From Gozaishi Shrine, there are four huts: Gogōme-kan, Katsura-kan, Hayakawa-kan, and Tabako-ya. Did you notice them?

At one time, the stretch encompassing these huts up to Satō hut up ahead were so lively that it was known as the Ginza of Mt. Fuji. Approaching the halfway mark of the mountain, the climb would become more intense, so many people would end up resting and spending the night here. You can imagine the how fierce the competition was between mountain hut owners. They would address the Fuji-kō pilgrims, “Hey you! Look at the sky! You see how it’s gotten dark? Well, that means it’s gonna rain. Come in a spend the night why dontcha?”

Another reason for the gathering of huts here is also due to a regulation on the mountain. From the fifth gō and up, it’s all holy land; man-made structures were prohibited. However, after the Edo period, this rule was modified and 18 of the huts at the fifth gō moved to the sixth, seventh, and eighth gō.