CLIMBING MOUNT FUJI
Some people climb mountains just because they’re there. Others do it
just for the fun or adventure of it. But some people climb Mount Fuji,
the highest mountain in Japan, for a completely different reason. These
people belong to a sect, or group, in the oldest religion in Japan —
Shinto. For them, Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain and climbing it is a
holy experience.
Shinto pilgrims wear special clothes to make the climb. They put on
white tunics, which are something like coats, and wear straw sandals.
They carry parasols to protect them from the sun and staffs to help them
climb. They also cry out prayers, including a prayer for good weather on
the mountain, because the weather on Mount Fuji isn’t always good for
climbing. In winter, a blanket of snow covers the mountain and makes it
harder to climb. That’s why many people wait until July and August. Then
the snow disappears—except at the very top. Sometimes they also wait
until night to avoid the summer sun.
Climbers can rest and eat in stone huts along the trail. The halfway
point is known as “the borderline between heaven and earth.” At the top
of the mountain, there’s a large crater you can walk around—for Mount
Fuji is a volcano. There doesn’t seem to be any danger of an eruption,
though. It’s been silent for more than 150 years, but sometimes steam
comes through cracks in the crater.
To the Japanese, Mount Fuji is known as Fuji-yama. Fuji can mean
“fire,” “no death,” or “never dying.” Yama means “mountain.” Whether
it’s called Mount Fuji or Fuji-yama, it’s easy to understand why this
beautiful mountain is sacred to so many Japanese—especially if you’re
standing at the top of it at sunrise.
