Mount Fuji

With this being our last year on the island, Kyle and I decided we want to fit in as many fun adventures as we can. And since mainland Japan is only about a two hour plane ride, we decided that for our anniversary this year (July 4) we are going to take a military hop up to mainland and climb Mount Fuji! Yes, the mountain. We are super excited. We plan on going for a week long vacation and are staying at The New Sanno. It's a military run hotel located in downtown Tokyo. It's a beautiful hotel with fairly inexpensive rates. They charge you based on your military rank. I encourage anyone that is in the area to book a room! I've only heard great things about it. Along with Mount Fuji we are considering going to Disneyland Tokyo. I have never been to any of the Disney theme parks, so I'm sure it'll be a fun time.

Mount Fuji is no joke. It's not just a little nature trail up a hill. This is a mountain we are talking about. A lot of people that have done it says it is pretty intense. I'd like to tell you I've been doing some [serious] training for the trek, but I'd be lying. I guess I'll just wing it. ;)  But seriously, we are so looking forward to this vacation and can't wait to climb the mountain. Right now we're researching the best way to get up the mountain. They have a few different options, so we'll have to figure out what we are going to do. They have different stations where you can sleep or get food and water, but you have to pay for everything and the rates are outrages! We are planning on taking Isaiah up in a hiking back pack, but if for whatever reason we aren't able to take him up (possible oxygen issues with the altitude), we have friends that live right near Tokyo who offered to watch him! It's nice to know people in high places. They are a great family with 10! kids (3 are already out of the house)....  so I'm not too worried about leaving Isaiah. Although Kyle is determined to take him up with us. It'll definitely be precious memories having Isaiah with us. I'll leave you with some fun facts about Fuji. I'll be sure to blog about it once we get back and I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stories about how we conquered Mount Fuji  Mount Fuji kicked our tails!

At 3,776.24 m or 12,389 ft, Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain peak in Japan. The symmetrical cone of this active stratovolcano (composite volcano) is nothing short of a identity symbol for this island nation. It is considered to be one of the Three Holy Mountains of Japan, alongside Mount Tate and Mount Haku. Given below are more of such interesting Mount Fuji facts which will add to your knowledge about it.
•Mount Fuji is located near the Pacific coast of Honshu - Japan's largest island. In terms of coordinates, its location can be traced to 35°21′28.8″N and 138°43′51.6″E.

•It is located at a distance of 63 miles (approximately 100 km) from the capital city of Japan - Tokyo. Such magnificent is this geological structure that it can be seen from Tokyo itself on a clear day.

•Nobody knows for sure how the mountain got its name. According to one of the most popular theory, it is named after the Buddhist goddess of fire - Fuchi.

•The circumference of Mount Fuji is 78 miles, while its diameter is around 25-30 miles in length. Its perfectly symmetrical shape has a crucial role to play in making it so appealing.

•Mt. Fuji is surrounded by five beautiful lakes - Lake Kawaguchiko, Lake Yamanakako, Lake Saiko, Lake Motosuko and Lake Shojiko.

•The last volcanic eruption of Mount Fuji - referred to as 'The Hōei Eruption of Mount Fuji', occurred on 6th December 1707 and lasted till 1st January 1708.

•While there is a great deal of confusion about its current status, Mt. Fuji is classified as an active volcano with a low risk of eruption.

•The diameter of the crater surface of Mount Fuji measures 500 meters, while the crater depth for this volcano is 820 ft.

•Even though it is allowed to descend into the deepest part of this crater, you need to take special permission and use proper climbing equipment to do the same.

•Before Englishwoman Lady Parkes scaled Mt. Fuji in 1867 - to become the first woman to achieve this feat, women were legally barred from climbing this mountain. Parkes had to defy this 110 year old law to scale the summit.
*Taken from :http://www.buzzle.com/articles/mount-fuji-facts.html