Mount Fuji - Japan Travel Guide - Sacred Mountains - Travel & Discover

A beautifully proportioned volcanic cone in a spectacular natural setting, Fuji-san is beloved for its symmetrical beauty as well as its holiness. It's a very popular subject in Japanese art and landscape photography. Fuji's nickname means causing the blossom to bloom brightly, referring to the pink cherry blossoms that frame the snowy mountain in the spring. The dormant volcano, with its well-known cone-shaped silhouette, has an elevation of 3,776 meters and is the highest peak in Japan. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the beautiful cone-shaped mountain is located west of the city, surrounded by lakes in a national park. The geology of Mount Fuji is a rather complicated and enigmatic natural phenomenon that scientists continuously research. The subject is of much interest, not only for its general explanations of volcano origins, but also for the fact that the volcano is dangerous for human civilizations. And the more we know about it, the easier it is to predict its eruption. Mount Fuji is probably a contestant of Vesuvius in its fame and geological intricacies. Near the sacred mount, some villages are a mixture between open-air museums and craft villages, built in the style of a traditional village with thatched-roofed farmhouses. Visitors can try their hand at or purchase different traditional handicrafts, and learn about the local history and traditional lifestyle. The villages are on the road of the pilgrims. The practice of pilgrimage to the sacred mountains was much stimulated by these factors. The Shingon use of sacred space and the Shugendo tradition of utilizing the sacred mountains as training grounds for spiritual development. No longer were the nobility and the aristocracy, the ascetic hermits and the Buddhist monks the only persons who went upon pilgrimage. The mountain boasts several Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples and Torii gates. The stone dogs which face each other at the entrance to shrines guard the precincts. Because the Japanese islands are of volcanic origin, structures of wooden timber have traditionally been the basis for architecture. Shinto shrines are places of worship and the dwellings of the kami, the Shinto gods. The symbol of a shrine is its gate or torii. It represents the division between the everyday world and the divine world. People visit shrines in order to pay respect to the kami or to pray for good fortune. Shrines are also visited during special events such as New Year, Setsubun, Shichigosan and other festivals. Shrine visitors write their wishes on these wooden plates and then leave them at the shrine in the hope that their wishes will come true. Most people wish for good health, success in business, passing entrance exams, love or wealth. Mount Fuji is located in the Fuji-Hakone-Itsu National Park and is surrounded by five lakes. Lake Saiko is also known as the Western Lake. The sacred places and pilgrimage traditions of Japan have been conditioned as much by geographical and topographical features as by religious and cultural factors. Over 80% of the Japanese countryside is hilly or mountainous terrain. This physical condition gave birth in ancient times to a unique and enduring tradition of religious beliefs and practices focused on mountains. While never systematized, this tradition was so widespread that Japanese scholars have termed it Sangaku Shinko, meaning mountain beliefs or mountain creed. Sangaku Shinko should not however be thought of in the narrow sense of mountain worship but rather understood to have a broader meaning which includes the mythology, folk beliefs, rituals, shamanistic practices and shrine structures that are associated with the religious use of particular mountains. In autumn there are various events held which create a magnificent ambience. There are countless local festivals called Matsuri as almost every shrine celebrates one of its own. Most festivals are held annually and celebrate the shrine's deity or a seasonal or historical event. Some festivals are held over several days. During the festival the population show their long cultural tradition. Japanese culture is rich and diverse dating back to 10,000 BC when the Jomon people first settled in Japan. The precise origins of the Japanese people are not known although since ancient times waves of migrating cultures have added their influence to what was already there. Even today the Japanese absorb foreign culture in a unique way but maintain a strong independence. As well as Chinese, Mongolian, Korean and Southeast Asian influences there appears to be something that's indigenously Japanese. It's generally believed that the Yamato people were the first to develop the concept of an imperial clan. The Yamato clan originating in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands. From there gradually spreading throughout the islands. Any music during this period was largely primitive, essentially working and folk songs. The Japanese fan dance was choreographed for private performances and to highlight the ornate work on the fan. The fan was originally intended to extend good wishes and cheer. The earliest performances of the Japanese fan dance were recorded during the reign of Emperor The tradition continued through the subsequent imperial lineages, through the Meiji and House of Fujiwara celebrations. Dancers wear brightly colored Japanese kimonos and have elaborately arranged hair and bold makeup. Fan dancing involves slow deliberate movements, figures and poses which sometimes tell a story. Originally Japanese fan dancing was a symbol of social status. The fans were hand painted and mostly displayed by aristocrats on formal occasions. Japanese martial arts refer to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. The historical origin of Japanese martial arts can be found in the warrior traditions of the samurai and the caste system that restricted the use of weapons by members of the non-warrior classes. Ancient Japanese music has several styles such as gagaku, ancient court music, nagaku, the music played in no dramas and sakioku, koto music. Feudal Japanese and European societies were built on a system of hereditary classes. The nobles were at the top followed by warriors with tenant farmers or serfs below. There was very little social mobility. The children of farmers became farmers while the children of lords became lords and ladies. In both feudal Japan and Europe, constant warfare made warriors the most important class. Called knights in Europe and samurai in Japan, the warrior served local lords. In both cases the warriors were bound by a code of ethics. Knights were supposed to hew to the concept of chivalry while samurai were bound by the precepts of bushido or the way of the warrior. Rules or weapons are in both cases elements of power and respect. Mount Fuji has acquired an ancient and enormous corpus of myth regarding its divine origins, resident deities and spiritual powers. The soaring peak has been venerated as the home of a fire god. Later the dwelling of a goddess of flowing trees and since buddhist times the abode of Dainichi Nyorai, the buddha of all illuminating wisdom. Autumn leaves can be enjoyed in various ways. During the early phase of the season the colors are mostly found in the mountains where entire slopes turn orange, yellow and red and provide some of the most amazing seasonal sceneries. Colorful leaves called koyo are to the Japanese autumn what cherry blossoms are to spring. The viewing of autumn leaves has been a popular activity in Japan for centuries and today draws large numbers of travelers to famous koyo spots both in the mountains and in the cities. With unrivaled magnificence and a beautiful cone shape Mount Fuji has often been selected as the subject of paintings and literature. It's world famous as a symbol of Japan.