Looking back at Mt. Fuji during its opening period (3)

Hello! This is Handa from the Fuji Five Lakes Management Office.
There's only one month left in the year!! Time flies, doesn't it?
For those of you determined to climb Mt. Fuji next year, are you thinking, "There's still more than six months until Mt. Fuji opens in July, so there's nothing I need to do to prepare"? That's not true. The preparation you can do right now is to "build up your physical strength." By building up your physical strength, endurance, and experience through low-mountain hikes while admiring Mt. Fuji, you'll feel more at ease and be able to enjoy climbing Mt. Fuji even more. Let's make sure we're well-prepared, both mentally and physically, for next summer.
Now, let's take a look back at the summer climbing season with some photos. This is the final installment of our three-part series, and it will cover the work of us active rangers and our requests regarding proper etiquette for climbers.

During the climbing season, we active rangers climb Mt. Fuji almost every week, mostly to check the climber counter installed at the 8th station and collect data. We also cooperate with rangers in Hakone and Numazu, conducting weekend patrols during busy periods such as long holidays. The photo in the lower right shows us calling out to climbers to ensure their safety as they are retreating from the summit due to bad weather.

Inspection of the climber counter and collection of data (at the 8th station)

Greeting hikers descending the mountain (on the descending trail)

The photo in the bottom left shows what appears to be illegal dumping, clearly done with malicious intent, unlike simple forgotten or blown-away trash. Moreover, this trash was discovered in June during preparations for the mountain's opening, suggesting it was left by climbers who went up during the closed season. Some people say, "It's a person's freedom to climb even during the closed season," but frankly speaking, people who do things like this do not deserve to climb Mt. Fuji.

On the other hand, the photo in the upper right shows the amount of litter found at the base of the bus pool's retaining wall during a cleanup activity at the Subaru Line 5th Station as part of the "Mt. Fuji Beautification Association" volunteer work. It includes cigarette packs, beverage cups, and plastic trays. The litter problem is not just for climbers. It is a basic issue that every individual, including tourists and tourism businesses, should address as a matter of course.

A pile of trash (at Yoshida Trail 7th station in late June)

Littering (early August, at Subaru Line 5th Station)

I hesitated about posting photos, but since this has happened several times this year, I decided to write about it. On the Yoshida Trail's descending trail, there are no mountain huts after the 8th station Edoya (Shita-Edoya), and there are absolutely no toilet facilities until the very bottom of the 7th station. As a result, people sometimes can't hold it any longer and end up defecating along the descending trail. I understand the feeling of not being able to hold it any longer, but sometimes traces are left inside the emergency shelter stone chambers. Can you imagine what it would be like to find feces in a shelter where you've taken refuge to escape a typhoon or something? Also, do you understand that someone has to deal with the waste? To make it clear to foreigners that this is an "emergency shelter" and not a toilet, we have asked Yamanashi Prefecture, the administrator, to take measures, and as a temporary measure, we have put up warning signs.

Disposal of human waste (on the Yoshida Traildescending trail)

Emergency shelter (Early August, on the Yoshida Traildescending trail)

I ended up showing you a rather unpleasant side of myself that I'd rather not show, but what did you think?
For those of you who are thinking, "I want to climb Mt. Fuji next year!", please make sure to learn more about Mt. Fuji and prepare thoroughly, including building up your physical strength. Let's meet again at Mt. Fuji next summer, in good health!