Which Subashiri Trail mountain hut would be the best to stay at?

by Zander
(United States)

Hello Gary,

​​My friend and I are planning a trip to Mount Fuji in July and were wondering if we could get your thoughts on a few questions. Thank you for your website, the information on here has been very helpful as we start to plan our trip.

We are both active 24 year old males in good shape who have done long hikes before but would consider ourselves as intermediate hikers. Upon researching the various routes we have been drawn to the Subashiri Route as it seems to be a bit less crowded than the Yoshida trail (until they merge of course) while still being on the sunrise side of the mountain. We plan on doing the hike on July 20 and 21st. Our plan is to do a two day hike where we would be at the summit for sunrise on the 21st.

We have read reviews that the Taiyo Kan is a good mountain hut to stay along the way on this trail but wish it was a bit higher up than the 7th station. Do you think staying here is the best option on the Subashiri trail? Do you have any point of view on either the Miharashi Kan, Edoya or Goraiko Kan huts? We would probably prefer a hut where the staff spoke some English given we don't speak Japanese. The reason I ask is that I think it would make sense to try to get a bit higher up on the mountain before stopping to rest to avoid having to do more climbing time in the dark and having less time with the crowds after the merge with the Yoshida Trail and risk missing the sunrise. Your view on which hut would make sense to stay at would be greatly appreciated. It would also be helpful if you had an approximation on how long it will take to get there and then also how long it will take to get from there to the summit before sunrise.

We are also happy to hear any additional thoughts you might have on the best route or other items for our trek. Thank you for the time and we look forward to hearing back from you.

Best,
Zander