Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station was added to Your Favorites!
Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Yamanashi
Claim this place to tell your story your way.
In 1959, Yamanashi proposed a 3-stage ride from this 5th Station to Fuji’s summit: an 800m car tunnel, a 2,550m tunnel cableway, then a 100m elevator. Environmental objections stopped the plan in 1967.
The shrine at this station stands on the remnant summit of Komitake, an older volcano. Later Fuji lava buried much of its predecessor, leaving an ancient mountain beneath the famous one.
The shrine’s huge axe weighs 375kg and, according to legend, was a gift from the mountain spirit tengu. Visitors may try lifting it, but the Japan Tourism Agency notes that few succeed—except occasional sumo wrestlers.
Each July 1, the shrine’s Great and Small Tengu cut a sacred rope in a ceremonial path-opening rite. Women also carry a mikoshi shaped like Fuji as the shrine prays for climbers’ safety.
The station’s popular Fuji-shaped melon-pan—a sweet Japanese bun—is baked right here. It turns a familiar treat into a miniature, edible souvenir of the mountain.
At the 5th Station, Fuji-san Miharashi opened a café and roastery called Fujisan Baisendo. You can have coffee roasted on site at about 2,300m—an unusually high-altitude coffee stop.
Just down the Subaru Line, nearby Okuniwa has an unusual water spot on Fuji. Ministry of the Environment rangers recorded a pair of Eurasian bullfinches bathing there, then carefully preening their feathers.
Here, the Yoshida climbing trail met the Ochudo circuit, so Fuji-ko pilgrims called Komitake Shrine Nakanomiya—“middle shrine.” They could buy printed certificates or have a pilgrimage stamp placed on their clothing.
For Fuji-ko pilgrims, the Ochudo was a high-level spiritual route, not a casual stroll: it was reserved for people who had already climbed to Fuji’s summit at least 3 times.
The shrine honors Iwanaga-hime, elder sister of the better-known Fuji deity Konohanasakuya-hime. In the Kojiki, her rejection explains why emperors’ lives are brief like blossoms, not enduring like rock.
Look at the larches near the station: many grow branches mainly to one side, making them look like flags. Strong winds at Fuji’s timberline shape these distinctive, windswept trees.
In the first summer after the road opened in 1964, 520,000 people visited in July and August—nearly 3 times the previous year. Traffic soon dwindled on the historic lower Yoshida route, and many of its huts closed.
When the road opened in 1964, “Subaru Line” was reportedly the most popular choice in a public naming poll. Subaru is also the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster—not just a car name.
