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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Shizuoka
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The descent’s “Great Sand Run” (Ōsunabashiri) sweeps down about 5km of volcanic ash. Your feet sink into the soft slope, so bounding downhill can feel easy—but hidden stones make a careless sprint risky.
At 16, future innkeeper Banno Sakichi struggled up Fuji via the Subashiri route and wanted an easier climb for women and children. His toll-free plan won approval in 1882; Gotemba Trail opened in 1883.
Gotemba Trail also carried people and supplies for pioneering summit weather research. In 1895, Gotemba residents helped Nonaka Itaru and his wife Chiyoko attempt winter observations; their effort ended after 82 days.
At old 2.8 station, Gotemba Trail joins the much older Suyama pilgrimage path, possibly mentioned in a late-15th-century text. This upper stretch is part of Mt. Fuji’s World Heritage property.
Gotemba’s “New 5th Station” sits at just 1,440m—the lowest of Fuji’s four trailheads. From there, the official route climbs 10.5km and gains about 2,300m before reaching the summit.
The route’s starting point shifted just 7 years after it opened. When the Tokaido railway reached Gotemba in 1889, the trailhead moved to Niihashi, where Niihashi Sengen Shrine became the new starting point in 1890.
Gotemba’s old name, Tō-Omote-guchi (“East-Front Entrance”), has a practical twist: the “front” is thought to distinguish it from nearby Subashiri, already known as the “East Entrance.”
