Mt. Fuji trail opens

Climbing season at Mount Fuji has started for the trail that is in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan. The highest mountain in Japan opened to trekkers on Saturday. Cars carrying climbers drove up the road one after another after the gate of a toll road connecting the foot of the mountain and the fifth station opened at 3 a.m. A ritual was held at a Shinto shrine at the station to mark the opening of the trail.

Although rain occasionally intensified, climbers enjoyed the sight of Lake Yamanaka and the lakeside areas at the foot of the mountain when they came into clear view. The mountain straddles the prefectures of Shizuoka and Yamanashi. The trails on the Shizuoka side are due to open on July 10. The summer climbing season in Yamanashi prefecture will continue until September 10.