The climb from the base of Mt.Fuji is a long one. Reaching 5th Station alone takes 5 hours, assuming you don’t make any pit stops.

The sections of this guide marked with numbers indicate the main spots you will come across, in order. The sections marked with a ♪ symbol should be listened to as you make your way to the next spot. (Sections with a ★ are optional detours).

Here, we will introduce a novel that that is set along this path. Use your surroundings to help transport yourself back in time.

Imagine a wide street that could fit several cars side-by-side. Both sides of the street are lined with grandiose houses equipped with their own large gate.
It was the summer of 1689.

Yoshida was overflowing with the people who believed in Mt. Fuji, dressed in all white, white robes, white underwear, white leggings. They were known as dōsha. This was the way of the town, and there was no home that resembled that of a normal merchant.

The houses weren’t normal lodges either. Usual lodges were ornate homes where you could hear voices yelling excitingly from indoors and not feel a single bit of sorrow. Instead of women calling out to the passing men enticing them to spend a night inside, one found at these houses men dressed in happi coats persistently asking the dōsha and mountain climbers where they were planning to spend the night. In other words, they were panderers for the priests’ quarters. Large numbers of white-clad dōsha formed groups and dyed their group name on their bamboo hats or the collars of their coats.They already decided on their lodging beforehand. The panderers in their happi coats would go out to greet the large groups. When the group arrived, the Oshi, wearing a hakama with a family crest and a sword, would greet the travelers himself.

An oshi is someone who works at a Shinto shrine as a priest and hosts visitors to Mt.Fuji in their home. Originally, they became well-known through the Fuji faith. The priests of Sengen Shrine once acted as servants of the gods of heaven and earth, but since the Muromachi period, they started running inns at the shrine. The relationship between an Oshi and dōsha resembled closely that of a temple and its patron. The Oshi’s duties were passed on generation to generation, and they had the right to bear a surname and weapon, giving them as high in status as samurais. The dōsha would also lower the bell if a group were passing by, since the sound of the bell would silence the cicadas for an hour.

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The dōsha dressed in all white, but the general mountain climbers wore various types of clothing. Some were poorly prepared for their journey, while others came well prepared to climb up the mountain from Yoshida and reached the summit. Groups of samurai did not bother changing their attire.

It was not a problem to compare the number of general climbers to dōsha. In fact, a third of the climbers were not connected to the Fuji faith at all.

The happi-wearing panderers for the priests’ lodging aimed for the general climbers. Most of the dōsha chose where they were going to spend the night well beforehand. Once a location had been decided upon, it was almost impossible to alter it.

The men clad in happi knew this fact very well, so they would approach the general climbers to stay at their priest’s lodging. First-timers would try to negotiate the cost of the hotel.
“Our lodging is not the same as a regular inn. The amount you pay is entirely up to you. If there is nothing more you would like to do other than spend the night, then it’s fine. However, lunch, walking sticks, sandals, and baggage carriers are all separate charges,” the men in happi coats would say. Even though they continued to say it wasn’t an inn, they contradicted themselves by trying to get more customers. They felt a little pride in supporting the Oshi that ran these shrine lodgings.

“Customers, come here first. We have no ill intentions and will treat you as a standard customer.”

--To find out the rest of the story, please read Jirō Nitta’s novel “Death in Fuji”. If you read it after the end of your journey, you will have a deep appreciation for it.