Yamanashi governor looks to draw up Mt Fuji railway plan in 2 years

Use this train to haul down all the trash Japanese people toss on one of their most sacred national symbols.

Build a Cog Railway like the one on Pikes Peak in Colorado

I think this is a great idea. There can be a 1 hour traffic jam near the parking lots of the 4th or 5th stations with people idling their engines. They should have everyone leave their cars at the park entrance and ride the train to the 5th station. You have to pay to drive the road anyway, so a train ride actually might be cheaper and faster. As for trash, I have climbed Fuji twice and both times took a plastic bag to pick up trash. I found 1 piece of trash. Ha. There is currently a tractor road all the way to the top on which they haul the trash and goods too and from all the huts.

Then they should build an escalator to the top of Mt Fuji

Agree with this idea. Also, the whole trash on Mount Fuji is a misconception. I have also climbed and found no trash. I don't know about 20 years ago.

You want to climb Mt. Fuji but you are too lazy to walk to the 5th station?

It could prove to be a challenging engineering task. Mt. Fuji is basically a big pile of loose gravel. Roads are frequently washed away or damaged by heavy rain in the Fuji area due the loose topsoil. However, roads can be required somewhat easily. A JR line, not so.

I’d like to see what solutions the engineers would come up with. Such a project has the potential to create new construction techniques for similar projects in the future.

There are roads right up to the top, and a Toyota Land Cruiser takes very little time to reach the summit. The railway would make a lot of sense, as it would deter the formation of traffic jams.

Required-repaired... autocorrect...

Sounds like they are thinking of an actual railway, not something that has carriages suspended on a cable or on rails pulled by a cable. The plan is for it to go up a similar route to the existing Subaru Line road, except where the bends are too tight. The road will then be closed to regular traffic.

Makes sense to me anyway. The pollution from cars and buses climbing that much must be very high.

If I can ever find the time and money, I want to have a crack at the steepest route, the Azami line, on my bike.

@kohakuebisu

Route 23 is a pretty good ride as well. Did it with both a Kawasaki W600 and Silvia S15. No traffic lights once you pass USMC Camp Fuji all the way to Fujinomiya.

But just wait till Shizuoka and their beef with Yamanashi over who “owns” Fuji builds a train line from Gotemba station first. If it happens, you can say I said it here.

If they plan to increase the number of tourists who can reach the 5th station in winter then they should also be ready for the increase in injuries and deaths from people having a pop at the peak.

Yay, more construction!

@Arturo Jamilla

You want to climb Mt. Fuji but you are too lazy to walk to the 5th station?

Most climbers start from the 5th station. It isn't a question of being lazy. Even the busses that go from Shinjuku or Gotemba go directly to the 5th station. This is a matter of alleviating traffic that is only getting worse. That being said, those who start from the first station have my respect.

That being said, those who start from the first station have my respect.

If you want to start from the bottom proper, like, the lowest point along the continuous gradient from the summit; be prepared for a 3-4 day hike from Suruga-nada or Fujinomiya beach.

I know a few guys who did it.

@BeerDeliveryGuy

That would be an epic journey and probably more scenic than starting from the 5th station. And also one of huge temperature swings, if done in August. Sweaty at the bottom, then potentially really cold at the top. However, I was in short sleeves at the top for a while until the afternoon rains hit. I'd love to hike through that mysterious forest at the bottom, if I knew I could avoid stumbling across the poor souls intent on leaving this world via a coal stove in a tent.

Good luck!

The mysterious forest (Jukai) is on the Yamanashi side, and would be good 40-60km detour from the the most direct route from elevation zero.

And I’m sure you’ve figured, that it’s uphill all the way.

But if you’ve got the time, it’s an amazing hike. Me and my buddies took longer than usual because we stopped for so many beers along the way.