Climb a faux Fuji
In case you’ve somehow managed to forget, Mount Fuji was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in June. Already a popular spot among climbers, this new designation can only boost the number of visitors hoping to reach its summit (don’t forget your toilet, mind) – and with climbing season fully under way, now’s your chance. But what if you’re not ready for the real deal? What if you’d like to set foot on Fuji without all that pesky mountaineering? In that case, Fujizuka are the solution to your lazy-person woes. For the uninitiated, Fujizuka are mini mountains that were built all over the Kanto region in the late Edo period, which is when climbing Japan’s iconic (and technically active) volcano first became popular. Built by the Fuji-ko – a group of people who worshiped Mount Fuji – they were created out of lava from the mountain itself so people could experience Fuji without having to travel. There are 50 Fujizuka’s to choose from in Tokyo, but at around 15 metres in height Shinagawa Fuji stands the tallest. So, if 3,776 metres sounds like 3,761 metres too many, get yourself to Shinagawa and conquer a mini mountain instead.
Shinagawa Fuji can be found towering over Shinagawa Shrine. To get there, take the train to Shinbaba Station (Keikyu Main Line). The entrance to the Shinagawa Fuji trail is to the left of the station’s front steps.
When you pass through the torii gate, you ‘ll spot the first of ten distance markers.
As you climb further up the stairs, the direction changes (around the fifth and sixth distance markers). After the seventh distance marker, there are a few steep steps top conquer before you arrive at the summit…
…where you’ll be rewarded with a view of Tokyo Bay from the observation platform.
You can return to the bottom by a different route – at the fifth marker, you’ll find a set of steps that leads to Sengen Shrine. The pedestals of the shrine’s guardian lions are decorated with pictures of Mount Fuji.
A statue of ‘Buji Kaeru’, the guardian deity of safe travel (a Japanese play on words, ‘Buji Kaeru’ means both ‘return safely’ and ‘safe frog’), sees you off.
