When Climbing Mt.fuji Becomes a True Adventure - With subtitles - 富士山を登るのは本当の冒険になるんです - 字幕がある

Hi everybody Now I'm going to tell you a story about a unusual way to climb Mount Fuji Although the climbing was really interesting, in that moment we were so concerned and plenty of doubts about our situation But it's better that I start from the beginning In the year 2001 it was the first time that I went to Japan with some friends who in this story I have given them nicknames: Kohi-san, Game-san and Kuruma-san With them I stayed in a hotel of Koshigaya city Further to them, there were three more friends who stayed in a hotel of Asakusa (Tokio). I will use the nicknames Uchu-san, Giant-san and Tokei-san to call them Sometimes we met all together to go to places such as Nara. Well, once the introductions have been made, the story begin!: Episode 1: The target is to get to Koshigaya Kohi-san, Game-san, Kuruma-san and me were coming back to Tokyo from Hiroshima We were so disappointed because that day we couldn't go to the Hiroshima Peace Museum, due to in part for arriving a little bit late and the fact that a heavy rain was awaiting us When it was getting dark we decided to go back to the hotel in Koshigaya (839km from there) But when we arrived to Minami Urawa we couldn't manage to get the last train to Koshigaya on time Then we saw in the JR map (Japan Railways) that Koshigaya wasn't quite far from Minami Urawa, so we decided to go walking to there At the beginning we were following alongside the railroad line, however after some time walking we couldn't keep following them, it was impossible to keep going straight ahead Finally we were gradually moving away from them, until we missed them After some time we entered in a Lawson store While we were buying some food and cocoa (chocolate beverage) we asked to the clerk in English how much time remained to get to Koshigaya Me: -Excuse me, do you know if Koshigaya is still so far? Lawson's clerk: -By car? Me: -No, walking Lawson's clerk: -Walking?? Immediately we realised we were pretty far from Koshigaya, yet Outside the store we were talking about our awful situation, but at the end we decided to keep walking All together we were walking through the night, the journey was a bit peculiar. We saw a lot of old buildings and paddy fields Sometimes trucks passed at a considerable speed very near of us in narrow streets, and as it was so close at times it was quite dangerous We saw a youth man running in the middle of a highway as if he was a car. Being a bit surprised by the strange and comical situation we shouted at him warning about his action During the night, from the rice fields, the lights of the city were wonderful, the nightscape was impressive About 4am, we were so tired. The next day we had planned to climb Mt.Fuji, but in that moment we believed we couldn't climb it When we arrived to Saitama stadium, in a traffic signal we read that it remained 30km to reach Koshigaya Kohi-san and Kuruma-san decided they couldn't walk any more So they concluded they would go to the nearest station, Obukuro, to wait the first train of the day However Game-san and me didn't want to stop our journey there A few days before while I was walking through Koshigaya, I saw a great building with a strange shape. That building could be seen from Saitama Stadium We tried to persuade both of them, but it was impossible, they were too tired Finally, we two kept walking to Koshigaya Around 5 in the morning we reached our hotel, I only wanted to rest. I hadn't decided yet if I would climb the Fuji mountain in that day which was just breaking But in that moment I didn't think so much in it. As soon as I set foot in my room I fell asleep Episode 2: Let's go to Fuji! When I got up, Uchu-san, one of the members of the second group who were in the Asakusa hotel, was at the hall of hotel watching TV with Kohi-san and Kuruma-san While I was sleeping, both had come to Koshigaya from Obukuro station However, when they arrived to Koshigaya station it began to rain heavily, therefore on their way to the hotel they ended up getting so wet After all of this, that same day they decided not to go to Fuji The purpose of Uchu-san's visit was to know if we would climb mount Fuji that day For my part I had rested enough, and as I didn't feel exhausted I decided to go Uchu-san told me Tokei-san would be awaiting us in Shinjuku at 1pm, but in that moment was around 12! As I didn't know that Tokei-san would await us at that hour, I hadn't prepared nothing for the climbing and on the other hand, Game-san was still sleeping. For this reason I said that getting to Alta Vision building for 1pm it would be impossible We wanted to contact him, but nobody, even himself, had any cell phone Around 3 o'clock, Game-san and I were ready for the climbing I wore some military garments, and in my backpack I had military winter clothing from my time in the obligatory military service However, Uchu-san wore casual clothes and normal shoes. When he said he was planning to climb Mt.Fuji in that way, all together started to make fun of him At 4pm, Uchu-san, Game-san and me arrived to Alta Vision building. But at that hour Tokei-san was already not there In spite of looking for him about an hour, finally we couldn't find him It was a pity, but as he spoke Japanese so fluently we thought he decided to climb Fuji on his own After eating in a McDonald's we decided to go to Kawaguchiko, the prelude to the sacred mountain But we didn't know how to get there However, a young girl who spoke English very well, explained to Game-san how we could reach Kawaguchiko by train After expressing our gratitude to that nice girl, we went to Shinjuku station At last we arrived to Kawaguchiko station around 10pm When we were about to go through the barrier, an employee of the station said us we had to pay an adjustment of the price of the ticket While I was in front of the ticket office window, I didn't find my wallet in the pockets of my trousers I got so nervous over the idea I had forgotten it inside the train But just in that moment the train was leaving the station Without thinking twice I followed the train I shouted loudly and ran my heart out until at last the train stopped But inside the train I didn't find my wallet So, I came back to the station quite sad When I got there I apologized to the staff members of the station In that moment Uchu-san showed me my wallet At the beginning, while I was talking with the employee I didn't realize that I had left my wallet at the very same ticket window After Uchu-san called me fool, Game-san and him began to call me "Para trenes", Train stopper Near of the station we were waiting the Fuji Bus, which goes from Kawaguchiko station to Point 5, the first location to begin the ascension to Mt.Fuji While we were waiting, we went to a near 7Eleven I bought obento, beverage, Mikado chocolate sticks and a flashlight As we were a lot of hungry we began to eat our own food at the bus stop When we were eating, a couple approached to us for telling us that at that hour there were no more buses to Point 5 That was a bitter surprise! In that moment we were so disappointed and discouraged But suddenly a taxi driver got closer to us for saying that he could take us to Point 5 However, after seeing the price of the long run, we considered that was too expensive Then the taxi driver told us that for a cheaper fare he could take us to Point 0 After studying a map of the route and conclude that was a good deal we decided to accept it It was 11:30 in the night and we were going to Point 0 by taxi From inside the cab everything in the outside was in pitch black We couldn't see the forest We didn't see anything Uchu-san dominated by his own fear didn't want to see anything that was outside the car Finally he decided to cover his face with both hands When we arrived to Point 0, we were at the middle of the forest, we couldn't see anything beyond our surrounding area Thanks to the taxi's lights we saw a big stone torii stood in front of us Behind the torii there were long stone stairs that led to the complete darkness That place looked like the entrance of the Hell Just that moment I thought: "This is so scary!" Episode 3: Let's go through Aokigahara forest! Even in that situation as I had had the inspiration to buy the flashlight at the 7Eleven, I was a bit relieved Although the flashlight didn't illuminate so much, the ascent route was visible When taxi left us the forest became darker than before While Uchu-san was recording the scene, he didn't stop to repeat: "I don't want to die, I don't want to die" On my other side, Game-san was continuously holding with both hands an umbrella that he had brought from the hotel We were completely alone in an unknown place Finally we decided to go up those stairs After going up, we saw a muddy path where many roots of huge trees stood out from it All those trees looked like if they were alive. In that instant I didn't want to move forward any further When we arrived to the first resting point, or what we called Point 1, we had a lot of mud stuck in our sneakers and shoes Each step had been harder than the last Gradually, the mere fact of walking had been so exhausting That Point 1 was like a deserted house Points 2 and 3 turned out being like Point 1 Along the ascent I saw in the right side of the track driven little red stakes In the middle of the night it was difficult to find them with the flashlight While we were climbing we saw a dense fog that was coming from Kawaguchiko lake and although it was so far we decided not to stop and keep climbing On our way to Point 4 I saw a quite big excrement I had read in internet that bears had been seen in the surroundings of Mount Fuji, so I began to worry about it I explained that to my mates, but they started to laugh That made me more worry than before When we reached Point 4 we saw that it was a deserted resting point like the others but completely destroyed After some time climbing we came across a crossroads I didn't find the next red stake So we didn't know which track we had to follow Finally we decided to follow the right path But some minutes later we bumped into a dead end In the middle of the darkness, only with a little flashlight, I could only see thousands of trees, there wasn't a way out for that path Our fear began to grow, overwhelming us In view of the situation Uchu-san said: "We have to come back!" But Game-san answered him: "We can't come back, Kawaguchiko is too far from here" And Uchu-san replied: "In that case, come back to Point 0!" And what I responded to him was: "No, we can't come back, the fog is coming" When we turned back to the crossroads, I saw the fog had gotten too close of us I shouted: "Oh ***!, Watch out!" And immediately we ran as fast as possible to the left path However a few minutes later we ran into another crossroads As the right track the deeper it got the darker it was, I thought it could be another dead end And the left one looked much better But when we were about to follow the left path I found a red stake in the right one Even being afraid by the situation due to the proximity of the fog, that finding was an authentic relief We went into the right path without delay After running some time we bumped into a great wall I climbed the wall quickly But when I was at the top, I noticed that I was standing on a road In that moment I felt so great and relieved Immediately I helped my friends to climb the wall At last we had gotten through the Aokigahara forest! After walking a short time the road, a hotel appeared behind a hill Beside it, there was a signal which said Point 5 Then I thought I could sleep at last after a tough and exhausting night When we were heading to the hotel's entrance, suddenly that thick fog showed up behind us But it didn't matter no more Episode 4: Let's climb Mount Fuji! The sun had already risen when we got up just after 6am The meaning of the lights of that new day was that we couldn't already watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Fuji That fact disappointed us a little bit But as we were very near of our objective in spite of our sleepiness and our tiredness we concluded to keep doing our best a little more, until we could achieve our goal As my clothes were soaked in sweat I changed into my military winter clothing that I had brought However Uchu-san hadn't bring any kind of extra clothing So I lent him my military jacket that I had in my backpack Although he said he didn't like it, finally he decided to wear it, then we began to laugh Around 7am we were already prepared Once we went out the hotel the natural landscape impressed us so much Beside a path that went up, there was a signal where was written: "To the top" We began our climb from there We arrived to Point 6 completely relaxed There we came across many other climbers After a short time we got to Point 7 Unlike the rest of the points where we had passed, there were more than one Point 7 In each one, while we were resting, we talked about the climbing, laughed, drank water and ate some chocolate sticks that had remained During the climbing there were ways that looked like so dangerous but in reality they were easily climbable There were some moments when we had the possibility to touch clouds From there the scenery was really amazing. It was incredible Each time we reached a resting point we were more tired When we got to Point 8 we were so exhausted Breathing became more difficult Inhaling that air was undoubtedly quite hard In those moments, we didn't see the summit yet Like Point 7, there were more than one Point 8, and although we tried to eat every time when we arrived to one of them When we reached the last one, we didn't want to eat and drink anything We began to feel some nausea We were being affected by the altitude sickness In certain moment along the ascent, we stopped and we were sleeping standing up around 5 minutes But we had the feeling that it was just an instant From there we could already see the Point 9 It was a great Torii In that moment Uchu-san sat down in a stone I asked him: "Are you ok?" He answered: "Yes, but my head and my stomach hurt so much" I said: "Ah, it must be the altitude sickness" Then Game-san told us: "I think it would be better if he goes back to Point 5" But he replied: "I don't want to go back, I only need to rest a little bit" After a short time, we had already rested, but Uchu-san was sitting down yet When Game-san and me had advanced some distance we shouted him: "We will wait you at the top of the mountain, but if your head still hurts after resting more time, it's better that you go back to Point 5" Message: "JUST A LITTLE MORE!!" (Mou sukoshi) When I arrived to Point 9, I couldn't walk any further, I just wanted to rest a bit My stomach still hurt so much Meanwhile, Game-san was still climbing The summit was closer and closer Then I said to myself: "Come on, you can do it!!" After resting a short time I began to climb again When I had a look at Uchu-san, he was lying on the middle of the path. Then I shouted him: "Are you alright?!" And he answered: "Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine" After a short while, I could already see the stairs that lead to the summit of Mount Fuji I arrived to the stone where Game-san had sat down to rest He told me he couldn't climb anymore. So I said to him: "Come on!, just a little more!" A few minutes later, I arrived to the stairs of the summit When I went up them, at last I achieved to get to the top I was completely delighted! I wanted to shout so loud: "Yuujuuu!!", but in that moment I couldn't shout anything I had a look at my climbing mates Game-san was sat down at the same stone yet, and Uchu-san was climbing again near Point 9 It was already 2pm I saw a table and two benches, and there I sat down, I only wanted to rest After a while, Game-san reached the summit He also came to sit down on the benches There was a restaurant of ramen in front of us When we went in the restaurant, I asked for a dish of ramen and a CC Lemon for drinking To this day, that ramen was the most delicious that I have ever tasted yet After eating my noodles of ramen, my nausea disappeared. My stomach didn't hurt anymore When we went out the restaurant, we saw Uchu-san lying face up on the table. That made us laugh a lot All together were talking about the climbing After some chat, Uchu-san kept lying on the table and Game-san and me went to take pictures of the crater of Mt.Fuji Episode 5: End of the adventure. We come back to civilization More or less around 3pm, when Uchu-san had eaten and had taken pictures of the crater, we began to descend Mount Fuji slowly Due to a steep slope, sometimes we ended up falling on our buttocks As I wanted a souvenir of our adventure at Mt.Fuji, I had taken a black stone from the summit of Fuji and had put it in my backpack When we were descending, a thick fog caught up with us I couldn't see anything Although I was descending along with Uchu-san and Game-san, the fog was so dense that I couldn't see them That situation was quite dangerous, because at the right side of the descending path there was a cliff As we were worried about that cliff path we began to walk so slowly After a while, the fog stopped being so thick, and in that moment we could see the forest of Aokigahara We came across that forest again, but in that occasion we weren't surrounded by the darkness of the night We got through Aokigahara so easily, walking in a path so wide and bright Around 5 we arrived to Point 5's town We were along with many other climbers That town was so nice While we were taking a walk, we saw a bus that was departing As we though other buses would arrive we headed to a souvenir store When I got out from the store a dense fog surrounded me I couldn't see anything another time The little village looked like a small ghost town After a few minutes, the fog disappeared As I didn't see my friends I went to the bus stop to take a look to the schedule When I was close to the bus stop, the fog appeared once again It was so impenetrable that in spite of being very near of the bus stop, I couldn't see it At last, the fog was fading away slowly Although I tried to read the schedule, I couldn't understand nothing While I was next to the stop, my friends came I explained to them I didn't know whether that day a bus would come After explaining the situation, Game-san said he would try to find someone who could take us by car to Kawaguchiko station On the other hand, I said I would go to a police station to ask whether another bus would arrive At the police station, an officer told me that any bus wouldn't arrive that day According to him, next bus would come next day When I got out from the police station, Game-san and Uchu-san were with a couple They told us they could take us to Kawaguchiko station in their car And what I said to them was: "What a relief!" The couple was so friendly and kind, in our way back we were telling them our adventure in Mt.Fuji in English Once we reached the station we really appreciated their kindness and their help for taking us there Around half past ten in the evening we arrived to Shinjuku Uchu-san went to his hotel in Asakusa, and Game-san and me went to ours in Koshigaya In the hotel we met with Kohi-san and Kuruma-san They were pleased with our coming back, because as they told us, they thought we had gotten lost trying to climb Mt.Fuji So we started to explain our adventure We told them that although the normal way to climb Mt.Fuji was from Point 5, we climbed it from Point 0 On a separate issue, Kohi-san and Kuruma-san told us that Tokei-san, who had been waiting for us in Alta Vision, finally had come back to Asakusa Once he had arrived there he had called to our hotel in Koshigaya. He wanted that Kuruma-san climbed Mt.Fuji with him But, although Kuruma-san had wanted to climb Mt.Fuji at the beginning, after the night-time long walk from Minami Urawa to Koshigaya, he had decided not to climb it So, he decided to refuse his proposal After some days, we all seven gathered and we began to explain our feat at Fujiyama again Ending up laughing a lot about that achievement When I remember that episode I think it was one of the best experience of my life!