I was climbing with my husband and son, at the tail end of an already booked visit to Japan in late June. You can climb Fuji on your own, but we booked a two-day tour with Fuji Mountain Guides ...

recognizing it as a symbol of Japan. So, the mountain is owned by the central government, right? Not really. It turns out Mount Fuji, from the eighth station upward, is privately owned.

There is an old Japanese saying that to climb Fuji once is wise, to climb it twice is to proclaim oneself a fool.” ...