Located only 100 kilometres from Japan’s bustling capital, Tokyo, Mount Fuji’s a popular site for both locals and tourists alike – it’s not hard to understand why!
1. It has an unusual shape
Mt Fuji has a very distinctive cone shape, which is unusual for a volcano. Lucky for us though, it makes for an awesome photo!
2. Mt Fuji is still active
Despite its serene beauty and calm vibes, Mt Fuji is actually still an active volcano. Like beforementioned, it sits on a triple junction of tectonic activity, and it’s where the Amurian (Eurasian), Okhotsk (North American) and Philippine plates meet.
3. It’s three volcanoes in one
What could be better than one mountain? Three! Mount Fuji is actually a stratovolcano and is made up of three separate volcanoes: Komitake at the base; Kofuji in the middle; and Fuji at the top. Interestingly enough, Fuji is actually the youngest of the three.
4. It has a big influence on Japanese culture
Due to its unique (and beautiful!) shape, Mt Fuji has had a huge cultural impact on Japan, specifically influencing Japanese art, poetry and music.
5. It’s not too hard to climb it
Crazy enough, it’s a lot easier to climb Mt Fuji than you’d think! It would take the average person around 4-8 hours to trek the summit – which actually isn’t a whole lot! And if trekking the gorgeous Fuji sounds like the thing for you, then you better get planning fast, as there’s only a small window to trek. The short climbing season starts at the beginning of July and continues up until the last week of August!
6. It last erupted in 1707
Don’t let the label ‘active volcano’ scare you out of visiting, it actually hasn’t erupted since 1707! It erupted for 2 weeks, causing ash to fall on the neighbouring city of Tokyo, creating a new crater and peak on its south-eastern side.
7. It’s the most climbed mountain in the world
Visited by around 300,000 climbers every year, it’s Japan’s most popular attraction. But considering the trekking window is so tiny, that’s a huge (and impressive!) amount of traffic during those short two months!
