If you follow this path, you will make your way to Komitake Shrine. Here is the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, a large spot bustling with climbers. Of course, since it’s a bus stop, you can hop on a bus back to the base of the mountain if you would like.

Trying asking the climbers, “Why are you climbing Mt. Fuji?” Someone might respond, “I wanted to find a new goal for my 60th birthday.” In Japan, turning 60 is a turning point in one’s life and is said to be a year of rebirth. Then you may try asking, “Well, why not any other mountain? Why Mt. Fuji?” Then they might respond, “Because this is the closest place to heaven.”

By climbing Japan’s most famous mountain, people hope to change something or be granted something. Even now there are many people who believe this to be true. Climbing to mourn death, climbing to pray for the recovery of an ill family member, climbing to prove that they have the strength to propose in marriage. There are even people who are tired of work, quit their job, and come from Tokyo by foot to accomplish this feat. Some people want time to reassess and think about their lives, and while climbing Mt. Fuji, they feel they can do this. What is your purpose for climbing Mt. Fuji?

One person said, “Many people here are worried over something.” A father and daughter who barely had the chance to talk since the daughter went off to university were climbing together. A married couple working on their relationship after a serious illness were climbing. Things that normally cannot be accomplished can be realized through Mt. Fuji. Even first time climbers feel this as they climb Mt. Fuji.

There was a time when Miroku preached, “Don’t just believe, work diligently.” Moreover he said, “In your daily lives be early to bed and early to rise. Don’t neglect your work; take it seriously. By doing that, you will certainly be saved.” You must do what must be done. His preachings reflect the fundamentals of being human.

There was someone else who said, “So in the end, you will make it.” He continued, “Of course you will get hurt throughout the course of your life. But it is about how you get over these obstacles. By climbing Mt. Fuji you can reset your spirit and once again feel you can try again. Maybe, everyone is just living their lives in this same cycle.”

This is the response I got when I asked a local about how they see Mt. Fuji.

“Our local high school has a walking race from the foot of the mountain to the fifth gō. The girls go up to the fourth gō, and the boys, the fifth, and come back down. In their two pockets they carry two rice balls. It’s difficult and a lot of work, and no one actually wants to climb Mt. Fuji when the season comes around. But when the students leave town for university, they get “Mt. Fuji Syndrome”. That's why I came back. Without realizing it, you can truly experience the four seasons on Mt. Fuji. The huts’ lanterns being lit mark the start of summer. The hustle and bustle of the fire festival means autumn is near. And the when the snowy peaks come into view, it signifies the coming of winter. Near Mt. Fuji, you could physically feel the changes of the seasons. In Tokyo, the closest thing you got to that feeling was through the changing of clothes in department stores, which just doesn’t feel the same. By leaving town, I realized how much I wanted to live next to Mt. Fuji.”

The Fuji Mountain Race is held once a year. It’s a race from the bottom to the top of the mountain in one go. The record time is 2.5 hours, and the race has take place over 70 times. However, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, everyone became hesitant. There was questioning whether the race should be held or not.

“Entry into the race was in March, and victims of the earthquake called into the office pleading for us to not cancel the race. They declared that they were running in preparation for the Fuji Mountain Race. They wanted to overcome the earthquake by running up Mt. Fuji. They wanted us to understand their feelings and to carry on with the event. When I got that call, without any restraint, we continued with the race. Listening to their passion almost brought me to tears. Mt. Fuji really is incredible.”

We listened to a lot of people’s anecdotes about Mt. Fuji. Even though, it’s not in the form of Fuji-kō, we believe that faith in Mt. Fuji is still alive and well. What do you think?