Cautions Against “Bullet Climbing” as Mt. Fuji Season Starts

Cautions Against “Bullet Climbing” as Mt. Fuji Season Starts

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Mt. Fuji bullet climb
Picture: ใพใกใ‚ƒใƒผ / PIXTA(ใƒ”ใ‚ฏใ‚นใ‚ฟ)
Mt. Fuji climbing season is about to start - and officials are warning against the dangers of "bullet climbing".

It’s the first year that Mt. Fuji will be open for climbers since the end of travel restrictions. While many are eager to tackle the challenge, some experts are warning them against trifling with a location that could easily kill them.

A 10-year anniversary celebration

Mt. Fuji

Mt Fuji climbing season officially starts next month in July and extends into September. And it’s a special season in more ways than one.

First, 2023 is the 10th anniversary of UNESCO crowning Mt. Fuji a World Heritage Site. The JR East Railway plans to celebrate with special events along the stops for its train, the Fuji Excursion, that travels from Shinjuku to its Otsuki, Mt. Fuji, and Kawaguchi Lake stops.

Second, this is the first season in years with no travel restrictions. That means an influx of foreign visitors wishing to tackle the challenge of Fuji and scratch an item off of their bucket lists.

And the folks who support climbers are getting ready for the influx. In Shizuoka this week, the group Sustainable Town held a seminar in Numazu to educate those involved in transportation and travel on how best to communicate with foreign visitors. Lessons focused on the use of Easy Japanese (ใ‚„ใ•ใ—ใ„ๆ—ฅๆœฌ่ชž; yasashii nihongo) and other tactics, such as the use of signs and symbols, to bridge the communication gap.

Beware “bullet climbing”

Top of Mt. Fuji
Picture: sha-sha-ย / PIXTA(ใƒ”ใ‚ฏใ‚นใ‚ฟ)

But the opening of Mt. Fuji climbing season is also bringing warnings about a dangerous phenomenon: bullet climbing (ๅผพไธธ็™ปๅฑฑ; dangan tozan).

Most people who climb Fuji have an obvious goal: to get to the top. Many of them are also hoping to catch a gorgeous sunset before they start the journey back down.

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But the journey up to the top can take up to seven or eight hours. And climbers should rest at least an hour before descending, which will take another two to three hours.

Unfortunately, some people attempt what’s called a “bullet climb”. In the bullet climb, hikers ascend to the 5th station at night and then attempt to finish the climb in time to see the sunrise before heading back down. This is all done without any overnight rest period.

Every year, some 30% of climbers attempt a bullet climb. That leaves emergency personnel scrambling to help as people suffer from exhaustion. And this year, with chronic staffing issues plaguing Japan, officials say there will be fewer people to help climbers than ever.

If you’re planning to make the Fuji trek, do so safely. Reserve a hut in advance to get some rest so you don’t wear yourself out. (Make sure to make a reservation – you likely won’t be able to rent one on-site.) And avoid so-called “light climbs” – i.e., climbing without all of the recommended safety equipment and provisions.

For more on safety guidance when climbing Mt. Fuji, please see the Official Web Site for Mt. Fuji Climbing (English).

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Sources

ๅฏŒๅฃซๅฑฑใ€Œ10ๅ‘จๅนดใ€ใ€€ๅ„้ง…ใงใ‚คใƒ™ใƒณใƒˆใ€€JRๆฑใชใฉ้–‹ๅ‚ฌใธใ€€๏ผๅฑฑๆขจ. Mainichi Shimbun

ๅฏŒๅฃซๅฑฑ้–‹ๅฑฑใพใง๏ผ‘ใ‚ซๆœˆใ€€ๅฑฑๅฐๅฑ‹ใ€ๆ—ฉใใ‚‚ๆบ€ๅ“ก็ถšๅ‡บใ€€ใ€Œๅผพไธธใ€ๅข—ใซๆ‡ธๅฟต. Anata no Shizuoka Shimbun

ๅค–ๅ›ฝไบบ็™ปๅฑฑ่€…ใซใ€Œใ‚„ใ•ใ—ใ„ๆ—ฅๆœฌ่ชžใ€ใ€€้™ๅฒก็œŒใŒ่ฆณๅ…‰ไบ‹ๆฅญ่€…ใ‚‰ๅ‘ใ‘่ฌ›ๅบง. Anata no Shizuoka Shimbun

็™ปๅฑฑ่กŒ็จ‹. Mt. Fuji Official Site

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Jay Allen

Jay is a resident of Tokyo where he works as a reporter for Unseen Japan and as a technial writer. A lifelong geek, wordsmith, and language fanatic, he has level N1 certification in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and is fervently working on his Kanji Kentei Level 2 certification. You can follow Jay on Bluesky.

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