HIGH on the slopes of Mount Fuji, beneath swirling evening mists and the occasional rain shower, stands a small hut with a sign outside which reads "Ikeda". It is warm inside, and under the glow of a gas lamp, you can make out the comforting sight of a kettle boiling over a kerosene heater.
Ikeda-san, its elderly caretaker, stands at the door in a brown hapi, or traditional Japanese cotton jacket, ushering climbers inside in a hushed voice. His high-altitude suntan and clean-shaven head lend him the appearance of an itinerant monk more than an innkeeper. And in a way, that is what he is.
For just two months of the year, during the official climbing season which lasts from July 1 to Aug 27, he and his wife run a modest shelter, charging climbers 5,000 yen (S$64) for a bunk bed to rest in before they make their final assault on the summit in time for sunrise.
Chatting amiably over a cup of steaming green tea, to a background chorus of contented snores coming from the bunk room, all seems calm on Japan's most sacred mountain, which is known simply to its citizens as "Fuji-san".
Yet, when I mention the word "funka", which means "eruption", and the possibility of one altering Mount Fuji's exquisitely-shaped cone forever, Ikeda-san's expression turns pensive.
"Nothing in this world remains the same forever - not even a 100,000-year-old mountain," he says with a smile.
Mount Fuji is classified as an active volcano, the largest of 86 which dot the Japanese archipelago, but the official government line is that any risk of eruption remains low, despite recent speculation that it is overdue for another rumble. The last time it erupted was in 1707.
As a national symbol, Mount Fuji looms large in the psyche of the Japanese. Ask any high school student the altitude to which it rises and "3,776m" will be the automatic response. Older Japanese will relate a New Year superstition which says that anyone who dreams of either an eagle, an eggplant or Mount Fuji on Jan 1 will have good fortune for the rest of the year.
The mountain has also lent its name to corporate giants like Fuji Film, Fuji Xerox, and Fuji Securities, as well as an uncountable number of smaller businesses. A popular after-dinner treat is the honey-sweet Fuji apple, and there is even a Woodstockstyle three-day event held each year in central Honshu, which is known as the Fuji Rock Festival.
The first person to climb Mount Fuji was thought to have been a monk in 663 AD. Since then, and until the beginning of the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912), women were forbidden to ascend the mountain.
About 30,000 Japanese attempt to reach the summit each day during the annual two-month climbing season. Most climb to witness the rising sun, others just to be able to say they did it, and a few simply do it to contemplate their own existence.
About 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year, and 60,000 of them are foreigners. Depending on weather conditions and fitness levels, the ascent can take four to eight hours, with descent as quick as two to five hours.
Four major hiking routes lead to the summit and each route is divided into 10 stations. Sealed roads lead to each of the four "fifth stations", where buses from Tokyo terminate.
The most popular route is the Yoshida- guchi Route, which can be reached by bus directly from Shinjuku in downtown Tokyo. The second most popular is the Fujinomiya route, because of its close proximity to the summit.
Four routes also lead from the base of the mountain: the Murayama route is the oldest Mount Fuji route, the Yoshida
route still features old shrines, teahouses, and huts along its path.
The best time to begin climbing is in the afternoon. Take a bunk bed at a hut near the summit, then begin your final leg in time for sunrise. Bring plenty of food and water, a torchlight, and a raincoat. If you wear contact lenses, consider goggles for the climb - the volcanic dust will turn your eyeballs into ashtrays.
Additional climbing information can be found at: http://www.japan-guide.com/
This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 31, 2008.
