In July of 2017, I traveled solo to Japan with a backpack full of gear and a list of things I wanted to do and see. Highest on my list was to climb Mount Fuji.
There’s two options when climbing Fuji:
- Begin your climb late afternoon, climb to Station 7/8 and stay overnight in a mountain hut, then wake up early to summit and watch the sunrise.
- Bullet climb.
The idea behind bullet climbing is simple — begin the ascent of Mount Fuji in the late evening, climb through the night, reach the summit just in time to watch the sunrise, and then descend throughout the early morning. By climbing through the night, you forgo the pricey cost (¥5,000-¥8,000; $45-$70) of staying in a cramped, uncomfortable mountain hut at one of the base stations along the route.
Due to budget constraints, as well as wanting to rise to the challenge of climbing through the night, I decided to bullet climb Mount Fuji, ditching the expensive lodging and going straight for the top.
While the idea of bullet climbing is simple, it takes a bit of preparation beforehand in order to sort out the logistics (nothing too intense, don’t worry):
- Timing (bus ride to/from the mountain, ascent/descent, total time on mountain)
- Hostel check-in/out
- Bus tickets
- Gear/food
In order to help you with these logistics and give you some guidance on planning your own climb, I’ve compiled a detailed guide below based on my own bullet climb experience.
A few quick points before diving into the details:
- I was staying in Tokyo both the day before and the day after my climb. Therefore, for purposes of this guide (specifically the section on bus tickets), I’ll assume Tokyo as home base.
- I began my climb on the night of July 13th and reached the summit on July 14th, 2017. The Mount Fuji climbing season is July 1st to September 14th.
- I climbed Fuji via the Yoshida Trail, the most popular — and busiest — trail. The Yoshida trail begins at the Subaru Line 5th Station (also known as the Yoshidaguchi 5th Station or the Kawaguchiko 5th Station).
- Please keep in mind that bullet climbing can be dangerous. Ascending to high altitudes quickly can cause AMS (acute mountain sickness). Please do your research over the symptoms of AMS, and don’t bullet climb Fuji if you are uncomfortable with the risks.
Timing
Here’s a breakdown of the times I recorded in my journal throughout the climb. The bus timing, as well as the ascent/descent timing, all turned out to be really successful:
- 16:45 — Bus to Subaru Line 5th Station from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station (19:10 arrival; 2 hr, 25 min ride).
- 19:10 — Arrival at Subaru Line 5th Station.
- 20:00 — Begin ascent.
- 3:15 — Reach summit (7 hr, 15 min ascent).
- 4:41 — Sunrise (for July 14th, 2017, the date I climbed).
- 5:00 — Begin descent.
- 8:00 — Reach Subaru Line 5th Station.
- 11:00 — Return bus to Shinjuku Station.
Total time on the mountain: 12 hours.
Hostel Check-in/out
A quick word on hostel logistics for those who are backpacking and want to save some money on your Fuji climb. Since you’ll be climbing throughout the night during your ascent of Fuji, it doesn’t really make sense to book a hostel for the night you climb. What I ended up doing was checking out of my hostel the morning of my climb (July 13th) at 11:00, the latest time I could check-out. I walked around Tokyo for a bit, grabbed a big lunch, and then walked to Shinjuku Station to catch my 16:45 bus.
Since I had all of my luggage in my backpack at this point, I needed to unload all the clothes/items I wouldn’t need for the climb to lighten the load. I got to the station around an hour early and stuffed all of my non-climbing gear into a big coin locker (one of the greatest things Japan has to offer!) I kept this non-climbing gear in the coin locker overnight, and picked it up when I arrived back at the station on my return bus.
The total cost of the coin locker was around ¥2,000 — cheaper than a wasted hostel booking!
I then walked to another hostel I had booked in advance for July 14th. Luckily, the staff let me check in slightly earlier than the 4:00 check-in time.
Bus Tickets
I purchased a round-trip bus ticket (Shinjuku Station/Subaru Line 5th Station) in advance from highwaybus.com. The total cost was ¥5,400 (around $50), although prices will vary depending on which city you’re traveling from.
Once you book the round-trip ticket on highwaybus.com, an e-ticket is sent directly to your email which you can simply show the bus driver when boarding.
I highly recommend reserving your round-trip ticket a couple weeks in advance, as I’ve heard that bus routes to Subaru Line 5th Station tend to fill up pretty quickly.
Also, if you have a Japan Rail Pass, it unfortunately isn’t valid for travel on any express bus routes operated by JR bus companies.
The scenery on the bus ride to Subaru Line 5th Station is beautiful. I tried to get some sleep for the climb ahead but couldn’t resist staying awake and watching the countryside fly past my window.
Gear & Food
The temperature at the summit of Mount Fuji averages around 40°F (5°C) during the summer, so you want to bring gear that will keep you warm in cold temperatures. Additionally, I strongly recommend bringing gear that will keep you dry in the event of rain.
Due to the fact that I only brought a backpack to Japan, I didn’t have much room for gear. The following is the gear I packed:
Backpack
The only luggage I brought to Japan was the Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack filled with both gear for my Fuji climb and clothes for the remainder of my two weeks in Japan.
All of my Fuji climbing gear was easily able to fit into this pack.
Lower
- Under Armour gym shorts
- SmartWool base layer
- Shell pants (in case of rainy weather; luckily it didn’t rain on my climb!)
Upper
- Under Armour polyester gym shirt
- Under Armour light zip sweatshirt
- North Face light rain jacket
- Wool sweatshirt (only used briefly at the top)
- Hat
- Black Diamond Headlamp
You’ll notice that I packed pretty lightly. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t have enough warm clothes for the summit, but it turned out fine. The only time I was truly cold and shivering was when I sat down to watch the sunrise at the summit. But once the sun came up, I warmed up pretty quickly.
If you have the room, I would strongly recommend wearing boots. I wore sneakers and didn’t have any trouble, but if it had rained during my climb, soaking wet feet paired with the cold weather at the summit wouldn’t have been fun. Another item I didn’t bring that in hindsight I strongly recommend is sunscreen. The descent trail is exposed to the direct wrath of the sun.
Food/Drink
- Water bottles! (very important to stay hydrated; bring as many water bottles as you can fit in your bag)
- Onigiri
- Beef jerky
- Trail mix
- Other assorted snacks from 7-Eleven
I really didn’t pack too much food. I made sure to eat a big lunch before boarding my bus, and I also grabbed a pork bun at Subaru Line 5th Station (there’s a few food carts) before beginning the ascent. A big lunch paired with the assortment of snack foods that I packed was sufficient for the climb. More important than the food is water! Try to pack as many water bottles as possible in your backpack. I actually ran out of water midway through the descent and really regretted not packing more water bottles (I only packed around 3). Worst comes to worst, you can buy food/water at most of the base stations along the ascent trail, but keep in mind that there are no base stations on the descent trail. Plus, the base station prices are pretty steep!
I hope this article helps you prepare for your own bullet climb. If you have any questions I didn’t cover in this article, please reach out. Bullet climbing Fuji truly is an amazing experience that can never be fully captured through pictures or words. I know you’ll feel the same when you’re watching the sunrise at the summit. Wishing you an amazing climb!
