You can see Fuji all year round; climbing it is only possible during a short summer season and under increasingly strict rules to curb overcrowding. Here is when the trails open, what fee and cap apply on the Yoshida trail and what you need to book in advance.
Climbing to the summit: season and up-to-date rules
Seeing Fuji and climbing Fuji are two completely different plans. The climbing season is very short and only then are the trails open and the huts operating. Outside it, climbing is dangerous and strongly discouraged. In recent years the rules have changed quite a bit to curb overcrowding, so it is worth being clear on them.
2026 season (indicative)
- The Yoshida route (the most popular, on the Yamanashi/Kawaguchiko side) and the Subashiri route are expected to open on 1 July; the Fujinomiya and Gotemba routes, around 10 July. All close around 10 September.
- On the Yoshida route a climbing fee of 4,000 yen per person is charged to pass the fifth-station gate, which must be booked and paid in advance online. The stretch from the base to the fifth station is exempt.
- There is a cap of 4,000 people a day on the Yoshida route, split into around 3,000 places with advance booking and about 1,000 available on the day. The cap does not apply to those with a mountain-hut reservation.
- To prevent the dangerous "bullet climb", the trail gates close at night (around 14:00–3:00); only those with a hut reservation pass.
- The fee does not include the mountain hut: the accommodation is booked and paid separately.
These dates, fees and caps are the ones announced for 2026 and may be adjusted each season. Before planning a climb, check the official Fuji climbing website to confirm exact dates, the booking system and the rules in force that year. For the vast majority of travellers, what they are after is to see Fuji from below, not to climb it, and that can be done all year round.
