The place

Fuji rises alone to 3,776 metres in an almost perfect cone, its summit crater ringed by eight peaks. From late autumn to spring snow covers its upper slopes; in summer the top is bare, dark volcanic gravel. Around its northern foot lie five lakes formed when lava dammed rivers, and the dense forest of Aokigahara grows on a lava flow from the ninth century. Lower down are springs, waterfalls and farmland fed by groundwater that has filtered through the mountain. On a clear winter morning the mountain can be seen from Tokyo. On its slopes in summer you hear the crunch of gravel, wind and the bells of pilgrims' staffs.

History

Fuji is a young volcano built on top of older ones over the last hundred thousand years. It has erupted many times, most recently in 1707, when the Hōei eruption dropped ash on Edo, now Tokyo. Its eruptions led people to worship the mountain as a deity to be calmed, and Shinto shrines called Sengen were built around its base. Buddhist ascetics began climbing it, and in the Edo period mass pilgrimage groups known as Fuji-kō made the climb a religious practice for ordinary people. Women were barred from the summit until 1872. Painters such as Hokusai and Hiroshige made it a world image. UNESCO listed it in 2013 as a cultural site.

Why it matters for the living world

Fuji's slopes show clear bands of vegetation from broadleaf and conifer forest through larch and birch to sparse alpine plants near the top. Its forests shelter deer, serows, black bears and many birds. Most importantly, the mountain is a huge water store: rain and snowmelt soak into the porous lava and emerge years later as springs, such as those at Oshino Hakkai and the Shiraito Falls, supplying drinking water, farms and industry around its base. The lakes and forests of the foothills hold a large share of the region's biodiversity.

People of the place

Communities around Fuji, in towns such as Fujiyoshida, Fujinomiya and Gotemba, have long lived with the mountain as a source of water, timber and spiritual meaning. The summit area above the eighth station belongs to the Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha shrine. Mountain huts along the trails are run by families, some for generations. Farming, forestry, fish farming with spring water and tourism support the local economy. Fuji-kō pilgrim groups still make the climb, and the old pilgrim lodgings, called oshi houses, survive in Fujiyoshida. Many local people are involved in clean-up campaigns and in debates about how to manage the growing number of visitors.

What it faces

Tourism is the most visible pressure. Hundreds of thousands of people climb in the short summer season, and crowding, litter, erosion and climbers without proper gear have become serious problems. Since 2024 Yamanashi Prefecture has charged a climbing fee and limited daily numbers on the Yoshida trail, and fees were extended to the Shizuoka trails in 2025. Traffic and development at the foot of the mountain strain local towns. The mountain remains an active volcano, and authorities have updated eruption plans for the Tokyo region. Rising temperatures are shortening snow cover and may shift plant zones upward, and scientists monitor changes on the mountain.

Sources

Written for Regenerative Voices from the sources above. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.