#142 Amsterdam, Netherlands

I enjoyed my time in Amsterdam. I wasn't sure what to think before I went, but I found it made a for a really good relaxed city break, and if you're careful it can be a cheap trip too!

Transport

Bikes and canals

Everyone says the best way to get around Amsterdam is of course by bike, but we opted to walk around, and it really didn't take that long to get from A to B, so if you want to save a little money or you're not a keen cyclist than just walk! There are of course trams and buses but as the city isn't that big and the sights all quite central we didn't need to use these. We became very lazy and didn't partake in a walking tour as we had planned which I do regret as I imagine it would have been good, however we did splash out (literally) on a canal boat cruise and it was honestly quite nice just to sit back and relax and be taken around instead of walking, although due to the price it's not something I would usually do.

Sightseeing

I think one of the most important attractions is the Anne Frank House, which houses the attic where Anne and her family hid during WWII, and from where she wrote her famous diary. It is obviously very popular and gets very busy so it's best to book in advance through the website and get an allotted time slot at which to go. I found it very poignant but also a little disappointing...the rooms were all empty but some did have photographs of recreations of what they would have looked like. Apparently this was at the wishes of her father who didn't want them to furnish the rooms so I feel bad criticizing it, it's just not quite what I had expected when I had planned to visit.

Clogs

Some of the other main highlights include the Van Gogh museum and a few other art museums, but I have absolutely no, and I really mean no, interest in art so there was no way I was shelling out for the expensive entry fee. The Heineken Experience is also quite a popular tourist attraction and my sister went another time and said it was good, however my friends weren't interested in going and I was happy saving my money anyway so we didn't visit. We did the Amsterdam Dungeons which was good fun, but I realise that it is quite a cheesy attraction and not for everyone's taste. It's worth noting it's a little cheaper to book this online.

Red Light District

Of course we all know what are the most famous attractions in Amsterdam....drugs and hookers. We were an all-female group so there was no chance we were going to partake in an hour with a lovely woman, but we did have good fun walking around the Red Light District and I will admit that the vast majority of the women in the windows were gorgeous so I can see the temptation. I'm going to say I am too cool to do drugs of any kind so I didn't visit any of the special weed cafés, but my other friends visited before and said the "moon cakes" and "space brownies" tasted disgusting and had a very gritty, sandy texture. There is a definite smell of the wacky tabaccy when you're walking around the streets so if you really don't like it then obviously Amsterdam is not a good place to visit for you.


As for more cultural things, there are tons of little towns and villages close to Amsterdam which are easily accessible by train. We visited Zaanse Schans which is famous for it's windmills. It was a short trip on the train and the ticket was very cheap. Although the weather was a bit on the cold and damp side when we visited, the area was very pretty with lots of little tourist shops and cafés. There is also a cocoa factory there so when you get off the train there is a sweet chocolate-y smell in the air which is very unusual!

A windmill at Zaanse Schans

Shopping

Cheese

Of course the Netherlands is very famous for clogs so you'll find lots of these everywhere, but you'll also find lots of cheese shops and flowers as well, especially tulips. We visited the flower market but it was a bit of a let down, just lots of stalls with primarily seeds, but perhaps this is because we visited in November and it was out of season. My friends took home some cheese, but I just opted to pop into every cheese shop around and stuff my face with the delicious testers.
Also just in case: don't be a fool and try take any weed home with you ;)

#141 Pokemon Center Tokyo 2016

A few years back I wrote about my rather disappointing experience at the Pokemon Center in Tokyo. However, I went back at the end of last summer (in the height of the Pokemon Go craze!) to the newest Pokemon Center, located at a major attraction, Tokyo SkyTree.

I have to admit, there was a huge improvement. While it's still basically just a shop full of Pokemon goods, the difference was amazing. On my first visit the location in Minato ku, Tokyo, was little obscure (not so close to other attractions) and there were mostly goods from the newer generations of Pokemon aimed at the Japanese market (things like chopstick holders or little napkins to place your lunch on - not something particularly useful in the West!). I found I wanted to spend money, but had nothing worthwhile to spend it on.

Since I was in the neighbuorhood of Tokyo Skytree I found the brand new Pokemon Center, located the "Solamachi" - the big shopping complex at that houses the base of SkyTree. This time, I found I wanted to buy half the shop! There were absolutely tons of the first generation Pokemon found on stationery, soft toys, apparel etc. While the price isn't cheap, there should be something for everyone regardless of budget.

Pokemon, much like Hello Kitty, is one of the many quintessentially Japanese themed things many people think of. While I do think there are better ways to spend your time in Japan, and I whole heartedly recommend you to also check out places like Daiso (dollar stores) for cheap things with Pokemon and various Japanese characters on them, a visit to Skytree is worth it, and since you're in the area you might as well pop in!

#140 Cheap Japanese Souvenirs 2016!

I wrote a short post about this all the way back in October 2012, but since it's now one of my most popular posts on this blog I've decided to write an update here.

Daiso in Harajuku

So, having lived in Japan twice, I can now confirm the absolute best and cheapest place to look for souvenirs is at the Japanese dollar store equivalents - the most popular being Daiso, but there are tons of other chains and smaller stores that can offer other great products too (such as Watts and Seria).

All 100yen store prices are set at 108yen (including tax), with a very small selection of products 216yen or more (but they will be very clearly labelled as such, and the cashier will remind you when you checkout too so there's no surprises).

Maneki Neko (lucky cat)

Some of the great things you can buy here includes chopsticks, lucky cat statues, keyrings, Japanese fans, flags and head ties, green tea sweets, Japanese stickers, Japanese socks, fancy Japanese paper, traditional Japanese games etc. I've gotten so used to some common Japanese household objects that I don't even see them as special anymore so it surprised me when my sister visited and picked out some Japanese household items we don't have in Ireland to take home with her, so I'm sure you'll find something weird too! Some stores have more souvenir type goods and the best place in Tokyo for these is in Daiso in Harajuku, but all stores around the country will have something you can find to take home with you.

Japan is probably the most expensive country in Asia, and pretty far up the list in the world too, so buying souvenirs can really empty your pockets here if you're not careful. Therefore, the worst places you can shop is at any of the main tourist areas - sure they look great and they're better quality, but you will be paying up to ten times the price for similar items. Some of the worst tourist shopping areas in Tokyo are at Akihabara (the electric town) and the narrow street approaching Asakusa Sensoji Temple (the one with the giant lantern). I would say you should shop around at the 100 yen stores first, and if there's an item you absolutely must-have or need then splash out on that item there.

Obviously you are limited with 100 yen stores as you're not going to find a katana sword or kimono clothing or something more spectacular - but then my next piece of advice is to find a recycle store (second hand shop). These places will only take high quality goods so you can be sure of getting something decent, but then it may not be as cheap as some charity/second hand stores you're used to in your country. Another good place to look would be at flea markets, we accidentally found a very good one in Osaka at Shittenoji Temple and got some very cheap kimono (a little old and a little stained but this didn't bother us) but this is unfortunately only held about once a month so you would need to check the dates before you plan your trip.

Green tea Oero

Japanese paper

Japanese masks and flags

Japanese stickers

Japanese traditional games

Special goods for Rio Olympics

#139 Singapore

Singapore is a very interesting little place. It's both a city and country in one, incredibly multicultural, vibrant and modern, and best of all everyone speaks English and it is very clean and safe. However it is also one of the most expensive places to visit in Asia, so best for a short trip or as part of a long stop-over. Overall I really enjoyed my short visit, and honestly it looks like a cool place to live.

The highlights of the city are the gardens, in particular the Botanical Gardens (which are free) and the Gardens by The Bay (paid attraction). When I visited it was in the summer holidays and the height of the Pokemon Go craze, so there were lots of young people crowded around the Botanical Gardens on their phones. I appreciate nature and getting out  for a nice walk but I'm not hugely interested in types of flowers etc so in hindsight visiting just the free Botanical Gardens would have been more than enough for me, and probably for most people too.

Cloud Forest

The Gardens by the Bay were quite expensive but since it's one of very few attractions there I splashed out to pay for it. The Cloud Forest was really cool, but you have to be careful as the misting only happens for a few minutes every few hours and unless you're there for that it's a bit pointless, so plan in advance. I was lucky and happened to be walking in just as misting started, so I ran around the different levels taking as many photos as I could while it lasted, then when it was over I finally relaxed and went back around again taking my time. I had an enjoyable time and since the domes are temperature controlled it was really nice taking a break from the heat, but overall unless you really like flowers it's not amazing and probably isn't worth the money.

The Gardens by the Bay area is also where you will find the Super Trees and also for a good view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel with the Infinity Pool on top. The only way to get to the pool is to stay at the hotel which is obviously very expensive so I didn't do this. The absolute highlight of my visit was the SuperTrees light show in the evening. They change the music and theme every few months, and when I went it was a 70's disco theme which I absolutely loved beyond words. You can pay to walk around the trees but it's only a small walkway between two of them so it didn't look like it was worth the money.

Shopping

There are tons of shopping malls and high class boutiques around the city, which for commoners like me aren't exactly budget friendly. Despite this I liked my visit to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, it had a little Venetian boat ride going through the mall which is a first for me. It also had a deck out the front with a great view of the water and city skyline, I came here in the evening at sunset and waited around until it got dark.


The good places for eating, shopping and souvenirs would be Chinatown and Bugis Street which both had lots of stalls. There were also two malls beside Bugis which had familiar high street brand names and restaurants.

The Shoppes

Chinatown

Bugis Street

Transport

The best and only way to get around Singapore is the MRT (underground trains) which is very easy to use, very clean and safe and quite cheap too.

For getting to the country itself, I incorporated a visit to Singapore as part of a wider trip which included Thailand and Malaysia, which I think many tourists do. There are a few options for this including train, plane and bus, and in the end I flew to Thailand, flew to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, got a bus to Singapore and then flew back to Thailand again. It's slightly more expensive to travel from Sinagpore to Malaysia than vice-versa which is interesting, and therefore I decided to go to Kuala Lumpur first and travel to Singapore.

I had originally planned to get an overnight train but they changed the schedules and routes shortly after I booked so I had to think fast, and opted to get a bus instead. The bus was luxury and the ticket was quite cheap, but the downside was it took a long time - we left KL at around 7am but didn't arrive in Singapore until around 1pm. Sinagpore Changi Airport is supposed to be the best in the world with all these crazy attractions - but to be honest I saw very little of this - there was a small Japanese garden, a small sunflower garden on the roof, and a small cinema room, which were nice but nothing particularly amazing like I had imagined.

#138 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Unfortunately, I had less than 48 hours in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur. Thankfully, it's quite small and I found I could just about get everything I wanted to see done!

Getting to KL

My first piece of advice is to try plan carefully when you will arrive in KL. I got an early flight from Bangkok and arrived in KL early afternoon on a Monday - and immigration was absolutely madness. I had to wait in line for 1hr40mins, there were hundreds of people in front of me and very little/no information from staff. I think avoid Monday mornings/afternoons as it seemed to be clearing up by the time I finally got through.

So when I finally arrived at my hostel, showered and prepared to go out it was about 5pm and quite late. I made friends with a Spanish girl who was also in KL for the same amount of time as me, and we went out together. First we headed to the Central Market, Chinatown and City Gallery (home of the I <3 KL sign). Thankfully these were all within walking distance of each other and easy to find. There weren't particularly spectacular and we didn't spend a long time, but they were nice and a good place to visit in the late afternoon or early evening before dinner.

Food

Our hostel was located beside the popular Jalan Alor street food street and we ate there, although be careful where you eat as some of the Chinese restaurants have giant menus and are not actually so cheap (and forgot to put in our order, so eventually we left and went somewhere cheaper further down the street). Make sure to watch out for all the durians (well...more like smell out!) too.

Batu Caves

On our second day we headed off to the wonderful Batu caves. It was very cheap and easy to get to, we simply caught one of the regular trains from KL Sentral for only 4ringitts (90c!) return that took about an hour. The train is very clean and modern, and there are even women only carriages! The caves themselves are free to enter and look very remote and exotic despite being so close to the city. It really is an amazing, WOW-factor destination without all the hassle. Perfect!

Best Place for a View

On our way back we visited the famous Petronas Towers. I wasn't eager to actually go up the tower since it was very expensive (85rm/€18), and it turned out tickets were completely sold out for that day by the time we arrived (around 2pm) so if you do want to go up make sure to go early in the morning or get tickets in advance.

We went to the Skybar located at Traders Hotel that night to take photos of the Towers at night. It was quite busy and there were no seats at the window, but we found a couch at the window and sat there and took photos. No staff approached us to take our order, and so we got away without even having to buy a drink. They also weren't strict on dress code - we didn't look bad but we also didn't dress up either!

Although my time in KL was very short, I felt I could still get a good feel for the place and I had a very enjoyable time. I didn't get the opportunity to visit the Islamic Arts Museum but I have read good reviews so I would encourage you to visit there too.

#137 Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya is an old city full of old ruins, a 2 hour train from Bangkok. Think of it like a cheap and convenient version of the temples at Siem Reap in Cambodia, and a nice day trip from the city. It is also a world heritage site.

While accessible via a private tour bus run by many hotels and hostels, I arranged the trip by myself by getting a train to Ayutthaya station, then a very short ferry ride across a river, then a tuk tuk around the ruins. Overall the whole thing cost about €20!

Train, Boat and TukTuk: Transport

The trains run quite frequently, I couldn't find a timetable online so I just turned up at Bangkok Central Hualamphong station (accessible by MRT) and asked for a third class ticket to Ayutthaya, which cost 20 baht (about 50c!). The train wasn't leaving for about another hour but I decided to go outside and check where it was leaving from, and it was actually already there. Third class looked dodgy with unscrupulous looking men, but the attendant pointed me towards the 2nd class carriages. A sweet Thai girl then confirmed that despite the ticket I could sit anywhere and encouraged me to sit beside her in the leather seats in 2nd class, which also had fans and open windows.

Since I was on a day trip I only had a small bag, but there were many backpackers with large bags who had trouble fitting on the train. The train also filled up well before departure time and people had to stand. So if possible, please be early for your train and check if it has already arrived. You do not want to stand, especially with backpacks and also local venders walking up and down trying to squish past you carrying who knows what!

The return journey home cost 29baht (75c) because it was a slightly faster train. The seats weren't as comfortable, hard benches, but it was fine, almost everyone managed to get a seat, and it was mostly full of backpackers.

On arrival, you just need to walk across the street and keep walking until you find the river, it's very close, and there are many other backpackers who you can ask for help or try find it together! The ferry cost 5baht each way (about 25c or so total) and it leaves every few minutes and takes literally 2mins.

Upon exiting the ferry there is bicycle rental which I did not partake in due to the heat, but is definitely a fun and cheap way to see the area if you have good fitness and a change of clothes afterwards (you will be drenched in sweat). It is also possible to rent like a motorcycle, but there was no way I was trying that! I walked past this and was met by some tuk tuk drivers who tried to charge me like 1,000baht. I had read the average price was around 400baht, and eventually I got them to 500baht (€12) for 2 hours and gave up because I was alone and hate haggling. As for the length of time, I felt rushed in 2 hours, but then the temples all start to look alike after awhile and it's very hot so I don't think I would have been up to much longer either.

TukTuk Trauma

My only problem was this; the tuktuk driver who I was speaking to first took me to another place and switched drivers to some young guy. This guy apparently had absolutely no English and no idea where any of the temples where. He got lost trying to find one of the biggest ones and we circled around for about 10 mins, then he stopped and asked for directions, and then he eventually dropped me off at the wrong one. I obviously didn't even try to tell him and get to the right place as it would have wasted more time. As I said the temples are quite similar so it wasn't a huge deal, but it was still frustrating.

Entry to the temples cost about 50baht each (€1.20) but there are some that you could easily just take photos outside instead of paying to go in, even though it's a small fee it starts to add up after awhile!

Overall, it was a fun day out and wasn't too difficult to organise on the day without any prior booking. It was very cheap and a bit of an adventure getting outside the city, and I was happy to see some ruins as I couldn't make it to Siem Reap this trip!

#136 Bangkok, Thailand

I had a really great time in Bangkok, and can definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to go!

Sightseeing

Wat Arun (under construction)

I was in Bangkok for quite a long time - 4 full days. Surprisingly, I think you could do it 48hours. The major tourist sites are all along the Chao Phraya river, so could be done in one day. This includes Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Grand Palace and Khaosan Road.
Wat Arun is currently under some kind of restoration/reconstruction so has scaffolding around it so unfortunately doesn't look so great in photos.
I couldn't actually find Khaosan Road, I got the boat to the right area but without internet couldn't find the exact street, so be careful of that!
The Grand Palace was very expensive at 500baht but considering everything else is very cheap it's not so bad. It was also the strictest out of anywhere on dress code - I was wearing shorts and thick black tights and was still refused entry so had to join a long line to rent a sarong.
Wat Pho is very nice and that area has a lot of delicious food stalls and cheap snacks including coconut and coconut ice-cream and fruits like mango, watermelon etc.

Grand Palace

I thought the Jim Thompson house was nice - but not great. It's actually quite small and you must take a guided tour - our tour guide was very sweet and made it enjoyable, but I'm not sure why it's such a major attraction and if you're in a rush I'd give it a miss.

Jim Thompson House

Shopping 

Chatuchak Weekend Market - This was my absolute favorite thing in Bangkok and I would advise people to try schedule to have at least one weekend day in here so you can visit. It is absolutely huge and I got lost in it for awhile before eventually finding an MRT station.
I'm not a fan of shopping, and honestly I expected it to be full of souvenirs and fake and knock off brand items - and although there were plenty of these there were also a huge amount of boutique stores selling really hip,cool and unique items for far cheaper than you would find in your home country, and also some food stalls and weird stuff like a huge animal section with fish, lizards, dogs etc (although I questioned the ethics so I refused to take any photographs or document otherwise).

There are a ton of shopping malls in Bangkok including Terminal 21, Siam Paragon etc. They're nice to get inside from the heat and relax, but of course the prices are much higher than what you'll find outside. You can also find luxury cinemas here - the prices seem very expensive but in comparison to your home country I think you'll find it affordable for the luxury service.

Safety

This was my biggest concern. When I visited Manila, Philippines I felt very unsafe as there were very few tourists, no public transport and I had men leering and shouting at me on the streets. However, I am glad to say I had none of these problems in Bangkok! Being August it was absolutely full of tourists - no matter where you go there is almost always guaranteed to be another tourist nearby. I feel like this alone gave me a secure feeling, that knowledge that you're part of a group and not on your own.

Soi Cowboy - gogo bar street (and safe!)

I had one man (taxi driver I think) comment on how beautiful I was and although it made me a little uncomfortable I just ignored him and had no other problems. I was always quite well covered up, but there were many a beautiful young woman wearing tiny short shorts and skimpy crop tops so it must be fine.
I was robbed in my hostel, but they only took some cash and didn't take my electronics or passport so it was probably the nicest robbery possible haha - more detail further below.

Public Transport

Both the BTS and MRT (skytrain and underground) were very clean, cheap and easy to use. The Chao Phraya boat was also fine - the first day I took the special tourist boat but after that I used the regular commuter boat and had no problems.
I took only one taxi to the airport which was arranged by my hostel, I felt it was perhaps a little overpriced but since the price was set I felt a little safer knowing I couldn't be completely ripped off.

I also took a train to Ayutthaya, and although I paid for a 3rd class seat, the platform attendant encouraged me to sit 2nd class and I had no issues! The only place I used a tuk-tuk was in Ayutthaya, and it wasn't the best experience...they obviously tried to triple charge me but I got them down to an acceptable price which was fine, but then they switched drivers and mine didn't speak English and somehow had no idea where the temples were and got lost and took me to the wrong ones....also we very, very nearly crashed into a car which was terrifying.

Generally speaking, I think they're very dangerous so I really wouldn't recommend it unless you really had to (like in Ayutthaya). On a slight side, there are elephant rides in Ayutthaya but as an animal lover I find them vile, disgusting and harmful to the elephants, so I beg you please not to ride them or even take pictures as some idiot will see it online and think it's a cool idea. Rant over.

Weather

Chatuchak Weekend Market

The heat is almost unbearable. When I went I had been living in Japan which has similar weather, but being outside in the sun visiting tourist sights is very different from sitting in an office with air conditioning most of the day, and I can't imagine how people visiting from colder climates must feel.

From living in Japan I have a few summer-proof tricks up my sleeve, including; carrying a facecloth/small towel to help mop up your sweat, carrying a hand fan, wearing a hat, sunscreen, and wearing a thin vest underneath your tshirt/dress/shirt - you'd think adding more clothes is a bad idea but when its 35 degrees there is no feeling cool or getting less hot, and the purpose of the vest is to absorb the sweat so it doesn't seep into your outer tshirt, and it also makes you feel more comfortable than having itchy sweat running all over you. You've ever seen people with wet tshirts cuz their backs are so sweaty? Well it's a very rare sight in Japan because the vest thing is so well-known. Trust me, and trust 127 million Japanese people. The sweat vest works.

In terms of it being a rainy season - it did rain everyday but it was almost always late afternoon, and at that point I was always back in the hostel relaxing after a cool shower and a morning of sight seeing before heading out for dinner in the evening. It also does dry up very quickly - but carry a small umbrella just in case.

On getting robbed

So I thought the hostel I stayed in was really good...up until the point when I was robbed, and now I obviously don't think it was that good anymore. So we had lockers but one night I slept with my handbag beside me on the bed in my dorm, but since it's not a bunkbed they easily leaned over me while I was sleeping, took out my wallet and took a 1,000baht note. I noticed the next morning that the note was gone, but since there was still a few 200baht notes and my phones etc were still there, I assumed I had just misplaced it and put it somewhere else, since the probability of someone having the opportunity to take all my stuff but only taking one note seemed odd to me.

Delicious coconut icecream!

Then, a few days later in Singapore I happened to notice all my Japanese yen was gone. I forget how much I had, but it was around 5,000yen, so quite a lot. It was hidden in my backpack that was locked in my locker - so it appears they somehow got into my locker as well. However, I also had a Kindle and my passport in there, so all in all for the sake of €100 or less I'm not too annoyed - especially since they could have taken my phones, passport, credit card etc etc.

Since they got into my locked locker I have a feeling it must have been hotel staff, but then it has very good reviews so maybe it was someone in my (small) dorm. They are very clever, since they know that you will either not notice straight away/you'll think you misplaced it, or even if you do notice it seems like a small amount to go to the police or really complain over - and that is how they get away it. 1,000baht from many tourists results in quite a lot of money I'm sure.

 I also met a girl who had €100 in cash taken from her safe in a hotel in Cambodia - they didn't take any other money or currency so obviously when she complained the hotel staff told her she must be mistaken.
Moral of the story; Trust no bitch, check all of your cash regularly, and bring a heavy duty lock to lock up your shit!

#135 I climbed Mt Fuji; What You Should Know July 2016

NOTE: I climbed the Fujinomiya trail, the second most popular trail, which is accessible from Shin-Fuji train station on the Shinkansen line. If you are planning on climbing the most popular Yoshida trail (accessible by direct bus from Tokyo) this information may not be so relevant.

Since this is a rather long post, I have broken it down into little sections covering a number of topics such as climbing times, altitude sickness, WiFi, prices etc. This was all my own personal experience (and occasionally compared with the experience of friends who have climbed it too) and I hope it's helpful for anyone looking to climb Fuji this year or in the future.

Off to a good start - some deer right at the entrance to the mountain

Climbing Times

The start of the trail from 5th to 6th station

I can reliably tell you it is a 9 hour climb up, and a 4 hour climb down. This is how long it has taken most of my friends to climb all through the night, and this is how long it took me to climb while sleeping over too. At Shin-Fuji there are many pamphlets and I took one which had estimated climbing times – which are absolutely ridiculous! It estimates 30mins each from station 8 to 9, 9.5 and 10, so 90mins total. This took me 4 hours, but I was going incredibly slow because I had altitude sickness so maybe 3hours is more accurate, but absolutely nowhere near the given estimation. If climbing to see the sunrise it will be similar because there are long lines of people, but when I climbed it wasn’t busy – it was just steep climbing and I was sick and tired.

It also estimates 2 hours to get from the summit back to the 5^th station – I saw some people going down quite fast but it’s very steep and you’re very likely to slip and skid in a few places, and I even saw an old man who overtook me fall about 3 times – proving my theory that faster isn’t better if you want to get home in one piece.

Sunrise from the 8th station

Climbing Equipment

My backpack was really heavy, but I felt there wasn’t much I could do to prevent that since I had brought every essential I could think of. I could only manage about 2l of water in my backpack and another 500ml in a fannypack (great idea by the way, very convenient for phones, money, water, oxygen cans etc) so I inevitably had to pay a lot towards the top for more water, but I physically couldn’t carry any more with me so I guess just know your own weight limit.

It can get very foggy due to clouds but they quickly pass

If you go to my previous post you can see the list of all the equipment I brought. I will highlight hiking boots – I rented some from MtFujiRental.com (Kobe Outdoor) and it was a fantastic service all in English so I highly recommend their service. I have friends who climbed in regular sports running shoes and I even saw someone climbing in Converse, but I couldn’t imagine climbing without those boots. They gave me a strong, firm grip on the rocks both going up and going down, and I would really, really recommend you use hiking boots! (And they didn’t pay me to say that, I just genuinely think you need hiking boots and I can verify that’s a good place to get them!). You should also get the climbing stick, especially for the way down, even if you don’t want stamps or to try bring it home - my friend said she even just left hers in a bathroom because she didn’t want it! Since the Fujinomiya trail is the same route up and down it gets steep and slippery in places.

WiFi

Firstly, for all you Pokemon Go enthusiasts according to a friend who climbed a few days before me, there are some Pokemon but not any rare or exciting ones that she could see. If you have a Japanese phone (or rent a Japanese pocket WiFi or something) you should have full LTE (4G) coverage for 98% of your time on the mountain, and in fact I made a kind of Snapchat documentary of my journey. For tourists, there is free and easy to use public WiFi at all the stations, including the summit. I can’t reliably say how fast it is since I just used my mobile internet, but it’s there and it works (and most people who climb are Japanese and basically all Japanese phones are on contract with mobile internet, so the WiFi is unlikely to be congested with users). There are no chargers at any stations or cabins (even if you sleep over) so make sure to bring a portable charger!

Altitude Sickness

Heading up to the 8th station - it gets steep

So, I was sick. I knew it would happen, I didn’t want it to happen, I tried to prevent it happening – and still it happened. From what I understand my symptoms were moderate – not particularly severe but worse than “a little headache” some of my friends spoke of (although almost all said they were perfectly fine!). I walked up as slow as I could (considering I still needed to get to my cabin at 8^th station before 6pm) and I drank water and I felt fine. and I also met people who had climbed much faster than me and were perfectly fine, so I was just unlucky.

A short time after I arrived at the 8^th station I felt a headache coming on - I’m quite prone to headaches anyway so I had expected that much so I took a tablet and opened my oxygen. Then while trying to sleep about 2 hours later my headache got worse and I felt really nauseous. I had read absolutely everywhere on the internet and heard from friends in real life that the only cure is to go down the mountain, and since it was getting dark and I was alone and sick I began to panic about climbing in the dark, and the waste of money, and the shame of not reaching the summit - so in a mild hysteria I went to the cabin staff and said I was sick and needed to leave, but instead they took me to the mountain hospital, which was conveniently at that very station (this is the only hospital on the mountain so if you get sick at 9 or higher you’ll need to get back to here). 

Inside they gave me a ton more oxygen and had me fill out a form (English available) with some details like how I felt and my climbing information and my name and address – then it turned out the medical student assisting the doctor lives near my apartment and is a graduate of the school I teach at! So we spoke a little conversationally in Japanese which calmed me down and distracted me, and they gave me two tablets (I think one for headache and one for nausea) and also a 500ml oral rehydration solution (tasted like salty water). I’m not sure how good their English is since we spoke mostly in Japanese, but I have a feeling it was probably better than my Japanese actually.

At the end I was asked to give a donation, I could only afford 1,000yen since I was hoarding cash for more emergencies but I would have liked to have given them 10,000 yen if there was an ATM, however they thanked me and it seemed OK, I guess most people probably don’t have a huge amount of cash to spare anyway. So anyway after maybe 30mins I felt far better but still not great, so I went back to the cabin and I slept OK and felt fine by the time I got up (about 9 hours later). I hadn’t planned to see the sunrise from the summit, so I was fine with sleeping and resting a few more hours, and actually I saw it from the side of the mountain when I woke up to go to the toilet, so I guess it worked out fine! 

So the old adage of “with altitude sickness you have to get off the mountain” can now be proved untrue if you have some kind doctors to help, and also a lot of time to rest and get acclimatized! So that morning I set off for the summit, and despite having to deep breathe the whole way up and take a break literally every few steps, I actually managed to get there without feeling any more bad affects. Mountain hospital staff - I love you and thank you!

Sleeping Over

So I’ve touched on this in a few places already in this post. I stayed at Ikeda Kan at the 8^th station, you can book online via their website (in Japanese but Google translate helps) and they do speak some English. It’s basically a room full of little compartments (ranging from 3 sleeping bags to around 8 or so maybe) and I felt it was nice and cozy. There’s WiFi but no electrical outlets so bring a portable charger. If you’re staying at a cabin the toilet is free but you’ll need to duck outside in some slippers (I think that’s how they know you’re a guest and not to charge you). 

I’d read somewhere online that the cabins are really cold, but coming in from outside it seemed warmer, and I just slept in my clothes and I woke up in the middle of the night in a sweat in my hoody - maybe it was because the cabin was full and the combined body heat of 250 people brought up the temperature, I’m not sure. 

The cabin staff put me in a compartment with 2 Canadian girls – so it seems they’re careful to put women/foreigners together. A few people were snoring, but since there was none directly beside me I found it actually kind of soothing. Come around midnight everyone will be stomping around and talking full volume almost constantly until daylight, while it was a little annoying I was too tired for it to bother me much – but make sure to pack your earplugs and eye mask! 

I would recommend this station as a good place to stop, I feel at 7 it’s still a little far from the summit, while it would have been very tiring to make it up to station 9. In climbing time, it’s about a little over the halfway point. Also, since I got altitude sickness it was really, really convenient to be at the station with the mountain hospital! I would just recommend sleeping over in general, I know it’s an extra 5,500yen ish that you could save, but it’s a fun experience and you get to relax at least for a little while before you climb to the top. 

At one point I woke up around 11pm to go outside to the toilets and I could see the moon shining brightly and the stars were all out, and below I could see many torches and flashes of lights as people climbed up. It was a really beautiful and special experience to see, and I have to admit I think climbing at night would be a special kind of experience too.

Ikeda Kan at the 8th station

At The Summit

So, despite there being signs everywhere on the mountain for the summit and signs at each station (in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean) there is literally no sign in English at the top, at least not at the Fujinomiya station anyway! There is a shrine and some torii gates and a Japanese flag so it’s probably pretty obvious you’re at the top, but I was annoyed there was no definitive picture I could take and send to my family as concrete proof, since they obviously don’t know Japanese.

That's All Folks!

Anyway! While I was very tired, I was more eager to actually get down as fast as possible and get home to bed, than to relax on top like some people, so I took a few photos and decided to take a quick walk around since I had climbed for 9 hours and suffered immensely to get that far! 

On my quick walk I accidentally found the Mt Fuji post office, which I had totally forgotten about! Most of their sets are surprisingly cheap at around 500yen for a set anywhere between 2 and 5 postcards, and postage is included (although to a foreign country is a little extra, between 20yen-100yen depending on the size).

I opted for the certificate set, which had a B5 summit certificate (all in Japanese of course but Google translate does the job) and a regular postcard sized “Mt Fuji Summit Report” where I filled in weather, my climbing time etc, and I posted these to my family. They also have some cool ink stamps, and I was sad I had no other paper to stamp other than my postcards. Make sure to go to the post office before you head back down (but it’s only open from 6am to 2pm, making it even more special and elusive!) 

The Mt Fuji Summit Post Office

Atmosphere

By atmosphere I don’t mean like the altitude, I mean like the attitudes of everyone. I know they say Disneyworld is the happiest place on Earth, but Mt Fuji must be the friendliest place on Earth! I have never felt so welcome and met as many friendly people in a year in Japan (or maybe my whole life!) as I did in 24 hours on Mt Fuji. Everyone is joined together, aiming to complete the same task – reach the summit. 

From when I first started climbing at the very bottom I met many people coming down saying “Konnichiwa” and “Ganbate!” which mean “Hello” and like “Good luck/You can do it!”. Some even spoke a little English to me to ask where I was from, and it seemed to me like they were happy to have an excuse to talk to a foreigner and try practice some English. For example, on the way up the mountain I had a conversation with one woman who asked was I doing OK and was surprised I was climbing alone and told me to be careful, then the next morning I saw her again (she was coming down, I was still going up!) and she asked me again how I was, and I said I had been sick and she gave me some sweets and was very kind to me.

Since I know a decent amount of Japanese I would occasionally mention to people it was hot or cold or it was difficult, and they would be surprised and very friendly and congratulate me on my average Japanese level like I was fluent! I think if you could learn a few words like “Ganbate” the Japanese will be very appreciative and impressed with you!

Souvenirs

6th station - they all look pretty similar

Each station sells some stuff and the 5^th station in particular has a huge selection of Mt Fuji stuff – western style souvenirs like keychains and fridge magnets , and also Japanese style omiyage like biscuits, chocolates etc. 

However, I didn’t buy any because about 80% of it is available throughout Shizuoka Prefecture  (the area where most of Mt Fuji lies) at train stations etc or even at regular souvenir stores in Tokyo, Kyoto etc etc, so there’s nothing special about them (except the knowledge that you know you actually bought it on the mountain). If you can manage it I think the most special thing would be a postcard sent from the summit of Mt Fuji, as I already mentioned above.

Money

So obviously there are no ATMs so you’ll need to bring a ton of cash. There is a 7-11 ATM at Shin-Fuji station which accepts international cards. I think you should probably bring like 10,000 more than you think you need – since if you need Oxygen it’s 2,000yen a can at the top, and I personally spent 2,000yen on four 500ml bottles of water. I also had that trip to the mountain hospital for which I needed a donation….

Anyway, it’s Japan and it’s incredibly safe to just leave your bag down and wander off to the toilet or take photos and come back again, no one is going to steal anything so don't be afraid to bring a lot of cash. Below is a list of some of the prices I saw while on the mountain.

A list of prices as of July 2016:

Voluntary Contribution:
1000yen

I think this was at the 5th station but I easily walked by and avoided it. Obviously you should pay since it goes towards preserving the mountain and environs, but it's easy to get away with it like I did.

Large hiking stick (with bells):

900yen at Shin-Fuji station

1,200 at station 6

1,000 at station 8

Getting my stick stamped

So it seems it’s cheap, then expensive, then cheap again further up the mountain. My friend said she didn’t really need it so much on the way up, but definitely on the way down to help prevent slipping, so you could put off buying one until closer the top, or grab one on your way down. The stick I got at Shin-Fuji station only had one stamp at the top, while I think the mountain ones had about 2 other stamps at the bottom too so be careful of this if you want it as a souvenir!

Stamps for walking stick:

200yen stations 6-9.5

300yen station 10

So actually I expected to pay more for the stamps for my walking stick. They were all only 200yen except at the top, but then I got a shrine pamphlet and also a little wooden prayer thingy (I don’t understand Buddhism so good). I was actually disappointed with the variety, each station only had one type of stamp.

Water:

100yen at Shin-Fuji vending machine

300 at 5^th station

500 from stations 7 up

So I was expecting a gradual increase from like 200 to maybe 600yen closer to the top, but even from halfway up they charge you 500yen. There are no water fountains or any other ways to get water on the mountain, so unless you’re really strong and can carry like 4l with you, expect to just pay the money like I did.

Toilets:

100yen at 5^th station

200yen stations 6 -9.5

So basically they’re all 200yen. The toilets are like a bio thing with no flusher….they're clean and have toilet paper but they all literally smell like horse/cow shit so if you’re feeling nauseous like me it’s not a great place to be! I didn’t need to pee that much, probably because I was using literally every nutrient or I wasn’t drinking enough….but anyway! Most huts had someone who you paid, but some were coin operated so you need exactly two 100yen coins (no 50yen coins for example). I didn’t go on the summit so it may have been a little extra. If you’re staying at a cabin the toilet is free.

Oxygen:

1,000yen for 2 cans at a Sports Authority store

1,500 at 5^th station

1,000 at 6^th station

2,000 at station 9

I’m not 100% sure of prices further up the mountain, but I definitely noticed oxygen being slightly cheaper at station 6 than anywhere else. You may not need it, but I got altitude sickness and even with my deep breathing techniques and a trip to the hospital at station 8 where I got even more, I still went through 2 cans and probably could have done with one more. You’re carrying air so it’s very light, so if possible try buy at least 2 in advance from a sports store or somewhere.

Sleeping overnight:

5,500 bed only (well…sleeping bag)

1,000 yen each dinner/breakfast

So I decided to go all out and get full board for 7,500 yen at station 8. I think the prices were all the same or very close except maybe 9.5 could have been a little more expensive. The dinner was curry rice (as expected) and although there wasn’t a lot it was just so nice to have a warm meal! However, breakfast was very disappointing for 1,000yen and I can assume it’s similar at all the huts so I don’t recommend it. It was given to me when I arrived – it was a Soy Joy energy bar, a chocolate croissant, an pan (bread with sweet red bean) and a little carton of milk that was lukewarm by the time I tried to drink it the next morning. I already had bread and energy bars in my backpack so I didn’t eat any of it. I had hoped it would be rice and miso soup (Japanese style) but I guess since everyone starts waking around 12 midnight for sunrise it would be difficult to organize. Anyway, treat yourself to dinner, skip the breakfast.

And good luck! If I can somehow manage to pull if off, you can too. Ganbate!

Sunrise from the 8th station