Standing on top of the World Japan

This is the view of Mount Fuji during the late spring early summer.

Photography by David Liow aka Narrowband.

The only time to climb Mount Fuji is July and August. When there's no ice and glaciers


And Fuck! I dunno what got into me. I actually promised Kenny and Yap for the climb.


Coincidently met some braveheart from Tokodai before the climb.


Started climbing from the 5th station.

After the first 30 mins of climb, reached the 6th station. No sweat. Still smiling. Kenny even thinking of flirting the Koban policeman.


This is what we saw thruout the whole journey up. Darkness.


Reached 7th station 50mins later. Still smiling.


After that, I dunno what happened.

I hated that whole part from 7th station up to 9th station. Peak is the 10th station. (Although I am not sure which is 9th station. I was too blur to realised.)


I was having cramps, on both hands, after we stopped to have our bento. The wind was too chilly that it literally penetrates your bones. My legs were kidda frozen too. The rest of the journey, all I remembered was, every 15 steps, I have to stop to grasp air. But not for long, if not the strong wind will kill me. And I was having trouble with my non-hiking-purpose shoe. I was slipping, and falling. I also remembered a LONG journey of Rock Climbing! There's one rock, almost the height of my chest. I stood there, cursing. How was I suppose to climb?!


Altitude 3250m above sea level.

Being with an ex-army, and another fervent lover of Kendo and Badminton, they were really kind enough to stop every now and then, pulling and pushing me up the mountain. I was almost half dead.


But all my pain gone, when I see the sunrise. I have also never in my life seen so many/much stars. And I saw a shooting star!! Speechless beauty!!




Notice Kawaguchi lake, formed by the Fuji san's lava flows.

My spirit reformed when we were told that we actually P.A.S.S.E.D the 9th station! What we looking at, WAS THE SUMMIT OF FUJI-SAN.


We hurried up our pace, cant wait cant wait!!

However, the queue to get up was another killer.


and the following queue behind us was also crazy.


Finally!!! After 7 hours and 30 mins! We are 3776m above sea level!! Wuuu huuu!!


It's Japan! Of course there's vending machines!


They used rocks to build their houses on the summit.


Fuji San Volcanic Crater


We celebrated Yap's birthday by the crater.


We were above the clouds.



It's all barren up in Fuji San. Rocks, and stones, and sand.


Except this kind of plants scattered scarcely.

Going down the mountain was another challenge. The whole road down was something like the picture below. Total zig zag path is 5.6km.



We took another 5 hours back down.

I cant believe I actually managed myself to climb through all the journey up when I was down looking up again. Passing through stations after stations.


What an experience! This is my first time climbing Fuji-San, and definitely my last time too. Unless they build elevator or escalator up. Then I will reconsider.