Japan’s Mount Fuji claims more lives this climbing season – ‘don’t underestimate’
- Six people who attempted to ascend Mount Fuji have died so far this year – all of whom were Japanese nationals – surpassing four last year
Officials said all six who have died so far this year were Japanese nationals, with five apparently succumbing to the effects of altitude sickness, made worse by bad weather close to the 3,776-metre summit. The other fatality was a man who died in a fall.
“Many of the people who climb Mount Fuji every year are relatively inexperienced, and you have to remember that even experienced climbers can very easily get into trouble when conditions deteriorate,” said Paul Christie, founder of the Walk Japan travel company.
The summer climbing season started on July 1 on the Yamanashi prefecture side of the mountain, which has the popular Yoshida trail to the peak, and on July 10 on the Shizuoka prefecture flank, which has the Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotenba routes.
In the summer of 2023, a total of 221,000 people climbed the mountain, around 140,000 of whom used the Yoshida trail.
