Climbing Mt. Fuji

[Deleted]

DH and I are going to Tokyo in the beginning of September for an extended weekend. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a big reason for the trip and so I want it to go as smoothly and easily as possible. We'll probably be going with at least one friend, maybe 2. 

How physically hard is the climb (we'll be starting at the 5th station I believe)? Did you do anything to train for it in advance? Any recommendations on things to book in advance? 

Also, I've seen some other threads on Tokyo already, but if you have anything else to add, I'm happy to hear it! 

[Brit]

I've climbed Mt. Fuji. You need to check the dates that the stations on the mountain are open, but I think they will be closed when you go. H and I climbed it in early September and most of the facilities on the mountain were closed. It was super cold up there and sleeted on us for much of the night. We wore down jackets, warm gloves, and lots of layers. Make sure you bring headlamps. We took a train (I think to Kawaguchiko), but I can't remember how we got from the train station to the base of the hike because it was about 5 years ago. At the base of the hike, we rented a giant locker (it was fairly inexpensive) to empty all unnecessary contents of our backpacks into. We started hiking at about 9PM, which, in hindsight, was a bit too early. The goal is to arrive at the summit just before sunrise, but we hiked too quickly and had to sit in the top in sleet/freezing fog for several hours before the sun came up. H was a rockstar and carried up a big bottle of whiskey and a ton of snacks, so we use that to stay warm and make some new friends at the top of the mountain. The sunrise was beautiful, make sure to keep an extra camera battery inside your jacket next to your body until you need it because the cold tends to suck the life out of batteries. If you own gaiters, bring/wear them because the way down the mountain is all loose gravel/rock and you have to glissade your way down. Gaiters will save you from like a thousand stops to dump rocks out of your shoes.

If you are in good shape, the climb is no big deal. It wasn't "easy" per se, but it wasn't like "OMG, I will NEVER get to the top of this thing" either. In terms of things to book: If the stations are open, you can rent a rectangle of space to take a nap in a warm place and that should probaly be booked ahead if you choose to do it. I don't really have experience with that because they were closed when we went.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to provide more info if I missed anything.