Fuji Mountain Guides — Attraction in Fujiyoshida

Someone here complained about being in a big group of 35 (plus 6-7 guides) and not having sufficient support which we did raise during our climb to have some transparency on how many people would be there before booking the trip.

But I personally think, about 5-6 people per guide is the perfect support - you will have group options spread out if you wanna go fast or wanna go slow or just moderate, the guides don’t push you on how fast you want to. We got Michael, Taku, Melina, Ella, Monica, and Jahla plus Connie on our team.

Yea majority of them are foreigners with only one Japanese who’s very good in speaking English too. All were really good at what they’re doing, I was sometimes at the first group with the fastest pace and the friends I met there were at the last group and guides on both days. While I had most support from Ella and Monica, friends were particularly (very) satisfied with the support they received from Michael and Taku, both I found very reliable too as I’ve decided to go with their pace on the initial descent (Part of the descent I tried to go at different pace so I can provide unbiased opinions on each guide). Taku is young but seems like (already) the lead guide, true to his abilities.

The other guides can do better with consideration on the climbers too, esp when hitting the elevation when altitude sickness comes into play. But I guess, climbers need to have proper research and to never underestimate the trail, before deciding to climb instead of just winging it.

For the food, I would say it can improve but had experienced much worse when I climbed other mountains, so didn’t find it particularly off putting.

For the mountain hut, we were all slept on the beds with only a plastic curtain compartments which i suppose is pretty much the case in other huts, woke up at 2am to summit. The hut has all food and drinks available including energy drinks, just make sure to bring enough cash (about ¥5000 is enough if not planning on the fuji sticks and stamps, about ¥15000 otherwise). Bills are okay, they can exchange to coins for the toilets which costs ¥200 each visit. Not entirely sanitary but at least not a squatting one.

It wasn’t so cold when we started to summit but needed to layer up as we waited for the sunrise at the peak (literally can go down to 0degC). The wind is also very strong and dusty or rocky, so if climbing, ensure to have goggles or your glasses and a balaclava or face mask on.

Overall, experience was good with the guides with special mentions to Michael and Ella who had very calming presence, and Taku who had excellent patience. Everyone provided good support in their own way.

Would definitely recommend to friends. Arigatou Fuji Mountain Guides for making the trip...

Incredible experience, but tough! Happy and supportive guides. I like that it’s clear what equipment you require on the list on the website. Seamless pick up from Tokyo. Bring good layers for the summit - I underestimated how cold it would be above 3500m when stopping for breaks. Don’t over-pack as you don’t want a heavy bag.

We were very lucky with weather.

The mountain hut conditions are primitive. I was fine (and I have pretty high standards!) but it’s because I knew what to expect. You receive a freshly prepared hot curry at the 7th station hut. Understand you are sleeping side by side in sleeping bags on a hard surface with small hard pillow. There will be people that snore loudly - bring good ear plugs (mount fuji guides do provide some in the welcome pack everybody receives). Toilet was better than I expected.

The 7th station tour (20 people) was better than the 8th station tour (40 people) as it was a smaller group and you sleep at a lower elevation. Adjusting to the altitude is real!

This is a challenging mountain to climb, but the guides make it easier. Incredibly supportive. Even with the support, I think we had 5-6 drop out from reaching the summit. It’s doable, but tough. Majority of us felt the altitude through a minor head-sore, it’s not bad. It may affect some more than others.

The descent - I was not prepared for - and I am in my late twenties! It was brutal. We were left on our own to descend an extremely steep scree slope back to the 5th station. My advice to FMG would be to make it clearer how long, steep and challenging the scree slope would be. I was in tears at one point. It was never-ending with no guide in sight. I would rather have descended the same way we came up, I would have been ok that route. Two older men in our group had to be assisted down.

All in, mostly worth it, just know what to expect. I was upset it wasn’t made clear how horrendous the scree slope would be. With respect, it was one of the worst things I have done.

Waiting for the FMG bus at the end was hard. I’m a nice person, but I was very irate at this point. We waited 40 minutes after reaching the bottom for a bus to fill up enough take us back to Gotemba. My feedback would be do not make people wait for an unspecified time for the bus to fill up. 20 minutes is ok, any longer is not fair. We wanted to take a taxi to Hakone, we were told it’s not possible, then saw a taxi stand after getting on the bus (it would have been expensive, but possible).

Thank you for a great tour. Just be prepared. A day later, I’m mostly glad I did it. My legs aren’t...

I really enjoyed my Fuji hike, largely thanks to the team at Fuji Mountain Guide. We took the Subashiri trail, which is apparently the second hardest trail up Mount Fuji—and trust me, it’s not a walk in the park.

The altitude hit me hard. Every step felt heavy, and I was constantly out of breath. As a result, I lagged behind the team quite a bit.

But unlike most other hikes I’ve been on, the guides consistently checked in on me, noticed when something was off, and gave useful tips to improve my climbing technique.

All the guides were excellent, but I want to highlight a few people I’m especially grateful for:

Satoru – Thank you for walking with me during the final push from the 7th to the 8th station, the last stretch before reaching our mountain hut. I was running on fumes, but you told me, “You know, the spot you are standing is already higher than any other mountain in Japan.” You pointed to a white dot far below—that was our carpark where we started. It reminded me how far I’d come. You kept me company, and because of that, time passed quickly. I made it to the hut just before dinner.

Henrika – Thank you for helping me with the summit push. I couldn’t sleep due to the altitude, and when we started the climb at 2 a.m., I simply couldn’t keep up. I didn’t want to delay the team, but also didn’t want to miss the chance to reach the summit. You offered to stay with me while the others went ahead and helped pace me. Surprisingly, we reached the top just in time for sunrise. Then I discovered my phone battery had died but you kindly took pictures for me. Because of you, I now have beautiful memories to share with my loved ones. That sunrise has never felt so bright.

Connie – Thank you for accompanying us on the challenging Sunabashiri descent. You have a knack for putting people at ease on tricky terrain. I really appreciated your bubbly personality, which lifted our spirits as we trudged through the gravel-laden slope.

Rosie – Thank you for your sharp eye. You helped me adjust my hiking poles several times when they looked off, and also taught me proper breathing techniques to manage the low-oxygen conditions better.

Kudos once again to the entire Fuji Mountain Guide...