How to avoid altitude sickness while climbing Mt. Fuji?

by Mick
(Sweden)

Hi,

Thank you for a great source of information. Been wondering about some things still in preparation for a climb.

Concerning food along the hiking routes. There should be some restaurant at Yoshida 5th station, but is there any recommendation in what to eat and how much before setting out, as to avoid losing stamina and risking altitude sickness?

I would want to bring some calorie bars or something, heard CalorieMate is a good idea. Is there anything else worth to bring to keep the energy up?

Then again concerning altitude sickness. I thought of doing 5-15 minute breaks for each 100 meter altitude gain up to the hut. Would that be too much or too little to get used to the altitude? Also resting for about 2 hours before setting out.

I plan to stay somewhere around the 8th station, but is it better to stay lower (like 2700-2800 m) or is staying high (3100-3200 m) alright, concerning altitude sickness? The downside of staying lower of course is longer hike in the dark..