High hills hugged the peninsula coast, untouched islands dotted the horizon, and, in the gray-pink haze of an early-evening sky, Mount Fuji floated majestically between them.
-THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO
Some interesting facts on Mount Fuji:
At 3,776 metres or 12,380 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan.
The steep climb, following four different trails, usually takes 8 to 12 hours to ascend and another 4 to 6 hours to descend.
There is only a short window to climb Mount Fuji. It starts at the beginning of July and runs until the last week in August.
The volcano is also where the Samurais trained. More recently, military camps from both Japan and the USA have operated from Mt. Fuji.
The volcanic mountain is three separate volcanoes, one on top of the other and it is still active.
After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and due to the rising temperature below the volcano, scientists changed the volcanic eruption classification from low-risk to high potential.
Due to geothermal activity, Mount Fuji is surrounded by hot springs.
Fuji is considered sacred. The native Ainu and Shintoists revere the great peak, the Fujiko sect believes the mountain is a being with a soul, and Japanese Buddhists believe the mountain is the gateway to the next world.
