Approaching the summit, this was the best our visibility ever got.
Katie couldn’t sleep in the mountain hut at first. I was out like a light. Once she finally managed to doze off, I was wide awake. I closed my eyes and tried to think restful thoughts, knowing full well how few hours I had left to attempt sleep. After what felt like four hours I checked the time. 11:45pm. How was that possible? Was I really only asleep for an hour?
The view outside the bus window as we approach the 5th station.
“A wise man climbs Mt. Fuji once, but only a fool does it twice.”
Most literature on reaching the highest point in Japan contains this anonymously-accredited saying. I didn’t understand how dead-on these words until I neared the top. Devoid of context, it’s not too helpful. Even with context, which I’ll try to illustrate over the next two posts, it’s not too helpful. To fully appreciate just how perfectly those words sum up the mountain, you have to make the climb yourself.
Ascending Fuji is an amazing, unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I have no intention of ever doing again.
Our Kyoto Year 