My Army Experiences, Part IX: Mount Fuji

THE CONQUEST OF MOUNT FUJI

This post is a bit out of sequence, but I just found these old color slides from my time in the army and wanted to post them before they get lost again. I'm excited to relive this great experience, which happened near the end of my military service.

CLICK HERE for the previous post on this thread.

Late July, 1959. JCRC-J, North Camp Drake, Tokyo, Japan. It's now or never. I've always wanted to climb this glorious volcano, the climbing season ends in September, and I'm heading home in October. Two other guys who could take the same time off agreed to go along, so we did a little research and decided that it was really not too difficult. The only question was: what kind of shoes to wear when hiking over loose lava? We decided on combat boots (may as well get some use out of them as we always wore class A uniforms). A wise choice, as it turned out.

Early in the morning on August 7 we took a commuter train to Ikebukuro, then another to Tokyo's Shinjuku, and finally an old steam train to Kawaguchiko near the base of the mountain. The latter was so crowded that we had to ride between the cars.

Now begins a hike through the foothills. But first, some refreshing reinforcement for the journey (That's Kelly and Davis on left). Properly fortified, we began the long, slightly uphill hike on a wide trail through the forest. In a few hours we reached the timberline, where the earthen path turned to loose lava. Here we began using our Fuji Sticks, purchased near the train station.

ABOUT FUJI STICKS: Don't try to climb Mount Fuji without a Fuji Stick. This is a wooden stick about five feet long and an inch in diameter. It supports you and aids in pulling yourself up through the semi-loose lava. The custom is to fly the Japanese flag from the top of the stick, and when you reach the summit, lower it and put the Rising Sun Flag in its place. Along the way, as you pass each rest station, for a few yen you can have a mark burned into the wood signifying your progress. The sticks also had little bells that rang as you walked, but mine fell off and vanished long ago. That's my Fuji Stick as it looks today, nearly 50 years later. I still treasure this souvenir of the past.

How do you get a Fuji Stick home? I just wrapped mine in heavy paper, addressed it, and took it to the post office. The clerk there looked at this 5-foot-long thing and exclaimed "Ah, so, another Fuji Stick." No problem, it arrived fine. 

Note the Fuji Sticks in the photo below.

Thankful for having the sense to wear high boots (low shoes would have been filled with bits of lava in no time), we continued along the now-narrow pathway, zig-zagging ever upwards. It began to get dark. After a while we continued by official army flashlights.

Night fell, and we came to a hut where you, and dozens of other climbers, can sleep together on a tatami mat floor. The caretaker also sold food and beer at astronomical prices, as it had to be hand carried all the way up.

Here we see Davis and Kelly in the hut, enjoying the contents of my camera bag — two bottles of Canadian Club. We also had some peanuts. How young we looked way back then!

Awakened by the other climbers just before dawn, we went out to witness the magnificent sunrise and stare down at Tokyo and the Pacific Ocean, over 12,000 feet below. The photo at the top of this entry captures that moment in living color.

After breakfast we trekked on (photo, right). Now it's just a little bit farther uphill to the 12,395-foot-high summit and the ceremonial changing of the flags on everyone's Fuji Stick. There are even patches of snow up here! In August! We stared down into the caldera, which is really dead now, or at least super dormant. And decided on a way down — by avoiding the trail and running straight downhill as fast as we could! Loads of fun!

At the timberline there was a man who rented horses for the rather boring stretch back to the train station. So we elected to ride, which was funny as I had never been on one before. But the horse was good natured and didn't throw me off. Thus ends a perfect long weekend.

NOTES: All but one of these photos were taken with a Nikon S-3 rangefinder camera, bought in the PX in 1959 for $140 including three lenses. Today, used, it is worth about $5,000 as a collector's treasure. Much to my regret, in 1961 I traded it for a Canon SLR that is practically worthless. The photos were taken on Ektachrome film, which unlike Kodachrome had a nasty habit of fading over the decades. I attempted to restore them as best as I could in Photoshop Elements. The recent shot of my old Fuji Stick was taken, appropriately, on a Fuji digital camera. The colors on the flags had also faded, but were restored on the computer.

I am not completely certain that I got the names of my companions right; details like that fade over the years. So, if anyone recognizes them, please leave a note so I can correct. We were all stationed at the Joint Communications Relay Center Japan in Tokyo, which was a unit of the Army Security Agency, the military branch of the NSA. I worked in administration, the other two guys were equipment technicians.

CLICK HERE for our little adventures at Nikko and Lake Chuzenji

CLICK HERE for the ASA Index.

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Comments

[Lee Bibb]

I was at HQ,ASAPAC at Camp Zama from Dec '60 to May '63. I really enjoyed reading of your Japan adventures. There are quite a few of us from ASA who got to stay in Japan by an odd twist of fate such as yours. When I arrived at Camp Zama I discovered that my slot had been filled by a transfer from another ASA station. I volunteered to replace the clerk-typist who was to leave in a couple of months. The alternative was Korea or Wakkanai, on the northern tip of Hokkaido. Another friend had a similar experience, also in the S-4. I have often 'threatened' to write an account of my stay in Japan and yours is certainly an encouragement to do that.

[Wayne Damba (Blatchford)]

I enjoyed your pictures and stories very much. I graduated from Grant Heights high school in 1961. I lived in Mamote Village at South Camp Drake from 1960 to 1961. I also climbed Mt. Fugi with my teen club in 1960. I also lived on Kyushu as ashia Air Force base until its closing in 1960. Japan is very dear to me and I would love to see it again.

I processed thru Camp Drake in August 1952. I still have the phamplet 'Welcome to Camp Drake' given all soldiers. A few months in Tokyo, working and sleeping in the Finance Building was followed by my last 12 months stationed at Camp Drake.
I reached the summit of Mt. Fuji July 25, 1953 With my climbing stick I yet have a map of Tokyo and vicinity, pictures of the Palace grounds Jan 1, 1953 and a Rocker Four menu. Good times.

[Frank W. Joy]

My name is Frank Joy. My dad was stationed all over the far east during the early sixties. I was a Air Force brat, and lived in Mamote Village from 1959-1963. I have enough memories to fill books. In 1968, I enlisted in the Air Force, but never came "home" to Japan again. I will never forget what I learned, and will forever be indebted to all who befriended me. I now know the "Way". Blessings to you, Frank :)