Mount Fuji's 2026 Climbing Season Closes September 10

If a Mt Fuji summit is still on your 2026 list, the clock is close to running out: every one of the mountain's four trails closes for the season on 10 September 2026, per the mountain's official climbing portal. Book, or wait until July 2027.

The Yoshida and Subashiri trails opened 1 July 2026; Fujinomiya and Gotemba followed on 10 July. All four now run on the same closing date, and all four run on rules that changed meaningfully in the last two seasons — a flat entry fee, a hard daily cap on the busiest route, and a gate that will not let an underdressed climber through regardless of what they've booked.

What it actually costs, and who's capped

Every trail now charges the same JPY 4,000 (roughly US$25 at the USD/JPY rate tradingeconomics.com recorded on 28 August 2026, about 159.4) entry fee per climb — doubled from the JPY 2,000 the Yoshida Trail introduced in 2024 and made uniform across all four routes since 2025, per the mountain's official English-language climbing site, fujisan-climb.jp.

The Yoshida Trail, the most-used route out of Yamanashi Prefecture, caps climbers at 4,000 people per day (mountain-lodge overnight guests aren't counted against the cap) and requires an online reservation through the same official portal before you reach the 5th station. The three Shizuoka-side trails — Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Subashiri — carry no numeric daily limit, but registration still isn't optional: Shizuoka Prefecture's official notice requires every climber to complete a short e-learning module on conservation and safety through the FUJI NAVI app and present the resulting QR-code permit before entering, per fujisan-climb.jp's Shizuoka-side page.

Every trail closes its gate from 2pm to 3am the following morning to anyone who doesn't have a mountain-hut reservation for that night — this isn't a suggestion, it's enforced at the gate on both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka sides. If you're not sleeping partway up, plan your ascent to clear the gate before 2pm.

The gear check that can turn you back

Both official notices are explicit that rangers check equipment at the 5th-station gate before letting anyone through: proper mountain footwear, a two-piece rain suit, and warm layers for a summit that sits well below freezing overnight even in August. Climbers without all three can be denied entry outright, and those without proper gear are separately barred from using the descending trail even if they made it up. This isn't new in spirit — Fuji's weather turns fast above the 7th station — but 2026 is the season these checks are being enforced as a hard gate, not a recommendation.

Which of the four trails to actually pick

The JPY 4,000 fee and the FUJI NAVI or online-reservation requirement are identical across all four routes, but the routes themselves aren't close to equivalent. Yoshida, starting from the Kawaguchiko 5th Station at 2,300m, is the most-climbed for a reason: it has roughly 40 mountain huts, the most of any route, separate ascending and descending paths, and a 5-7 hour climb — which is also exactly why it's the one route with a 4,000-person daily cap, per Explore-Share's route comparison.

Fujinomiya, on the Shizuoka side, starts highest at 2,400m and is the shortest route at roughly 4.3km, climbable in 4-6 hours — steeper underfoot, and with huts at every station. Subashiri starts at 2,000m through forest, a genuinely different early experience from the exposed volcanic slopes on the other three trails, staying quieter until it merges into the Yoshida route near the original 8th station; its 6.9km ascent runs 6.5-7 hours. Gotemba is the outlier: starting lowest at 1,450m, it's the longest climb at roughly 10.5km and 8.5-9 hours, has almost no huts between its new 5th station and the 7th station, and rewards the extra distance with the Osunabashiri — a long volcanic-gravel slope that turns the descent into a fast, sliding 3.5-hour run instead of a slow rock scramble. None of the three Shizuoka trails cap daily numbers the way Yoshida does, which is worth weighing against Yoshida's shorter, better-served but far more crowded ascent.

What coverage actually looks like on the mountain

Fuji isn't a dead zone, but it isn't blanket coverage either. KDDI and Wi2 have built out the mountain's network since 2016, and 2026 adds 5G SA service at the summit and at Gotemba's New 5th Station, according to LIVE JAPAN's dedicated coverage guide. Docomo and KDDI carry LTE at the two busiest trailheads — Kawaguchiko 5th Station on the Yoshida side and Fujinomiya 5th Station — and free Fujisan Wi-Fi is available at mountain huts from the 5th station up to the summit. New for 2026: au's Starlink Mountain Hut Wi-Fi is rolling out to 29 huts, a satellite backup for stretches where laying fibre isn't practical.

The catch is that this coverage is carrier-specific, seasonal, and concentrated at huts and stations — not a guarantee of signal on the trail between them. A prepaid travel eSIM installed before you fly sidesteps hunting for a local carrier's tourist-SIM counter after you land, and gives you a working data connection the moment you're back in range at a hut or 5th station; browse Japan eSIM plans before you go, and check your device supports eSIM on our compatibility page first.

Do you even need a visa to be here

Most Fuji climbers won't need one. Japan holds reciprocal visa-exemption arrangements with 74 countries and regions, letting most of those passport holders enter for tourism without a visa — typically for up to 90 days, though a handful of nationalities get shorter windows — per Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, corroborated independently by migaku.com's 2026 visa-free country list after MOFA's own pages returned 403 to automated fetch.

If your passport isn't on that list, budget more than you might expect: Japan raised its visa issuance fees fivefold on 1 July 2026, the first change in 48 years — a single-entry visa now costs JPY 15,000 (up from JPY 3,000) and a multiple-entry visa JPY 30,000 (up from JPY 6,000), according to Newland Chase's client alert, corroborated by Time Out Asia. It's a real cost if it applies to you, and irrelevant if it doesn't — worth checking your specific nationality against the exemption list before you assume either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the 2026 Mt Fuji climbing season end?

All four trails — Yoshida, Subashiri, Fujinomiya and Gotemba — close for the year on 10 September 2026, per the mountain's official climbing portal. Climbing outside the official season is strongly discouraged and huts, toilets and safety patrols are unavailable.

How much does it cost to climb Mount Fuji in 2026?

Every trail charges a flat JPY 4,000 (roughly US$25) entry fee per climb, on top of whatever you spend on transport and any mountain-hut stay. There's no separate charge for the Yoshida Trail's reservation system or the Shizuoka trails' FUJI NAVI registration beyond the standard fee.

Do I need to book in advance to climb Mount Fuji?

Yes, on every trail. The Yoshida Trail requires an online reservation through fujisan-climb.jp before you reach the gate, subject to its 4,000-climber daily cap. The three Shizuoka trails have no numeric cap but require FUJI NAVI app registration, a short e-learning module, and a QR-code permit before entry.

Will my phone work on Mount Fuji?

Partially. Docomo and KDDI carry LTE at the main 5th stations, KDDI/Wi2 have upgraded the route since 2016, and 2026 adds 5G SA at the summit and Gotemba's New 5th Station, plus satellite Wi-Fi at 29 huts. Coverage thins between stations, so treat connectivity as available at fixed points rather than continuous along the trail.