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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Dangerous-Cost8183 on 2025-08-05 06:07:33+00:00.
Hey,
So i did Mount Fuji last week. I’m fat (110 kg for 1m80) but i pulled it off, by taking time to ascend. The ascent was not so difficult ( subashiri trail, with a stay at the 7th station Taiyokan ). I did not climb at night to get the sunrise, and it was a good thing, because with the fog in the morning nothing was to be seen. It was long, and at the end it really started to drag, not really physically, but with the lowering temperature, the small rain, and the endless stairs and laces.
We started at 11h at station 5 (taking 45 minutes to actually start, with sun screen, and so on) and arrived at 16h at the station 7 on day 1, taking time to do pauses and stamps. We then started at 5h, after a light sleep ( people are so fucking noisy in the stations ) and arrived at 9h30 to the top on day 2. Arriving at the top dispelled any fatigue instantly.
The descent was a nightmare without gaiters, with rocks going into my shoes every 100m, and 4 days after the descent, my muscles are still sores. People talk about running down in the sand for the Subashiri trail. It was not an option for my knees because of my weight, so i took my time (god bless the rendet hiking sticks at station 5) and it took maybe 5h30 to 6h30 to get down ( the 3 hours you see online for the trail are only if you can run the whole thing down I bet ).
You’d think that once our symptoms improved the rest of the descent would be joyful, but no, this is where it gets worse haha. I had, of course, read about the sand run which is part of the descent on the Subashiri trail, they say you can get down several kilometers in less than an hour here if you slide/run your way down. (…)
Sand run is a little incorrect, instead of sand the run is made of small(er) volcanic rocks which steal your entire foot with each step. You also slide forward about a foot with each step too, making each step a bit of an adventure, and absolutely killing your knees as you try to keep upright. And the hardest part, the path is straight down, no switchbacks, no curves, straight down the entire way!
I did not get altitude sickness : the thing is only 3 800 m high, I went skiing at those altitudes and i personally think it’s not big deal, but i saw (mainly japanese looking) people with oxygen can.
Anyway, if you have any question regarding equipment or the trail, don’t hesitate !