Fuji covered most of Komitake, although the top of the latter’s cone continued to protrude from the slope of Ko Fuji. Shin Fuji probably first became active about 10,000 years ago and has continued ever since to smolder or erupt occasionally. In the process it has filled in the slopes of its predecessors and added the summit zone, producing the mountain’s now nearly perfect tapered form.
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The base of the volcano is about 78 miles (125 km) in circumference and has a diameter of some 25 to 30 miles (40 to 50 km). At the summit of Mount Fuji the crater spans about 1,600 feet (500 metres) in surface diameter and sinks to a depth of about 820 feet (250 metres). Around the jagged edges of the crater are eight peaks—Oshaidake, Izudake, Jojudake, Komagatake, Mushimatake, Kengamine, Hukusandake, and Kusushidake.
Mount Fuji is part of the Fuji Volcanic Zone, a volcanic chain that extends northward from the Mariana Islands and the Izu Islands through the Izu Peninsula to northern Honshu. Geologists note that the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Philippine Plate at the Nankai Trough, which extends along Japan’s southern coast, likely drives Mount Fuji’s volcanic activity. Large eruptions occur about every 500 years. Accounts of the most recent major eruption, in December 1707, note that ash darkened the midday sky as far as Edo (present-day Tokyo) and buried temples and dwellings near the mountain. Geologists report that the eruption was triggered by a magnitude-8.4 earthquake, which struck the region 49 days earlier. Mount Fuji’s volcanic activity since 1707 has been limited mostly to small earthquakes; however, a magnitude-6.4 aftershock struck the mountain’s southern flank in the days following the Great Sendai Earthquake of 2011.
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Standing at 3,776 meters, Mt. Fuji is the tallest peak in Japan, the result of volcanic activity that began approximately 100,000 years ago. Today, Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area are a popular recreational destination for hiking, camping and relaxation.
The top 30 spots for viewing Mt. Fuji. Find out the best time and places to see it. Mt. Fuji is an iconic symbol of Japan. Discover the best ways to see and hike Mt. Fuji in this complete Fuji guide.
Dec 26, 2023 · Learn about the history, culture, and climbing routes of Japan's highest and most beautiful mountain, Mount Fuji. Find out the best time to visit, the facilities along the trails, and the attractions near the mountain.
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