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If you want to travel to Japan, you’ve probably already planned to visit the main cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. It’s true that there are a lot of things to do in the Land of the Rising Sun, whether it’s visit sprawling urban jungles or the history, temples, and shrines. If there’s one thing you can’t miss when you visit Japan, it’s Mount Fuji, a fantastic place that’s full of history. This volcano has a lot to offer and a trip to Mount Fuji is a great idea. Here’s Superprof’s guide to visiting one of the world’s most famous mountains, Mount Fuji. From its eruptive history to all the things you can do there, when planning a trip to Japan, it’s a good idea to get all the information you can about when and how to visit Mount Fuji.
The History of Mount Fuji
Before you discover Mount Fuji (also known as Fuji-san), it’s a good idea to learn about this volcano’s history and its importance to the Japanese people. 
- The 4 eruptions during the Jomon period (Sengoku, Osawa, Omuro, Sunazawa)
- The Gotemba mudflow.
- The Jogan Eruption in 864.
- 12 eruptions during the Heian era (800-1083).
- The great Hoei eruption in 1707.
Many earthquakes have been recorded including the 2011 earthquake on the south face of Mount Fuji. Despite these regular catastrophes, the volcano has always been one of the symbolic features of the Japanese archipelago. According to popular legend, there are two gods (known as kami in Japan) living there. Mount Fuji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its an important religious capital and site of Japanese cultural heritage. Artists such as Hokusai has used the mountain as the object of his prints and its also featured in many films and computer games.
The Cost of Visiting Mount Fuji
Climbing Mount Fuji comes at a cost so you’ll need to budget for it. Fuji is a popular destination and over 300,000 people head there every year between July and September. 
- By bus: about 2 and a half hours at £40.
- By train: about 2 hours at £60.
You can also get to Mount Fuji from Kyoto and Osaka. You can get to Mount Fuji from most major cities. If you’ve got a Japan Rail Pass, you’ll probably want to go by train. Otherwise, the bus will be the best option financially. Once you get there, you’ll need somewhere to stay. Accommodation starts at around £40 a night but prices can easily get up to £130 a night. It’s a good idea to have a look at Airbnb for the best offers. You might also want to have a look at the cost of food. You’ll find that restaurants can be quite expensive so you’ll need to keep your budget in mind. If you have the means, you might want to try out Teppanyaki restaurants.
In total, three days could cost you around £1,000.
Unmissable Attractions at Mount Fuji
It’s all well and good hiking up Mount Fuji but it isn’t the only thing you can do there. Here are some of the other things you can do around Mount Fuji. The first thing is to head up the sacred mountain and go to the summit. 
Planning a Trip to Mount Fuji
You should plan your trip to Mount Fuji before you go. Firstly, think about how many days you’d like to spend in and around the mountain. If you dream of going up Mount Fuji, you might want to spend a night so you can enjoy the sunrise at Mount Fuji. 
- Lake Kawaguchi
- Lake Sai
- Lake Shoji
- Lake Motosu
- Lake Yamanaka
Consider spending at least a week to enjoy all these natural wonders surrounding the volcano as well as the onsen, Shinto shrines, restaurants, and the top of the volcano itself. You can climb the mountain at any time of the day or night. The climb to Mount Fuji is open from 1st July to 10th September. To avoid the crowds, you might want to go during the week in July or August and avoid the rainy season. You can also go up yourself or with a group, which is a good idea if you tend to get lost. Make sure you wear appropriate clothing, warm clothes, hiking boots, walking poles, bottles of water, food, and anything else you may need on your hike. Similarly, at 3,776.24m above sea level, it's the highest point on the island of Honshu. If you climb Mount Fuji, be aware that you might suffer altitude sickness. Now that you know a bit more about Mount Fuji, you can start planning your trip to Japan. To learn more about Japan and its main cities, check out our other articles on the subject. If you're interested in learning Japanese, there are plenty of great resources online to help you. Similarly, you can also get help with your Japanese from one of the many talented tutors on Superprof. There are three main types of tutorial available for Japanese: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each has its pros and cons and you'll have to choose the type that's right for you and your budget. Face-to-face tutorials are the most effective type of tutorials as you're the only student so the tutor can tailor the entire programme and each tutorial to you. Of course, this bespoke service comes at a cost and face-to-face tutorials tend to be the most costly per hour. If you're on a budget, online tutorials might be a better option. If you've got a decent webcam or microphone, your tutor can teach you how to speak Japanese remotely over the internet. Since the tutor doesn't have to travel to their students and can, therefore, schedule more tutorials each week, they tend to charge less than one-on-one tutorials. Group tutorials are usually the cheapest type of tutorial since there are several students all paying for the tutors time. While this is great for those on a budget, it can sometimes mean that you won't get as much one-on-one time with your tutor and the tutorials won't be tailored to you and what you want to learn. However, when it comes to language tutorials, this also means that you'll have many different people to practise your new language with, which can be more interesting than having to speak to the same person every session. Generally, it's a good idea to start a new hobby with group tutorials as they're less of an investment. Once you get serious about it, you can always start working with a face-to-face or online tutor and learning exactly what you want to learn. Before you make your decision, remember that many of the tutors on Superprof will offer free tuition for the first hour. This means you can try a few tutors, see if you like their teaching style, and see if you get along with them. After all, it's useless paying for a tutor that you don't enjoy spending time with!
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