Ascension

The path up Fuji is divided into 10 or so stations (maybe there are 12, I forget). Luckily, you can drive up to station 5 , though it's a pretty steep road. Here's the 'Bishi taking a rest. The engine was getting a little overheated, so we decided to pull over and enjoy the scenery.

We parked along the side of the road where lots of other cars were parked, but station 5 was probably at least a good mile hike further up the road. The Japanese way is to climb Mt. Fuji to watch the sunrise, which means they all beat us to the best parking spots.

This picture is a view of Mt. Fuji from just below station 5. Very pretty, ne?

Here we go! This is pretty early on. The trail was very steep the entire way. Note the change in vegetation further up the volcano.