Mount Fuji – Symbol of Japan

Mount Fuji is located in Japan between Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures , on Honsu , which is the main island. It has a height of 3,776.24 m and is the highest peak in all of Japan . We Japanese people usually remember the height of this mountain, 3776 meters, as ” minanaro” : where “mi” is “3” (three), “nana” for the two “7” (seven), and “ro” for “6” . “ (six)

Mount Fuji is an active volcano with little risk of eruption and is called ” Fujisan ” in Japan.富士”abundant or wealth and 山 mountain.

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Mount Fuji has been a sacred mountain since the 7th century . According to Shintoism , an emperor ordered the top of the mountain to be destroyed in order to gain an exile of immortality that he possessed: it is believed that the smoke that sometimes escapes is due to this potion being consumed.

It is also one of Japan’s ” Three Holy Mountains ” (三霊山, Sanreizan ) along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku . In 2013 it was named a World Heritage Site as a Cultural Site as it has “inspired artists and poets and has been the subject of pilgrimage for centuries”

One of the most famous works of art inspired by Mount Fuji is the series of ukiyo-e paintings by the ukiyo-e painter Katsushika Hokusai . In this series of paintings, Mount Fuji is presented from different perspectives in different seasons and weather conditions.

Hokusai’s painting “Ejiri in Suruga Province” with Mount Fuji in the background

Mount Fuji has a very particular and recognizable symmetrical cone shape when seen from afar. It is a place very visited by tourists and climbers who climb during the official season, to admire the view, some even climb at night to appreciate the sunrise. It is a place of incomparable scenic beauty!

It is a national symbol of the country and a cultural icon of Japan well known internationally.