From Tokyo Skytree to Mt. Fuji

It was midday when the flight touched down at Narita. I took the train from Narita airport to Asakusa, where we planned to stay. Everything was very well organized and there were plenty of English name broads guiding the tourists. So it was much easier than I thought to find the right train. The next challenge was finding the hotel. Since it was less than a kilometer away from the station I was planning to walk to the place using the Google maps. Even though I activated data roaming in my mobile before I leave, only the calling worked. I was lucky because I bought a printed map with me as a backup. With some help from the station security officer, I was able to find my way to the place.

Tokyo Skytree

The Sensō-ji temple was  only few hundred meters from the hotel. But I was very tired and not much interested to go there. So I fell into a sleep. In the next morning our plan was to visit Tokyo Skytree, then Shinjuku Gyoen Garden and take the bus to Mt. Fuji 5th Station. Since we heard that the Skytree is very crowded with very long ticket queues we decided to go there as early as possible. When we arrive there were only four or five people there. We had to wait some time until the ticket counter opens.

Since there was some rain sky was not clear and they were kind to tell us that there will not be a clear view of the surroundings before we bought the tickets. We bought tickets to 350m level and took the elevator. Inside the elevator was dark and when the climbing started there were nice animations on the four walls reminding us a planetarium with star filled skies. Everything was innovative and very well organized. Surrounding was bit clearer when we reach 350m level. Looking down was an awesome sight. The city was like a scale model built with building blocks. Clouds rolled and touched the tower. Time to time the breeze cleared the cloud allowing us to see the horizon. But we were not fortunate enough to see  Mt. Fuji which was said to be visible on clear days. We bought another ticket and went to 450m level also and enjoyed the serene views out of the huge glass walls. Proving what we heard, the place became crowded very quickly and we decided to leave.

Shinjuku Gyoen Garden

We took the subway from Tokyo Skytree to Shinjuku. Shinjuku station was like a maze. Somehow we found our way out and start trying to find the way to the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden. After walking here and there for some 15 or 30 minutes we were able to find the garden with the help of some locals. The garden was nice, but in August it was not much colorful with blooming flower as it should have been during the Spring.

Climbing Mt. Fuji

There is a bus service from Shinjuku to Mount Fuji 5th Station, which can be booked online in advance. The bus terminal was walking distance from the garden. But we had to call the bus company and asked for the way to find it. Even with their help it was a difficult task. It was evening when we reached the 5th Station. Our plan was to climb up to 7th Station and spend the night in a mountain hut. There are numerous mountain huts all the way to the peak where you can spend the night. These huts only provide the basic facilities and most need to be booked in advanced to make sure you get a place to sleep on. (Online booking is possible).

There are lots of shops and restaurants in the 5th station. We saw most climbers wearing raincoats, but we were foolish enough not to follow them for which we paid the price later. The air gets thinner as you climb higher and some people can get altitude sickness above 3000m. There are oxygen bottles available to buy at the 5th station as well as along the way to top. Obviously the price of everything skyrocket as you climb higher and higher.

Climbing is not much difficult if you don't push yourself too hard. We arrived 7th station before midnight and had an excellent cup noodles for the dinner before crawling into the sleeping berth. At about 5am in the morning we start climbing from the 7th Station. The morning was bitterly cold and there was a slight rain. Without the raincoats, it was a nightmare.  Shivering in the cold, we have made our way to the top before the sun rise, but missed the spectacle due to cloud cover.  It is possible to walk around the crater, but exhausted and frozen with the cold we skipped that part. View from the top was spectacular with greenery extending to the horizon. That is the prize for all the hard work. The climb down was much more enjoyable with all the scenery on the way to enjoy. But it was a bit demanding on already exhausted legs.

We were back at the 5th Station before midday. We took a bus form there to Fuji town expecting to catch the bus back to Shinjuku. The bus terminal in Fuji was well hidden such that we were unable to find the terminal at all. The only option was to take the train back to Tokyo, which we did and arrived late in the evening exhausted but with some of the best memories in life.

Useful Links

Places to stay

• Hotels in Tokyo
• Hotels in Fuji Town

Tokyo Sky Tree reservation

• http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/reservation/

Mountain Hut reservation

• https://www.fujimountainguides.com/ (mountainhutreservations@fujimountainguides.com)

Bus Reservation From Tokyo to Mt. Fuji

• https://www.highwaybus.com/gp/index