Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji, located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (60 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. It is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku; it is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, a Historic Site, and has been submitted for future inscription on the World Heritage List as a Cultural (rather than Natural) Site
| Mount Fuji | |
|---|---|
 Mount Fuji reflected on Lake Yamanaka | |
| Elevation | 3,776 m (12,388 ft) |
| Prominence | 3,776 m (12,388 ft) Ranked 35th |
| Listing | Highest peak in Japan Ultra List of mountains in Japan 100 Famous Japanese Mountains |
| Location | |
 
Mount Fuji
| |
| Coordinates | 35°21′28.8″N 138°43′51.6″E |
| Topo map | Geospatial Information Authority25000:1 50000:1 |
| Geology | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 1707-08 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 663 by an anonymous monk |
| Easiest route | Hiking |
History
Mount Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art especially after 1600, when Edo became the actual capital and people saw the mountain while traveling on the Tōkaidō-road. Among the most renowned works are Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji and his One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji. The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems.
It is thought that the first ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times and was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era. Ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present day town of Gotemba. The shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo held yabusame in the area in the early Kamakura period.
The first ascent by a foreigner was by Sir Rutherford Alcock in September 1868, from the foot of the mountain to the top in eight hours and three hours for the descent. Alcock's brief narrative in The Capital of the Tycoon was the first widely disseminated description of the mountain in the West. Lady Fanny Parkes, the wife of British ambassador Sir Harry Parkes, was the first non-Japanese woman to ascend Mount Fuji in 1869. Photographer Felix Beato climbed Mount Fuji in the same year.
Today, Mount Fuji is an international destination for tourism and mountain-climbing. In the early 20th century, populist educator Frederick Starr's Chautauqua lectures about his several ascents of Mount Fuji—1913, 1919, and 1923—were widely known in America. A well-known Japanese saying suggests that anybody would be a fool not to climb Mount Fuji once—but a fool to do so twice. It remains a popular meme in Japanese culture, including making numerous movie appearances, inspiring the Infiniti logo, and even appearing in medicine with the Mount Fuji sign.
In September 2004, the manned weather station at the summit was closed after 72 years in operation. Observers monitored radar sweeps that detected typhoons and heavy rains. The station, which was the highest in Japan at 3,780 metres (12,402 ft), was replaced by a fully automated meteorological system.
In early 2013, various sources suggested that the magma chamber pressure could lead to an eruption "in early 2015 or sooner" of VEI 5 or 6 depending on how the pressure is released. Effects could range from regional air disruption comparable to the Icelandic volcano, Grímsvötn of 2011 to a catastrophe rivaling the destruction of Krakatoa (Krakatau) causing worldwide climatic disruption for years.
Some theories also suggest that magnetic field "bucks" precede large eruptions as the magma circulation generates a mini magnetosphere in much the same way as the Earth's field is generated. This could also explain the frequent reports of fireballs and "earthquake lights" as ionised gas from volcanic vents is formed into self-sustained plasma vortices which can persist for hours if conditions are right.
As of 2011, the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the United States Marine Corps continue to operate military bases near Mount Fuji.
Climate[edit]
The summit of Mount Fuji has a tundra climate . The temperature is very low at the high altitude, and the cone is covered by snow for several months of the year. The lowest recorded temperature is −38.0 °C recorded in February 1981, and the highest temperature was 17.8 °C recorded in August 1942.
Climate data for Mount Fuji Averages (1981–2010) Records (1932–2011) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) | 0.0 (32) | 1.0 (33.8) | 4.7 (40.5) | 12.2 (54) | 12.3 (54.1) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.8 (64) | 16.3 (61.3) | 10.4 (50.7) | 6.9 (44.4) | 3.6 (38.5) | 17.8 (64) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −15.7 (3.7) | −14.7 (5.5) | −10.9 (12.4) | −5.7 (21.7) | −0.8 (30.6) | 3.6 (38.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.3 (48.7) | 6.1 (43) | −0.1 (31.8) | −6.4 (20.5) | −12.2 (10) | −3.4 (25.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −17.8 (0) | −14.2 (6.4) | −8.7 (16.3) | −3.4 (25.9) | 1.1 (34) | 4.9 (40.8) | 6.2 (43.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | −2.8 (27) | −9.2 (15.4) | −15.1 (4.8) | −6.2 (20.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −21.7 (−7.1) | −21.5 (−6.7) | −17.8 (0) | −12.1 (10.2) | −6.5 (20.3) | −1.6 (29.1) | 2.4 (36.3) | 3.6 (38.5) | 0.4 (32.7) | −5.8 (21.6) | −12.2 (10) | −18.3 (−0.9) | −9.3 (15.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −37.3 (−35.1) | −38 (−36) | −33.9 (−29) | −27.8 (−18) | −18.9 (−2) | −13.1 (8.4) | −6.9 (19.6) | −4.3 (24.3) | −10.8 (12.6) | −19.5 (−3.1) | −28.1 (−18.6) | −33 (−27) | −38 (−36) |
| % humidity | - | - | 58 | 60 | 61 | 70 | 79 | 73 | 68 | 53 | 50 | 47 | - |
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