Mount Fuji

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is the highest mountain in Japan. It straddles the boundary of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures just west of Tokyo, from which it can be seen on a clear day. It is located near the Pacific coast of central Honshu.

Mount Fuji is a well-known symbol of Japan and is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Geography

Mt. Fuji has five lakes around it: Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Sai, Lake Motosu and Lake Shoji. They, and nearby Lake Ashi, provide excellent views of the mountain. It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

Geology

Scientists have identified four distinct phases of volcanic activity in the formation of Mt. Fuji. The first phase, called Sen-komitake, is composed of an andesite core recently discovered deep within the mountain. Sen-komitake was followed by the "Komitake Fuji," a basalt layer believed to be formed several hundred thousand years ago. Approximately 100,000 years ago, "Old Fuji" was formed over the top of Komitake Fuji. The modern, "New Fuji" is believed to have formed over the top of Old Fuji by around 10,000 years ago. [link]

The volcano is currently classified as active with a low risk of eruption. The last recorded eruption occurred in 1707 during the Edo period. At this time, a new crater, along with a second peak, named Hōei-zan after the era name, formed halfway down its side.

Mt. Fuji is at the place where the Eurasian Plate (or the Amurian Plate), the Okhotsk Plate, and the Philippine Plate meet. Those plates form the western part of Japan, the eastern part of Japan, and the Izu Peninsula respectively.

Name

Variations

Fuji-san is sometimes referred to as Fuji Yama in some Western texts, because the third character of its name, 山 meaning mountain, can also be pronounced "yama". (See kanji readings.) However, this name is obsolete in Japan. In fact, the Japanese phrase "Fujiyama, geisha" means the Japan that is misunderstood by the West. The suffix -san, meaning a mountain, has nothing to do with the Japanese title -san used for people.

Additionally, "Fuji" may be spelled "Huzi" when using Nippon-shiki romanization. Nevertheless, the standard spelling is generally considered a more accurate reflection of the Japanese pronunciation.

Other Japanese names for Mt. Fuji, which have become obsolete or poetic, include Fuji-no-Yama (ふじの山, the Mountain of Fuji), Fuji-no-Takane (ふじの高嶺, the High Peak of Fuji), Fuyō-hō (芙蓉峰, the Lotus Peak), and Fu-gaku (富岳 or 富嶽, the first character of 富士, Fuji, and 岳, mountain).

Etymology

The current kanji for Mt. Fuji, 富 and 士, mean wealth or abundant and warrior respectively, but it is likely these characters were selected because their pronunciations match the syllables of the name. They do not indicate the meaning of the name.

The origin of the name Fuji is unclear. An early folk etymology claims that Fuji came from 不二 (not + two), meaning without equal or nonpareil. Another claims that it came from 不尽 (not + exhaust), meaning neverending.

Perhaps the most popular folk etymology is the one that claims that the mountain's name means abounding with warriors, written with the Chinese characters 富士 (abundant or wealthy + warrior). See The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

History

It is thought that the first ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. A sacred mountain since ancient times, Mt. Fuji's summit was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era. Today, it is a popular tourist destination and common destination for mountain-climbing (see below).

Mt. Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art. The most renowned work is Ukiyo-e painter Hokusai's masterpiece 36 Views of Mount Fuji. It is also mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and the subject of many poems.

Mt. Fuji also houses a warrior tradition: ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present day town of Gotemba. The shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo held yabusame in the area in the early Kamakura period. As of 2005, the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the United States Marine Corps operate military bases near Mount Fuji.

Climbing Mount Fuji

The most popular period for people to hike up Mt. Fuji is from July 1 to August 27, while huts and other facilities are operating. An estimated 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year, 30% of whom are foreigners. The ascent can take anywhere between 3 and 7 hours while the descent can take from 2 to 5 hours. The hike is divided into ten stations and there are paved roads up to the fifth station, which is about 2300 meters above sea level. Thousands climb Mt. Fuji during this two-month period. Most climb during the night to watch the sun rise in the morning. The sheer number of climbers each year has created something of a litter problem on the road to the summit, but this has not decreased the mountain's popularity.

Aokigahara

Aokigahara is a forest that lies at the base of the mountain. Many legends surround it; according to one, the rock of the mountain contains large iron deposits that cause compasses and even GPS to stop functioning, making it extremely easy to get lost.

These legends are untrue; the magnetic field generated by the iron is too weak to have any significant effect. Both the Self Defense Force and the Marines run regular training practices throughout the forest, during which compasses, GPS equipment and other navigational electronics have been verified as functioning properly.

The caverns found in this forest contain ice even during summer. Legends of monsters, ghosts, and goblins haunt the forest, adding to its sinister reputation. Furthermore, Aokigahara Jukai (The Sea of Trees) is the top suicide area in Japan; the spirits of those who kill themselves there are said to be cursed to forever haunt the area. Over 78 bodies have been discovered, prompting officials to put up signs prohibiting suicide in the forest.

Trivia

• Singer Kyu Sakamoto once had bearers carry a grand piano to the summit for a concert.
• The Atari and Infiniti logos are both stylized representations of Mount Fuji.
• Mount Taranaki in New Zealand looks so similar to Mount Fuji from some angles that it has been used as a substitute in films, such as The Last Samurai.
• Volcan Osorno in south Chile also has a striking similarity to Mount Fuji

See also

• Geography of Japan
• Hoei eruption of Mount Fuji

Pictures of Mount Fuji

Image:mountfujiNASA.jpg|Image of Mount Fuji taken by NASA. Image:Hokusai-fuji7.png|Red Fuji by Hokusai Image:Fuji_From_An_Airplane.JPG|Image of Mount Fuji taken from an airplane. Image:Shadow of Fuji 1974.jpg|Shadow of Mount Fuji on the upper side of the cloud-layer Image:MtFujiTorii.jpg|Torii near summit of Mount Fuji Image:Mt_Fuji_Summit.jpg|Buildings and hikers at the summit of Mount Fuji Image:Mountfujijapan.JPG|Mount Fuji with a Shinkansen and Sakura blossoms in the foreground

External links