Mount Fuji Height report
Mount Fuji is located in the central and southern part of Honshu Island, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, spanning between Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan. The highest mountain in Japan is visited by millions of tourists every year. You may see the mountain when you look through the windows of the Shinkansen passing by or from the skyscrapers of Tokyo.
Mount Fuji is one of the classic symbols of Japanese spirit and culture. In the hearts of Japanese people, it is a sacred mountain with natural charm and solemnity. Since ancient times, it has been a sacred place, has been the subject of Japanese literary creation, and is part of Japanese folk religion.
Mount Fuji is conical in shape, and the summit is covered with snow all year round. Around the foothills of Mount Fuji, there are five freshwater lakes, collectively referred to as the "Fuji Five Lakes." In February 1936, it was designated as Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. In June 2013, the 37th World Heritage Committee included "Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration" on the World Heritage List.
Mount Fuji Introduction
Mount Fuji, a sacred place and the source of artistic inspiration, is located about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and is one of the most important symbols of Japan. It is a volcano that has been dormant since its last eruption in 1707 but is still generally classified as active by geologists. Mount Fuji is towering into the clouds, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow. It looks like a hanging fan upside down, so it is also known as the "Jade Fan." As one of the symbols of Japan, Mount Fuji also enjoys a high reputation around the world. You must have seen the pattern of this mountain on many Japanese folk culture souvenirs.
Height and other dimensions
Mount Fuji rises to 12,388 feet (3,776 meters) near the Pacific Ocean coast as Japan's highest mountain and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days. The summit is a crater with a diameter of about 800 meters and a depth of 250 meters. The volume of Mount Fuji is about 500 km³, the base of the volcano is about 78 miles (125 km) in circumference and has a diameter of 25 to 30 miles (40 to 50 km).
Geology and Formation
About 10,000 years ago, Mount Fuji was a mountain range formed when the Izu Peninsula, an island in the past, collided and squeezed with Honshu Island due to crustal changes. The active volcano last erupted in 1707. Although it is currently dormant, there is still a jet phenomenon.
Mount Fuji formed about 10,000 years ago and is a typical stratovolcano. The basement is Tertiary strata. At the beginning of the Quaternary, the volcanic lava broke through the Tertiary stratum, erupted, and accumulated to form a mountain body. After multiple eruptions, the volcanic eruptions accumulated layer by layer and formed a cone-shaped stratovolcano.
Natural Resources
Mount Fuji can be called a natural botanical garden. More than 2,000 kinds of plants are on the mountain, and the vertical distribution is very obvious. Although the effect of past volcanic activity on vegetation can be seen in some places, the vegetation distribution of Mount Fuji mainly reflects the gradient of temperature with height. Areas above 1,500 meters above sea level are devoid of dense vegetation and are considered volcanic deserts, while virgin forests dominate lower elevations.
- The subtropical evergreen forest is below 500 meters above sea level.
- The temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest is 500-2000 meters above sea level.
- Between 2000 and 2600 meters is the cold temperate coniferous forest.
- And above 2600 meters is the alpine dwarf forest belt.
Final Words
Mt. Fuji has a very distinctive cone shape, which is unusual for a volcano. Remember that visibility tends to be better during the colder seasons than in summer and the early morning and late evening hours than during the middle of the day. If you want to enjoy Mount Fuji at a more leisurely pace and from nice natural surroundings, you should head to the Fuji Five Lake (Fujigoko) region at the northern foot of the mountain or to Hakone a nearby hot spring resort. Mount Fuji is officially open for climbing during July and August via several routes.
