Climbing Mt. Fuji for the First Time: Trails, Hut Stays, Fees, and Gear (2026 Rules)

Based on the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, and the Ministry of the Environment. The 2026 climbing season (July 1 to September 10) has ended, and the trails are closed for winter. Fees, rules, and opening dates for 2027 have not been announced. Read the rules below as the 2026 version, and check the official sites before you plan. For the rules in detail, see Mt. Fuji Climbing Rules 2026.

What This Guide Covers

The 2026 fee and main rules on the Yamanashi and Shizuoka sides
How the four trails compare in starting altitude, distance, and time
Why a hut stay is recommended, and how to think about booking
The minimum gear to bring

Mt. Fuji (3,776 m) has well-built trails, but it is not a walk in the park. Altitude sickness, hypothermia, and sudden bad weather are real risks. The Ministry of the Environment warns that "bullet climbing" (leaving the 5th station in the evening and climbing through the night without a hut stay), climbing without proper gear, and day climbs by people with little experience are all very dangerous.

Choosing a Trail

Starting altitude, distance, and standard times from the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing. Times do not include breaks.

Trail	Trailhead altitude	Up	Down
Yoshida (Yamanashi)	5th station, 2,305 m	6.8 km / about 6 h 10 min	7.0 km / about 3 h 35 min
Subashiri (Shizuoka)	5th station, 2,000 m	6.9 km / about 6 h 25 min	6.2 km / about 3 h 20 min
Fujinomiya (Shizuoka)	5th station, 2,400 m	4.3 km / about 5 h 10 min	4.3 km / about 2 h 40 min
Gotemba (Shizuoka)	New 5th station, 1,440 m	10.5 km / about 8 h 40 min	8.4 km / about 3 h 30 min

Fujinomiya is the shortest, with about 1,320 m of climbing, but it is steep and rocky, and you go up and down on the same path.
Gotemba starts lowest and is by far the longest.

Pick a trail that fits your fitness, your schedule, and where the huts are.

How Many Days?

The official site recommends staying one night at a hut on the way up if you are aiming for the summit. Arrive early, rest and sleep as long as you can, and set off before dawn. It also says that walking the full loop around the crater rim takes about 90 minutes.

Climbers entering a mountain hut at the 8th station of the Yoshida Trail — A hut entrance at the 8th station of the Yoshida Trail. Photo: Fabio Achilli, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The 2026 Rules and Fee

Yamanashi side (Yoshida Trail)

Season: July 1 to September 10
Trail fee: 4,000 yen per person per climb. Hut guests pay too, and could pay on site
Gate closed 2:00 PM to 3:00 AM, except for hut guests. You can always come down
Daily cap: the gate closes once 4,000 climbers have passed (hut guests excepted)
Advance reservation: optional, paid in advance. It is separate from your hut booking
Gear check at the 5th station: warm clothing, separate rain jacket and pants, and proper climbing shoes. Only climbers with all three may pass

Shizuoka side (Fujinomiya, Gotemba, Subashiri)

Season: Subashiri July 1 to September 10; Fujinomiya and Gotemba July 10 to September 10
By prefectural ordinance, climbers had to complete a short online course on rules and manners and pay a 4,000 yen fee per person per climb. Entering between 2:00 PM and 3:00 AM required a hut stay
The usual way to do this is the "Shizuoka FUJI NAVI" app, which accepted registrations from May 8, 2026. You can also register on site

The 2027 rules and fees will be announced by each prefecture and on the official climbing site.

What It Costs

The only figure we could confirm from official sources is the fee: 4,000 yen on both sides in 2026.

Transport, hut stays, meals, gear rental, and toilet fees vary a lot by date, company, and how you book, so we do not give a total here. Check hut prices on each hut's own website, or see our Mt. Fuji mountain huts guide.

About Mountain Huts

Booking: you need to book each hut directly. Opening dates for bookings and availability differ by hut.
Why stay: going straight from the 5th station to near the summit raises the risk of altitude sickness. And from 2:00 PM to 3:00 AM, only hut guests may enter.
Running late: if you will arrive late, call the hut as early as you can.

Gear

On the Yoshida Trail, staff at the 5th station checked for three items: warm clothing, separate rain jacket and pants, and proper climbing shoes. Without them you could not use the trail. Also bring:

A headlamp and spare batteries
Warm layers (it gets cold near the summit even in summer)
Separate rain jacket and rain pants
Hiking boots
Water and snacks
Cash (some hut toilets charge a fee)
Trekking poles (they help on the long descent)

Choose a backpack big enough for two days and one night.

On the Day

If you have a headache, nausea, or are badly short of breath, do not push higher. Rest, or turn back.
The descent is long and hard on knees and feet.
If the weather turns, be ready to give up on the summit.

The rust-red rocky rim of the summit crater with a stone monument — The summit crater (photo from 1992). Photo: Alpsdake, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Summary

In 2026, the fee was 4,000 yen on both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka sides.
From 2:00 PM to 3:00 AM, only hut guests could enter. Plan around a hut stay.
The Yoshida Trail has a gear check at the 5th station. On the Shizuoka side, register with FUJI NAVI.
Check the official sites for the 2027 rules once they are announced.