Mount Fuji is a symbol of Japan. The mountain
contributes to Japan's physical, cultural, and spiritualgeography.
Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, standing at 3,776 meters (12,380 feet). It is an active volcano, sitting on a "triple junction" of tectonic activity: the Amurian plate (associated with the Eurasian tectonic plate), the Okhotsk plate (associated with the North American plate) and the Filipino plate all converge in the region beneath Mount Fuji. It is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Tokyo, Japan'scapital and largest city. In fact, the last time Mount Fuji erupted, in 1707, volcanic ash fell on Tokyo.
Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, standing at 3,776 meters (12,380 feet). It is an active volcano, sitting on a "triple junction" of tectonic activity: the Amurian plate (associated with the Eurasian tectonic plate), the Okhotsk plate (associated with the North American plate) and the Filipino plate all converge in the region beneath Mount Fuji. It is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Tokyo, Japan'scapital and largest city. In fact, the last time Mount Fuji erupted, in 1707, volcanic ash fell on Tokyo.
Mount Fuji is the
single most popular tourist site in Japan, for both Japanese and foreign tourists.
More than 200,000 people climb to the summit every year, mostly
during the warmer summer months. "Huts" on the route up the mountain
cater to climbers, providing refreshments, basic medical supplies, and room to
rest. Many people start climbing Mount Fuji at night, as better to experience
sunrise from the summit—Japan, after all, is nicknamed "the Land of the
Rising Sun." The sunrise from Mount Fuji has a special name, Goraiko.
Mount Fuji has been
a sacred site for practicers of Shinto since at least the 7th
century. Shinto is the indigenous faith or spirituality of Japan. many Shinto shrines dot the base and ascent of Mount Fuji. Shinto
shrines honor kami,
the supernatural deities of the Shinto
faith. The kami of Mount Fuji is Princess Konohanasakuya, whose symbol is the
cherry blossom. Konohanasakuya has an entire series of shrines, called Segen
shrines. The main Segen shrines are at the base and summit of Mount Fuji, but
there are more than 1,000 across all of Japan.