On June 22, 2013, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee registered Mt. Fuji as a World Heritage Site. Since the ICOMOS recommendation in May, Sand Mt. Fuji presumed to be registered as a World Heritage Site, travel agencies and transportation companies have been launching many Mt. Fuji related tours. World Heritage Site of Mt. Fuji spreads out through 2 prefectures, 8 cities, 6 towns and 3 villages, thus wide variety of tours can be developed and various travel companies put out efforts to capture consumers’ minds. Especially, “Mt. Fuji climbing tours”, favored by both Japanese and foreign visitors in recent years, are notable for various travel companies have released variety of tours.
【Variety of Mt. Fuji Climbing Tours to Meet Variety of Demands】
The Club Tourism, prominent for tours targeted at seniors, conducts Mt. Fuji climbing tour applying “step-up” system. This tour designed for seniors not so confident in their physical strength and monthly mountain climbing programs to train beginners to gain strength and lead to the final goal of climbing Mt. Fuji. This tour, characteristic of the Club Tourism, will heighten the tourists’ physical and knowledge step by step, thus enables them to challenge Mt. Fuji while learning.
Meanwhile, HIS released a tour which takes the “Prince Route to Kengamine,” not so often taken in other Mt. Fuji climbing tours. “Kengamine” is the highest point of Japan with altitude of 3,776 meters. The sales point of this tour is to avoid climbing traffic jam of other tours and observe “Hoei Volcano.” This tour also offers the participants an occasion to contribute to environmental conservation activities by picking up litters while challenging the summit. Besides, there are number of tours consideration to the female participants. Many Mt. Fuji climbing tours are scheduled to take a nap at a mountain cabin, however rooms are shared by both males and females in those cabins and individual beddings are seldom provided. This made the female climbers not so comfortable to stay at a mountain cabin.
With consideration for such aspects, ANA Sales released “Climb Mt. Fuji in 3 or 4 Days” tour. This tour provides female-only dressing room in the fifth station rest house. In addition, female-only groups participating in the tour will be arranged to be seated next to a female in the bus and in the mountain cabin. Likewise, JALPAK conducts “Climb Mt. Fuji with Mountain Guide in JALPAK” which uses a mountain cabin “Toyokan” renewed in 2009. In this tour, female-only share room tour is provided in addition to usual mixed share rooms.
* Next page: “Tours targeted at foreign visitors” and “transportations for individual travel” >>
Continue reading this article
