Getting there

There are four routes up Mt. Fuji, Yoshida, Subashiri, Gotemba and Fujinomiya. Yoshida and Subashiri are the most popular so those are the ones that I will describe here. Gotemba is the hardest and Fujinomiya is the shortest. Gotemba and Fujinomiya start on different sides of the mountain and require different ways of getting there. 

To get to the Yoshida/Subashiri route, first take the bus to the Subaru Line 5th Station. The easiest place to catch the bus from is Kawaguchiko station. You cannot use your IC card (Pasmo/Suica etc), you have to buy a ticket from the person at the bus window inside of the station. 

Once you arrive at Subaru Line 5th station, walk past all the shops and resturants and you will find the beginning of the hike. The signs are very easy to follow and are very obvious from here.  The Subashiri trail begins on the Yoshida trail. As you hike up just look for signs that say Subashiri.

Route/Trail notes

The hike up Mt. Fuji is very developed. There are plenty of mountain huts with toilets that you can use and food that you can buy. You do not need to be self-sufficient for this hike. The actual path is quite well maintained as well. 

The first part of the hike has you walking along a flat road alongside some vegetation. This is basically the only vegetation you will see for the whole hike. As you start climbing upwards, the vegetation will disappear along with the paved road. There is only one path, keep following it, just shadow the other hikers if you are in doubt. It is essentially just straight up for 6 hours. The hike is gruelling, there are very few if any flat sections, just pure uphill climb. 

Permits/Costs

About 10,000 yen for huts on the mountain

200 yen for toilets 

500 yen for bottles of water.