About Japan
Mt Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, at 3776 metres, as well as its most well-known symbol.
For hundreds of years, Mt Fuji was considered so sacred that only priests and pilgrims were allowed to climb it. It was not until 1872 that women were allowed onto the mountain.
If you wish to climb to the top, the safest time to do so is during July and August.
Although Mt Fuji is surrounded by trees, its upper slopes are loose volcanic ash and there are no streams or greenery.
Although Mt Fuji is a volcano, it has not erupted since 1707.
Mt Fuji is a popular subject for artists who have painted its graceful, almost symmetrical form and its changing appearance over the centuries.
The most well known paintings of Mt Fuji are by Ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) called the "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" (富嶽三十六景; Fugaku Sanjū-Rokkei) which was actually a series of 46 woodblock prints!
Another famous series of thirty-six were produced by Utagawa 'Ando' Hiroshige (1797-1858).
