Mount Fuji is a privately owned dormant volcano. Japan. Mount Fuji - the “calling card” of Japan Fuji description
One of the symbols of the Land of the Rising Sun is Fuji, the sacred mountain of Japan. This is a volcano considered “young”. The mountain attracts locals and tourists with its almost perfect proportionality. Every self-respecting samurai is obliged to climb it at least once in his life, but that was in the past. Today, every resident of Japan strives to visit the sacred mountain at least once in his life. Representatives of two main religions live in Japan. They all consider the mountain their shrine. They respectfully call her Fujisan 富士山.
- Who gave the name Fuji?
Experts are still arguing about the origin of the name. The volcano is covered in many legends. This mountain was chosen as a symbol in ancient times; monks and ordinary people came here. Scientists suggest that Fuzdi comes from the word “immortality.” In any case, there is a hint of this in a literary work dating back to the 10th century. In the Edo era, it was written that the name is associated with a hieroglyph meaning “a mountain standing slender like a spike of rice.”
Some experts have suggested that Fuji is the word of the Ainu people. People of this kind lived many centuries ago in this territory, but were forced out. They still have the term “futi”, translated as fire. However, official linguists argue with this theory. They believe that in entomology the word is closer to one of the Japanese languages - Yamato. It has the same root as the term translated as rainbow.
By the way, more is known about the age of the volcano. It originated 11 thousand years ago. It was "Young Fuji". Crevices formed on its surface, spewing lava. They blocked the river sources. Over time, the now famous Five Lakes of Fuji arose near the volcano.
- Tales of Woe
The Japanese have their own idea about the origin of the archipelago. They are sure that the gods created it out of chaos. One of the first to be created was the one on which the sacred mountain is located. At its top, according to Zionist beliefs, lived the God of the Universe.
The Japanese are sure that Fujiyama was born among the fire and will die in its flames. This probably means that subconsciously they understand that an explosion is inevitable.
Interestingly, the population of the archipelago rarely talks about the volcanic problems of their symbol. They prefer to depict the mountain as calm, shrouded in fog, sleeping peacefully. This is exactly the kind of Fuji that artists depict and poets sing about. In legends, it seems to be a place of wisdom, even immortality, but not death from a raging flame.
Fuji was deified by the Ainu many centuries ago. It was customary for them to worship the fire goddess of the same name. According to their myths, the deity lived inside the mountain. The descendants of the ancient Ainu still live in the north of the country. They still consider the mountain holy.
Fans of Shintoism endow all natural phenomena and objects with divine qualities. Mountains occupy a special place in their beliefs. And Fuji is the first among them.
Climbing a mountain is for the strong in spirit. After all, supporters of Shintoism are sure that it is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. By climbing Mount Fuji you can get closer to the Creator. This cannot be done just like that, without lengthy preparation. Believers have been carrying out spiritual work for a long time in order to achieve a state that allows them to come to the Creator.
It is interesting that approximately 200 thousand people climb Mount Fuji every year, only 30% of them are foreigners. Among the summit conquerors there are many elderly people. They go to the sanctuary, which was built on the slope long ago and is still in operation.
It is believed that the temple was erected by order of the Emperor. The local population always began to worry when the volcano became active. The last time this happened was in 1707–1708. The sanctuary was built to pacify the wrath of the gods.
- Stories of the birth and curse of the mountain
The attitude towards Mount Fuji clearly demonstrates the unbreakable connection between tradition and modernity in the life of the Japanese. These people have always lived in common rhythms with nature. The Japanese can contemplate their favorite slopes for a long time. At this time, they are imbued with calmness and tranquility, inducing in themselves a state of enlightened detachment.
There is a myth according to which Fuji appeared overnight. This event took place in 285 AD. However, the fate of the volcano was not always happy. In the work of N.A. Iofan “Culture of Ancient Japan” describes a legend talking about the curse of the beautiful mountain. He found this material in the work “Description of the Lands of Hitachi” (original title: “Hitachi Fudoki”), dated to the 8th century.
Once the Great Ancestor - Mioya-gami no Mikoto - wandered around the country. He wandered onto Mount Fuji. This happened on the eve of the Niiname holiday, which is what autumn thanksgiving is called. Evening came. The Great Ancestor asked the Mountain Spirit for permission to spend the night. However, he had no time, he was preparing for the celebrations. Then Mioya-gami no Mikoto placed a curse on Fuji. He bound the volcano with snow forever, so that none of the people could climb to the top and serve the inhospitable Spirit.
- Spirit of the Mountain
There are still fans of Fuji in Japan. They call the spirit by the name Sengen Daibosatsu. He is considered a patron in everyday affairs, in which financial matters occupy a special place. The volcano spirit is sometimes called Asama or Kono-ha-na Sakuyahime. Translated, the latter means “princess who makes trees bloom.” Shinto legend has it that a princess floats above the peak on a luminous cloud. She makes sure that the sacred symbol is not contaminated with filth.
The traditional one also has the image of Fujisan. He is represented by a young girl wearing a wide-brimmed hat. She holds a wisteria branch on her shoulder. The girl's name is Fuji-hime. This is how the names of mountain and wisteria are intertwined. At first, the “dance of the girl with wisteria” was introduced into the repertoire of the Kabuki theater. Subsequently, it migrated to engravings, paintings, and doll makers began to use it.
The Japanese associate the symbolism of the sacred mountain with such fundamental concepts as nation, divine purity, pristine beauty, harmony. In their perception, it is also inseparable from their own Motherland.
In Japanese culture, this is one of the most significant symbols. Local residents believe that it brings prosperity for the entire period! There is even such a special tradition. You need to fill all the containers in the house with water and go to bed on New Year's Eve. If you see Fujisan, you will find true happiness!
In the spring of 2016, a unique drone show took place at the foot of Mount Fuji. To the accompaniment of mesmerizing music, 20 drones performed a space ballet.
Fuji (Fujiyama) - or Fuji for short - is a sacred mountain in Japan, which is an active stratovolcano.
Countless paintings, engravings and photographs praise its appearance. She has also been immortalized in songs and numerous haiku.
Fuji is located on the island of Honshu, a hundred kilometers southwest of the city of Tokyo. Below is the location of this famous volcano on a map of Japan, Fuji is marked with a yellow triangle. Geographic coordinates in degrees – 35 north latitude and 138 east longitude.
Fuji photo
Fujiyama in Japan
With a height of 3776 meters, a volcano always covered with snow appears from a distance, surrounded by five lakes included in the reserve, with a size exceeding 122 thousand hectares. This is Fuji Hakone Izu National Park.
There are many opinions regarding the origin of the name of this mountain; most scientists agree that it means “fire” translated from an ancient dialect. There is a myth that the gods created the mountain in one night as their abode, like Olympus.
There are 8 ways to get to the top of the mountain. The climbing season is open in July and August, as nearby hotels, restaurants, and overnight accommodations are only open during this time.
The area around is a famous resort, beautiful nature and hot baths. You can visit Fuji and its surrounding areas by bus, on a capital city tour, or even on your own. In any case, you can walk up the mountain both at night and during the day. However, it is better to spend the night in a hotel.
The local thermal waters attract many locals and tourists. The square is surrounded by ryokans - inns and modern hotels and campsites. The cruise lift starts from Ubak, where water with a temperature of 60-70 degrees flows from a natural rock spring, which is located at an altitude of 900 meters.
The first visitors to the baths were modest Englishmen who covered themselves with towels in the common bath, which made the Japanese think that they were hiding something from them.
Video Fujiyama, Japan
The largest city in the vicinity of the lake is Osahigo Coca. The colorful cruisers cruising around the lake depart from here. It doesn't matter whether we want to climb Mount Fuji or just relax in the healing springs - tourist trips always start from the railway stations. There is an excellent golf course nearby, and fishing is possible on the Kakunagawa River. There are several eateries along the roads where you can grab a bite to eat Japanese cuisine. There are meteorological, seismic, and geological stations nearby.
Mount Fuji
This mountain is a stratovolcano consisting of various layers of solidified magma. It is considered inactive since its last eruption was in the 18th century. Below is a photo of him from above, which shows the crater of the volcano.
Article genre: Sights of Japan
The legendary Mount Fuji, considered the main national symbol of Japan, is located in the southern part of the island of Honshu, 90 kilometers from the Japanese capital.
Thanks to its almost perfect symmetry and graceful silhouette, the famous Fuji has been a standard of beauty in Japan for many centuries, an inexhaustible source of inspiration for poets and artists.
The mountain is truly beautiful from any vantage point, at any time of the year. No less beautiful are the views from the top of Fuji to the nearby forests, gardens, lakes, quaint coastline and picturesque islands of the Pacific Ocean.
Particularly impressive pictures appear before your eyes in the spring, during the flowering period of the cherry and plum orchards.
The mountain is located on flat terrain almost at sea level, and in good weather its majestic peak topped with a snow cap is visible even from the outskirts of Tokyo. Unfortunately, it is not often possible to admire such a spectacle: most often the mountain is shrouded in a veil of clouds.
Fuji is a dormant but not extinct volcano. The depth of its crater is about 200 meters, the diameter is over 500 meters.
The crater of the volcano is bordered by eight ridges, which the poetic Japanese call the “eight petals of Fuji” - Yaksudo-Fuyo.
Information has been preserved about the most destructive volcanic eruptions - in 800 and 864 years.
The last powerful eruption was recorded in 1707. According to ancient documents, as a result of this eruption, the city of Edo (by which name modern Tokyo was known in those days) was covered with a fifteen-centimeter layer of ash.
Hundreds of years ago, the forests surrounding Fuji were inhabited by the Ainu, representatives of the indigenous population of the Japanese archipelago.
It was these ancient people who gave the name to the mountain. The name “Fuji” goes back to the word “fire”, which was the name of the Goddess of Fire, whom the Ainu worshiped.
Fuji also plays a significant role in the two main religions of modern Japan - Shintoism and Buddhism.
Shintoists believe that this sacred mountain connects heaven and earth, Buddhists are more specific in their beliefs: in their opinion, the ancient path that winds around the mountain at an altitude of 2500 meters leads to an exit to the other world. The first temple on the top of the mountain was erected at the beginning of the 9th century. Nowadays, an ancient Shinto shrine and a modern weather station coexist on the mountain.
Fuji is not only the most famous, but also the highest mountain in the country - its height exceeds 3770 meters.
Even 150 years ago, the Japanese attitude towards the sacred mountain was so reverent that only priests and pilgrims were allowed to climb Mount Fuji.
Only in 1872 was access to the mountain open to everyone, including women.
The official climbing season for Mount Fuji is July-August. In other months, climbing the mountain is not prohibited, but is quite risky: low temperatures, strong winds, and often heavy snow significantly complicate the already difficult ascent.
Fuji is famous for being a rather steep and treacherous mountain; it has a considerable number of victims: according to statistics, 5-7 people die on its slopes every year, and about 70 are injured.
Nevertheless, about 300-400 thousand people climb Mount Fuji every year.
Perhaps, climbing Mount Fuji is the cherished desire of almost every Japanese person.
Mount Fuji (富士山)
At the same time, local residents are well aware of the complexity and danger of such an undertaking. As the well-known folk wisdom says, “he is a fool who has never climbed Mount Fuji once, and he who has climbed twice is doubly a fool.”
Many foreign tourists visiting the island of Honshu also prefer not only to admire the famous mountain, but also to climb to its peak.
Especially romantic travelers prefer to climb the mountain in the late afternoon to spend the night in one of the huts located at the top, and in the morning admire the fantastic spectacle of the sunrise.
Such extreme sports enthusiasts should be prepared for the fact that the amenities in the improvised “hotel” at the top will be minimal, and the prices for all services will be unreasonably high.
By the way, since the summer of 2013, the Japanese authorities introduced a fee for climbing the mountain (about $10). The proceeds are supposed to be used to improve the ecological condition of the area - due to the influx of tourists, the slopes of the mountain are covered with garbage.
Tourists who are not ready for the feat of climbing prefer a more relaxing pastime at the foot of the mountain.
Tourists are especially fond of the route to the five lakes located near the northern slope of the mountain.
The most popular local activities are visiting an amusement park, going to an ice cave, and practicing a variety of water sports on the lakes.
Another famous tourist destination near Fuji is Hakone National Park, where you can recuperate at the hot springs, take a tour boat on Lake Ashi, or admire the tori (ritual gate) of the local temple.
Photos
Mount Fuji
The highest point in Japan, Mount Fuji, is located on the island of Honshu. This is an ancient dormant volcano. Its peak reaches a height of 3,776 meters.
The Japanese greatly revere this mountain, referring to it only as Fuji-san, and Fuji is the name of the goddess of fire. By the way, for those who love mountains and would like to organize a hike, as well as conquer a mountain peak, there is an excellent website that will help you with this: vsevgory.com.
The tourist town of Hakone is located near the mountain.
Mount Fuji - the “calling card” of Japan
This settlement has stunning views of Mount Fuji, picturesque lakes, clean air and a calm, moderate life, which for many makes it a paradise after the stuffy and hurried Tokyo. The town is small, you can get around it in one day. But the scenery that surrounds this resort will make everyone stop and just watch. The settlement is very conveniently located for cableways, trams and the railway leading from Tokyo, so this does not interfere with enjoying the view of Fuji.
Those who do decide to climb the mountain usually get to a place called “Five Lakes Fuji”.
The mountain is a sacred place for all Shintoists. In addition, many who know about its existence dream of climbing it. Therefore, there are always enough people who want to conquer the top of Fuji. A path leads up to the top, where sometimes there are specially equipped huts and shops where you can rest and replenish your strength, as well as stock up on equipment necessary for the climb.
For example, a tourist will be given a staff with a bell, on which marks will be made at each of the ten stops about the passage of the next stage of the journey. 
By the way, for people who have a simple interest, or for those who consider themselves not sufficiently religious, there is a bus route that will take the tourist to the fifth station, and then he will have to use his physical efforts and fortitude.
Although not everything is so bad, because throughout the entire ascent a person will always be able to grab onto the cable, which will be stretched to the very top of the mountain.
The top of Mount Fuji will greet the lucky climber quite warmly. A whole camp has settled there, where you can rest, recuperate, and, if necessary, receive medical assistance.
Also on the top of the mountain, near the crater, there is a Shinto shrine where services are performed. There is a souvenir shop nearby. The shape of the crater is also of interest.
From the outside, the eight different sides of the crater have rocks bent inwards, giving the impression that the town is in a petal. The crater was nicknamed “Eight Petals of Fuji”. 
Mount Fuji is a wonderful view during cherry blossom season.
The pinkish hue is reflected in the five lakes of Fuji, a shade that contrasts sharply with the pine groves spread across the mountain.
Asia, Japan
THAT I AM NOT A PIT - EVERYONE
Skip the next issue of the magazine for children and youth "pioneer" (the magazine of my childhood, and now the children's magazine of my child's child), she noticed that the joke was not funny.
It's funny and really a little, but it immediately upset the heads of the forgotten linguistic layer.
So, according to the joke, he turns out to be very much the same as the tall one, only with a different sign...
Immediately someone, and not just some of the same names of contradictory antagonists: Japanese Pit (Mountain) and Russian Cave (Pete) - the sound is the same, but it does exactly the opposite.
Mount Fuji is a private dormant volcano. Japan
Just like in the joke: the same depth, only with a different character (not down, but up).
As a rule, it was the most “cordial” who began to talk from that moment about the paradoxical closeness of the Russians and the Japanese. Those who are not distinguished by “insolence”, start laughing at the first words :)
But the most paradoxical thing is that there is a connection between the Russian cave and the Japanese cave.
It is true that this is not so obvious, although this is reflected in the anecdote from which this post began.
WOW, BREZ!
Let's imagine what Elochka, Little Ludo, would say if she lived in our time when she saw a high mountain.
Perhaps it sounds like this: "Wow! Scary! (good, but cool)",
It is true that she did not come close to the mountain, but in a deep deep hole, then most likely, looking into the abyss of failure, I would say the same thing: "Wow! Cora (twist, etc.)!"
This cry would be marked by a certain feature of something that causes fear of its size, vertically oriented, that is, if it is a vertical accent, it would be wrong Elochka.
If one sometimes looks at scientific publications in the field of linguistics, one would barely miss the articles on the education of first languages and how they spread throughout the world and unite them in different groups.
One of the theories that I personally liked was that it first appeared "primitive" are words that indicate "absolutely" values, regardless of their "direction" So, for example, the same word can be defined by a high mountain and a deep hole - the extreme is important, but not its polarity (Anna Istomin. “How are languages and people born?”)
This means that in the first languages the idea of interval (meaning) was formed first, but language education to guide it much later - a segment is a vector at some stage of development that did not exist - and why, if the direction was always easier to emphasize manually :) .
Reflections on the past have been preserved in modern languages, where the same words have passed from century to century, only sometimes they were set in different “poles”,
Therefore, in many languages you can see unexpected parallels, when the same word or a close word in different languages speaks of completely opposite properties and characteristics - it all depends on what extreme special primogenitures a particular language likes.
Here are some typical examples:
Udmurt "month" (Woman)
Latin "weight" (Male)
Japanese 雌 "meat" (Woman);
Kom "it" (Weak)
Japanese 良 "this" (Good).
And they are Russian and Japanese “cave” examples that confirm these theories or not - as a rule, it is not significant.
The most important thing for us is that in this life everything can be done. And you don’t always always laugh at lips that laugh at a place :)
Other opusi
Why does a cave in Russian and Japanese indicate a cave and mountains?
The Japanese word for hole rises. Yama is located in the mountains of Russia. Two opposite meanings of the same sound words in Russian and Japanese.
For many centuries it has attracted pilgrims, and now tourists. Fuji is also the embodiment of the indestructible connection between tradition and modernity, a significant phenomenon in Japanese culture. This majestic mountain has no equal in the number of works of art and poetic lines dedicated to it.
The colorful images of Fuji are numerous. She was depicted in woodblock prints used in traditional Japanese theater productions. But Fuji is most famous in Japanese painting. Sano Shinkei's album “True Views of the King of the Mountains” (1822) is famous, containing 25 views of the mountain taken from the same place at different times of the year. The artist interprets the image of Fuji in different seasons as a certain understanding of time, which has no power over the sacred mountain. In 1823-1829. World famous artist Katsushika Hokusai published color prints of prints from the series “36 Views of Mount Fuji”. The artist acted as a guide around Fuji, sometimes seeming to forget about it and concentrating on the diversity of the surrounding landscapes. But even at the same time, Fuji remains the center of the universe.
Fuji, or, as this mountain is commonly called in the Land of the Rising Sun, Fuji-san, is a volcano in the central part of the island of Honshu, the largest of. In addition, this is the highest point in Japan: its height is 3776 m. Since Fuji rises above the plain, in clear weather it can be seen at a distance of 80-90 km, but the views from the ocean are considered the most beautiful.
The top of the regular Fuji cone is formed by a crater with a diameter of 700 m and a depth of up to 100 m. The crater resembles a lotus flower: it is bordered by eight ridges known as Yaksudo-Fuyo, which means “eight petals of Fuji.” The symmetrical upper parts of the slopes diverge at an angle of 45°, the lower parts are flatter. The foot is an almost perfect circle, 126 km in circumference.
Japanese seismologists were able to establish that Fuji was formed in a very unusual way. Until now, it was believed that this mountain took its modern form during three major periods of volcanic activity, beginning several hundred thousand years ago. , which appeared at this place during the first eruptions, was named Komitake.
Its height then was no more than 2500 m. The next powerful eruptions occurred about 100 thousand years ago and culminated in the formation of the volcano known as Old Fuji. After powerful events that occurred about 10 thousand years ago, New Fuji was formed, at the base of which lies Old Fuji. When scientists drilled into the deep layers of the sacred mountain, andesite lavas were discovered that had never been found in the depths of Fuji before. The discovered andesite layers lie much lower than the basalt layers of Komitake and Old Fuji, which suggests that volcanic activity occurred at this site long before the formation of Komitake volcano.
Japanese mythology interprets the formation of Fujiyama differently. According to legends, Fuji was born in 286 BC. e., when the earth opened up and Lake Biwa, the largest in Japan, appeared. At the same time, a mountain was formed from the ejected soil. This legend is not groundless: the Fuji volcanic zone is confined to a transverse fault (the so-called Great Ditch) of the island of Honshu. The island of Honshu itself is located within a giant seismic belt, coinciding with the fault line of the earth's crust at the junction of the Pacific, Eurasian and Philippine. That is why up to 1,500 shocks of varying intensity occur on the islands annually, which is approximately four tremors per day, slow rises or falls of individual areas are noted, volcanoes periodically erupt, and thermal springs gush out.
Fuji has always been revered as the place where the gods lived, and at the same time served as the gateway to the underworld. Such sacred mountains, due to their special shapes and sizes, were considered earthly manifestations of the foundations of the world - the earth's axes and symbolized peace among chaos. At the same time, the romantic feelings that Fuji evokes among the Japanese can be explained by the premonition that this beauty is not eternal, that someday, as a result of a strong earthquake or eruption, it may disappear from the face of the Earth.
The Japanese have always strived to climb to the top of Fuji and worship its spirit. However, this opportunity is only available for a limited time - during the summer months, when the snow cover of the mountain melts. Documentary records have been preserved that in 663 AD. e. A nameless monk ascended the mountain. In the Middle Ages, “Fuji-ko” was organized - a special society of admirers of Fuji, who believed that this mountain personifies not only “the beginning of Heaven and Earth,” but also such fundamental concepts as country, nation, divine purity and harmony. During the Edo period (mid-15th century - 1869), there were over 800 organizations in charge of ascent. Since the ascent required considerable effort, those wishing to climb Mount Fuji armed themselves with long staffs and put on straw hats to protect them from the sun.
With the advent of technological progress, the path to Fuji lost its sacredness and contemplation. Now you don't have to wear out your sandals and staffs. All kinds of amenities have been created for travelers, making it much easier to climb the mountain. The path to the top is divided into ten tiers-stations. Almost half the way, to the fifth station, can be done in a comfortable bus or car, admiring the picturesque landscapes from the window. The ascent on foot from the fifth station, located at an altitude of 2300 m, to the top takes approximately three to seven hours, and the descent - from two to five hours.
The fact that the main peak and symbol of the country is given to private ownership does not interfere with honoring and worshiping Fuji. The state ceded a plot of land with an area of 3.85 million square meters free of charge. m Shinto shrine. The Japanese government sued the temple for 17 years. In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court, the territory of the volcano goes to the temple, starting from a level of 3350 m and to the highest point at an altitude of 3776 m. Only the trails along which tourists climb Mount Fuji every summer, as well as the meteorological station operating at the top, remain under state control station.
The beauty and charm of Fuji is largely due to the features that replace each other with the rise. At the very foot and in the lower part of the slopes there are plum and cherry orchards and green rice fields. In some places there are still tracts of forests in which evergreen oaks, camellias, camphor laurel with glossy, shiny leaves grow: The trees are usually entwined with vines: actinidia, grapes, ivy, and a carpet of ferns spreads under them. Coniferous trees are also found here: pines with intricately curved trunks and flat crowns, cypresses, thujas, cryptomerias. The Aokigahara forest at the foot of Fuji, shrouded in legends and myths about ghosts and spirits inhabiting this area, has become especially famous.
The mid-mountain forest layer is already different, it is cooler here and therefore deciduous broad-leaved trees predominate: beeches, oaks, chestnuts, maples, ash. Even higher is the kingdom of conifers: fir, spruce, yew, larch. Closer to the top, open spaces dominate, occupied by shrubby heaths with rhododendron, wild rosemary, lingonberry and mountain, called "hara" in Japan. The peak itself is covered with snow for ten months.
Fuji is not just part of the country's landscape; it is rightly identified with Japan itself. The Japanese even have a saying: “He who has never climbed Mount Fuji is a fool, but he who has climbed twice is twice as foolish.” Climbing Fuji-san is a must in your life, and the first impressions are so strong that they overshadow all subsequent perceptions of this perfect mountain.
When asked what is the most beautiful thing in the Land of the Rising Sun, any Japanese will answer with the same word: “Fuji!”
This mountain, the highest in Japan (3776 meters), has been deified by the inhabitants of the island of Honshu since ancient times. The word Fuji itself is only half Japanese and means "Mount Fuji".
The mysterious and ancient Ainu people, who once inhabited Honshu, Hokkaido, and the Kuril Islands, gave the mountain the name of their goddess of fire, and the Japanese retained the Ainu name.
The almost perfect, slightly truncated cone of Fuji is truly very beautiful. For many centuries it has inspired poets and artists; for many hundreds of years people have been climbing the steep path to its top to pay tribute to the national shrine, which, without a doubt, is Fuji.
The great poet Basho, who lived in the 17th century, dedicated more than one poem to the sacred mountain. His haiku tercets have survived centuries, and every Japanese schoolchild can, without thinking, recite to you by heart, for example:
The clouds swelled with rain.
Just above the ridge of the foothills
Fuji turns white in the snow...
Fog and autumn rain.
But let Fuji be invisible,
How she gladdens the heart!
And the wonderful artist Hokusai, a century later, Basho immortalized his beloved mountain in a series of engravings: “36 views of Mount Fuji” and “100 views of Mount Fuji.” A reproduction of one of these prints hangs in every Japanese home.
The main religion of Japan - Shintoism - declared Fuji one of the main places of veneration and worship. Therefore, every Japanese considers it his duty to climb the sacred mountain at least once in his life.
There is a winding path to the top of Fuji with ten sites - rest stations. Pilgrims buy bamboo poles with bells at the foot of the mountain, which should help during the difficult and long climb.
At each station, the traveler will have a special mark burned on his staff as a sign that he has reached the next stage. Some, especially older Japanese, make several attempts before achieving their cherished goal.
At the very top, next to the Fuji crater, a Shinto temple was built, where monks offer prayers to the gods, simultaneously selling souvenirs to tourists and pilgrims.
Many tourists from abroad, for whom visiting the mountain is just an exotic entertainment, begin their climb immediately from the fifth station, where the road is built.
But even for them, storming the almost four-kilometer peak is a difficult test of muscle strength and fortitude.
The volcano's crater is a depression with jagged edges, 500 meters in diameter and 200 meters deep. Its slightly wavy outline resembles a lotus flower.
Eight rocky ridges, covered with snow, protrude into the crater. The people gave them the poetic name Yaksuda-Fuji ("Eight Petals of Fuji").
The upper part of the slope of the volcanic mountain is very steep (up to forty-five degrees), and below Fuji it becomes more gentle. Its base looks like a giant circle with a perimeter of 126 kilometers.
From the north, Fuji is bordered by a garland of five picturesque lakes, adding even greater beauty to the surrounding landscape. The mountain is especially beautiful in the spring, when the Japanese cherry blossoms bloom.
The pink foam of the gardens, the blue sky and water, the green of the pine trees in the lower belt of the mountain and the white snow cone of its top merge into a unique symphony of lines and colors, as if straight out of an engraving by Hokusai.
However, the volcano is beautiful at any time of the year and in any weather.
And a great artist could probably paint not a hundred, but five hundred views of Fuji - now pink in the dawn rays, now reflected in the blue bowl of the lake, now as a gray ghost peeping through the fog, now covered with a thick cap of clouds...
According to the Japanese chronicle legend, the gods created Fuji in one night in 286 BC, and in the place where they took land for the mountain, Lake Biwa was formed, the only large lake in the country, located near its ancient capital Kyoto.
In reality, the volcano is, of course, much older. Geologists estimate its age at eight to ten thousand years. But at the base of Fuji lies an older extinct volcano, sixty thousand years old, and it, in turn, grew on the site of an even more ancient volcano, three hundred thousand years old.
Being the youngest and most active of the three, Fuji regularly demonstrates his formidable temperament. Chronicles recorded eighteen eruptions of Japan's main volcano. The strongest of them were in 800, 864 and 1707. Fuji was especially raging in 1707. Then even Tokyo, located one hundred kilometers northeast of the volcano, was covered with a layer of ash fifteen centimeters thick.
Now the mighty giant is dozing, only faint wisps of smoke in the crater reminding him that his strength has not yet run out. There is snow on the slopes of its slender, slightly concave cone for ten months of the year, and even in the summer the snowfields do not melt on the northern slopes.
The ancient pilgrim path still retains its original appearance today. True, many, as already mentioned, now begin their ascent from the fifth station, from the very border of the pine forests, but even this final, most difficult stage of the ascent allows you to experience unforgettable sensations.
And although Fuji is not an object of cult for foreign guests, the difficult path to the top and the view from the top really, in some incomprehensible way, attune thoughts and feelings to a bright, solemn mood.
Just as there are many landscape photographers who photograph the nature of different countries, there are also many photographers who only photograph Mount Fuji. And each of them is trying to move away from clichés and cliches, trying to make their works less similar to other people’s photographs. And although it seems that it is impossible to photograph a mountain in a new way, these photographers still manage to add individuality to their photographs - and we invite you to see how they do it.
Fuji is an active stratovolcano on the Japanese island of Honshu, 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The height of the volcano is 3776 m (the highest in Japan). Currently, the volcano is considered weakly active, the last eruption was in 1707-1708.
The mountain has an almost perfect conical outline and is considered sacred, serves as an object of tourism, as well as religious pilgrimage of the Buddhist and Shinto cults. Fuji has been a popular theme in Japanese art for centuries. 
Today, the summit of Fuji is home to a Shinto shrine, a post office and a weather station. The surrounding area of the mountain is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
The classic image of the sacred Mount Fuji is a smoking volcano with a sharp peak, forever covered with ice. The Japanese considered it the mountain of Taoist immortals; the rising smoke supposedly came from the elixir of immortality lit in the crater. Anyone who conquers the peak will gain this immortality. 
According to historian and Japanese scholar Alexander Meshcheryakov, this image of Fuji, glorified in literature and fine arts, is very different from the real one.
“When the Edo period artist gave life to his panel by painting “True View of Mount Fuji,” he did not mean that his painting should closely resemble the real mountain. Rather, it was a “true view” depicting its beautiful form so that people could see what Mount Fuji should be like.”
Mount Fuji is a popular tourist destination in Japan and abroad. From July 1 to August 27, there are rescue centers and numerous yamagoya (mountain huts) on the mountain, where you can buy food and drinks, as well as relax on sleeping shelves. Therefore, this period is considered the safest and most convenient for climbing. The rest of the time, the top of Fuji is covered with a thick layer of snow. Also, at the beginning of the season, some routes where there is still snow may be closed. 
Mount Fuji is a national park, so throwing away garbage is strictly prohibited, as constantly reminded by signs placed all the way to the top. At the beginning of the climb, everyone is given a free bag for any trash they see. During the climb, when buying a bottle of water, shops allow you to throw away one empty bottle. 
