Ah, Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan at 3776 m. One reason I decided to climb it is that one of my favourite restaurants back home is called Fujiyama. Also, after a few days of only Tokyo, I was itching to get moving. I planned it out perfectly. I would take a direct bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchi-ko fifth station, the most common starting point for the climb. I would rent a locker and deposit my stuff there. I would begin the 8 hour climb at 9:30 pm and I would arrive at the summit for sunrise the next morning. This would enable me to skip the $65+ mountain huts. The next day I would rest and recuperate at the fifth station after the 5 hour descent. Then finally, I would catch a night bus to Kyoto to save on a night’s rent. Perfect plan, no?

The first sign of trouble came as I picked up my bag at the Tokyo tourist info office. I experienced a stabbing pain under my right shoulder blade. So I decided to wait a day, despite the forecast of rain for the next night.