Mt. Fuji international friendship hike. June 30, 2006

Mt. Fuji international friendship hike.

Meet people and make new friends while scaling the highest mountain of Japan.

When: July 1-2 (Saturday/Sunday)
Where: Yamanashi/Shizuoka

A brief description of what will happen on the trip:
Meet at Shinjuku west exit at 10am on Saturday, get on the bus, drive for 2-hrs and stop by for lunch at a restaurant for an hour. Get on the bus again, arrive at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji at 2pm, rest, sleep and acclimatize on the bus for 3-hrs. After that, we'll have orientation, safety briefing, distribution of supplies, pairing, group photo and stretching. We'll start the overnight hike at 6pm, arrive at the summit at 4am (Sunday), watch the breath-taking sunrise and walk around the crater if you like. We'll start the descend at 6am, arrive back at the 5th station at 12nn, have lunch, rest a bit, get on the bus and arrive back in Shinjuku at 4pm.

Take note the following:
(1) The official hiking season is in July and August. (2) We will use the Kawaguchiko hiking trail. (3) The weather up there will be very cold even in the summer. (4) We will provide mini-headlight with spare batteries and a canister of oxygen to fight altitude sickness in the unlikely event of its occurrence. (5) Buddy-buddy system will be applied. You and your partner should look out for each other throughout the hike. (6) You must only bring the stuff that you need for the hike, the lighter the backpack, the better. You can leave some of your belongings (e.g. spare clothes) on the bus. (7) The average hike for Fuji-san takes 5-7 hours (this standard is for fairly physically fit people) but we will do it at a very slow pace, around 9-11 hours, to avoid the risk of people collapsing due to altitude sickness. This way, even people without any hiking experience have a great chance of making it to the summit, and it should take out some of the sting from continuous hiking, too. (8) If you're not bothered about seeing the sunrise and your only goal is to reach the summit. arriving at the top at 6am will be just fine. (9) If the weather permits, we can hike around the crater for about an hour or 2 and go to the post office and send some postcards to love ones from the top of Japan. (10) Hiking around the crater is highly recommend coz the views at different sides of Mt. Fuji are spectacular.

How much: 12,000yen
Price includes: Private bus (Shinjuku-Kawaguchiko-gogome-Shinjuku), headlight rental, spare batteries, oxygen canister, arm band, energy drink, snacks and tour guides.

What to wear/bring:
Ski/jacket & pants (highly recommended) or rain coat, warm clothes, fleece, thermals, extra clothes, hiking shoes or trainers w/ ankle protection, hiking stick, waterproof backpack, hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun-cream, first-aid kit, light food for dinner, fruit juice, mineral water, cellular phone, MP player, camera, postcards, plastic bag and cash.

Official Website: http://www.tokyogaijins.com/outdoor/upcoming/jul01.html