It is Japan's tallest mountain and is a "perfect" spherical shape. It is a sight that can be seen from Tokyo on a good day and it's a "wow, we can see Mt Fuji" moment when you do. Here's some tourist information that you might be interested in."The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO is set to approve Mt. Fuji as a World Heritage site when it meets in June, Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency said late Tuesday.
One photo I took of Mt. Fuji from our November campsite
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| You can barely see Mt. Fuji here as the sun sets behind it. A bump to the right of Tokyo SkyTree. This was taken from our van as we drove home on New Years Day. |
This news from UNESCO has great significance for Japanese who regard Mt. Fuji as a national symbol.
It's taken a long time to get it recognised as by UNESCO, and the reasons for that include its easy access to tourists, and therefore the mess that tourists tend to create when they visit in the thousands: rubbish! Even human waste, because, of course, people tend to climb the mountain.
I don't have a desire to climb the mountain myself. The image one is given is of a huge long human conga line from bottom to top! That is how many people climb during the summer each day. I'd much rather go somewhere where there are hardly any other tourists and enjoy nature that way. I guess that makes me a party pooper? Or just perhaps an Australian who avoids crowds and lines whenever possible, and especially when recreating.
I wonder what kind of plans they have for all of that rubbish and human waste!
ReplyDeleteI have climbed it twice. Once I went with a Japanese tour group and that was the human conga line experience. The second time a friend from the States and I climbed during the day. Much better idea. Most people start climbing mid-late afternoon so that they can see the sunrise. We met very few people on our climb starting late morning and ending early evening. I'd recommend that if you ever have a desire to do it! But there are definitely other hikes that are much more beautiful and less populated in Japan! :)
Loved your immigration office story, too. Oh, how I can relate!