Mountaintop worship sites

Religion-related facilities such as shrines are distributed around the crater wall at the top of the mountain. Once people began making worship-ascents of Fujisan, temples were built, Buddhist statues, etc. were offered, and religious activities at the top of the mountain became systemized. Even now, many climbers do things at the top of the mountain such as worshipping of "Goraiko(sunrise)", or circling around the crater ( a ritual called "Ohachimeguri"), and the essence of Fujisan worship is thus reliably passed down to modern times.The main crater consists of 8 “mine”(peaks), with the Kengamine peak designated as the highest point in Japan. The “ohachimeguri” ritual of circling the crater is about 3km in length and takes in many famous sights, such as the tora-iwa rock formation, said to resemble a tiger, the kaminari-iwa thunder rocksand the umanosehorse-back formation. Near the base of the crater, some 200m deep, one can witness some very dynamic scenery. Looking down on to a sea of clouds with the sun behind you, Fujisan casts a huge triangular shadow on the clouds. Having this enormous silhouette in front of you is a strange experience and gives a fresh perspective on the beauty of Fujisan.