Japan's sacred, snow-capped volcano, framed by cherry blossom across the waters of Lake Kawaguchiko
Mount Fuji
3D landscape · Lake Kawaguchiko, Japan
Land here and explore →Mount Fuji, or Fujisan, rises on the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, around 100 kilometres west of Tokyo, and on clear days it can be seen from the capital. Its graceful, symmetrical cone, capped with snow for much of the year, is one of the most recognisable landscapes on Earth. In this app you can stand on the shore of Lake Kawaguchiko in cherry-blossom season and explore the scene in interactive 3D: the white-topped volcano across the water, pink and white sakura along the shore, and the forested hills around the lakes.
Fuji is not just a view. It is a volcano that last erupted in 1707, a mountain worshipped as a sacred place, and a subject painted and printed by artists such as Katsushika Hokusai. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site under the title Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration, recognising its cultural rather than natural value.
Key facts
- Height
- 3,776 mJapan's highest mountain
- Location
- Yamanashi and Shizuoka, JapanOn the island of Honshu, west of Tokyo
- Type
- StratovolcanoBuilt from layers of lava, ash and other volcanic debris
- Last eruption
- 1707The Hōei eruption, from the volcano's south-eastern flank
- Model setting
- Lake KawaguchikoOne of the Fuji Five Lakes, on the northern side of the mountain
- Cherry blossom
- Typically mid to late AprilAround the lakes; later than in Tokyo and varies each year
- World Heritage
- 2013Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration
- Climbing season
- Roughly July to early SeptemberExact dates and rules vary by trail and year
- Famous artist
- Katsushika HokusaiThirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, including The Great Wave
A young stratovolcano
Mount Fuji is a stratovolcano, built up from many layers of lava flows, ash and cinders. It stands near a meeting point of several tectonic plates, where the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates sink beneath the plates carrying Japan, generating magma deep underground. The present cone, sometimes called New Fuji, is geologically young, built mostly over roughly the last 10,000 to 17,000 years on top of older volcanoes whose remains lie buried within it.
Fuji's last eruption began in December 1707, only weeks after one of Japan's largest recorded earthquakes. Known as the Hōei eruption, it blasted out a large crater on the south-eastern flank, now called Hōei-zan, and spread ash across a wide area, with ash falling on Edo, today's Tokyo. Fuji has not erupted since, but it is classed as an active volcano and is monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and local authorities maintain hazard maps and evacuation plans.
The Fuji Five Lakes
Around the northern foot of the mountain lie the Fuji Five Lakes, or Fujigoko: Yamanakako, Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Shōjiko and Motosuko. They formed when lava flows from Fuji dammed rivers and valleys. In the year 864, a large flank eruption, known as the Jōgan eruption, sent lava into a large lake, dividing it into what are now Saiko and Shōjiko; Motosuko is thought to be linked to them underground, as all three share a similar water level.
The lava from that eruption is now covered by Aokigahara, a dense forest growing on rough, moss-covered rock. Kawaguchiko is the most accessible of the lakes, with hot-spring hotels, museums and walking paths, and its northern shore offers classic views of Fuji reflected in the water.
Sakura season and hanami
Cherry blossom, or sakura, is one of Japan's best-loved seasonal events. Each spring, people gather under the trees for hanami, flower viewing, with picnics and walks that celebrate the short-lived beauty of the blossom. The flowers last only a week or two, which has long made them a symbol of the fleeting nature of life in Japanese culture.
Because the Fuji Five Lakes lie at around 800 to 1,000 metres above sea level, the blossom there usually opens later than in Tokyo, often in mid to late April, though dates shift from year to year. Paths along the northern shore of Kawaguchiko, lined with cherry trees, offer views of the snow-capped peak above the flowers, and the area holds festivals during the blossom season.
The Chūreitō Pagoda
In Fujiyoshida, near Kawaguchiko, a long flight of steps leads up through the grounds of the Arakura Sengen Shrine to the Chūreitō, a five-storey pagoda built as a memorial. Seen from the hillside above, with cherry blossom in front and Fuji rising behind, it creates one of the most photographed views in Japan.
Sacred mountain and artistic inspiration
Fuji has been worshipped for well over a thousand years. Early on, people feared it as a volcano and sought to calm it through worship; later it became a destination for pilgrims, who climbed to the summit as a religious practice. The Sengen shrines at its foot are dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, a Shinto goddess linked to the mountain and often associated with blossoming flowers. From the 17th century onwards, groups of Fuji worshippers, known as Fuji-kō, organised pilgrimages from Edo and built miniature Fuji mounds in their neighbourhoods for those who could not travel.
The mountain has also inspired poets and painters. Hokusai's woodblock series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, published around the early 1830s, includes The Great Wave off Kanagawa, in which Fuji appears small in the distance behind a towering wave. Hiroshige also made famous prints of the mountain. These images helped spread Fuji's image around the world and influenced European artists. UNESCO's listing includes 25 component sites, among them the summit area, shrines, lakes, springs and the pine-lined beach of Miho no Matsubara.
Climbing and wildlife
The official climbing season usually runs from early or mid July to early September, when the trails are mostly free of snow and mountain huts are open. Four main routes lead to the summit from fifth stations partway up the mountain. Many climbers set out at night to reach the top for sunrise. Because of overcrowding, the authorities have in recent years introduced climbing fees, daily limits on some trails, pre-registration and restrictions on starting late in the day, and rules may change from year to year. Climbing outside the season is strongly discouraged because of snow, ice and severe weather.
The forests on Fuji's lower slopes change with height, from broadleaved woodland to conifers such as fir, hemlock and larch, until trees thin out at around 2,500 metres and give way to bare volcanic cinder. Wildlife includes sika deer, whose rising numbers damage young trees, the Japanese serow, a goat-like animal of the mountains, Japanese macaques, Asian black bears, foxes and many birds. Japan's famous red-crowned cranes, however, live in Hokkaido far to the north and are not part of Fuji's wildlife.
Surprising facts about Mount Fuji
- Mount Fuji's last eruption, in 1707, dropped ash on Edo, the city that is now Tokyo.
- The present cone is geologically young and hides older volcanoes inside it.
- Two of the Fuji Five Lakes were created when lava from an eruption in 864 split a single lake in two.
- Fuji is a World Heritage Site for its cultural importance, not as a natural site.
- Fuji worshippers built small artificial Fuji mounds in Edo for people unable to make the pilgrimage.
- The goddess of the Sengen shrines around Fuji is often linked with blossoming flowers.
Frequently asked questions
- How high is Mount Fuji?
- 3,776 metres above sea level, making it the highest mountain in Japan.
- Is Mount Fuji an active volcano?
- Yes. It last erupted in 1707 and is classified as active. The Japan Meteorological Agency monitors it, and local authorities have eruption hazard plans.
- When is cherry blossom season at Lake Kawaguchiko?
- Usually in mid to late April, later than in Tokyo because the lakes are higher. Exact dates vary each year with the weather.
- When can you climb Mount Fuji?
- The official season usually runs from early or mid July to early September. Fees, limits and registration rules apply on the main trails and may change from year to year.
- Can I explore Mount Fuji in the app?
- Yes. You can stand on the shore of Lake Kawaguchiko in cherry-blossom season and explore the view of Mount Fuji and the lakes in interactive 3D.
Keep exploring
- Land in the 3D fuji landscape and walk around
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The landscapes in Ember’s Universe are procedural 3D scenes modelled on real places. The landforms, plants and light follow the real thing, but the details are generated, not mapped.