What being on top of Mt Fuji at dawn takes

Seeing the sunrise from the summit of Mt Fuji in winter is a major objective of many climbers. Being near the coast, the winter sunrise is from over the ocean so incredibly clear, casting a huge shadow pyramid back over the mountains of central Japan in the snow.

It is an amazing thing to see, likened to sunrises from places like Tibet, but not as easy as some imagine. Of all our trips this is perhaps the most asked for, but also one of the most rigorous.

Unlike sunrise from the summit in summer, being on top of Mt Fuji in the winter months of December, January, February and March is a much harder ascent. Few climbers have actually done this, making it one of the rarest climbing rewards in Asia.

Obviously seeing the sunrise from the summit of Mt Fuji requires climbing the mountain first, and then staying high enough to be on top for dawn. A normal ascent takes at least 7hrs during the day when it is warm, meaning that doing it at night will take longer and be much colder, so doing it over 2 days with a high camp is the best plan.

Effectively all sunrise summit trips on Mt Fuji are 2 day trips, and camps need to be high because pre-dawn temperatures make starting a slow process. We have campsites we use that work with varying conditions, and have even stayed on the summit.

For those who achieve this, the sunrise itself is only part of the accomplishment, along with a big ascent and the use of a strategy that makes for a very unique trip. We won’t pretend it is easy, but it is worth it.