Try to imagine. Lava overflowing from Mt. Fuji mowing down large trees in its path. The trees burning away underneath its molten waves. If the lava cools down, then cavities start to form underground.These cavities are said to look like the stomach of a mother, and is commonly referred to as a “womb.”

Long ago, people would travel through these cavities believing that they could be reborn when they reached the other end. The Fuji-kō followers would purify their bodies through the Yoshida Womb just as they would in the Sensui pond.

Currently, the Yoshida Womb is only open to the public one day a year for a festival. A little ways from here though you can find the Funatsu Womb, which anyone can enter if you would like to try this experience for yourself.