Funatsu lava tree molds and Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
73 km
Riding-time estimate
1 h 29
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Fujiyoshida it runs 73 km to Fujiyoshida; allow about 1 h 29 of riding. The stops in between: Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine, Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine and back through Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 850 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Funatsu lava tree molds
Seen from above, the forest on the north side of Mount Fuji looks like green felt, and underneath it lies black lava from an eruption in 864 AD. The lava poured through the trees, the wet trunks cooled it around them, and when the timber burned or rotted away it left hollow cylinders in the rock. Those are the tree molds at Funatsu, a short walk of mossy, cool tunnels where you can duck into the lava and look at the exact shape of a tree that stopped existing eleven hundred years ago. Some of the molds are the width of a person's shoulders; a few go deep enough that you want a torch.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Funatsu lava tree molds is where the day begins. Next is Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine.
2. Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine
On the eastern side of Mount Fuji, in the village of Subashiri, a shrine has stood at the start of the pilgrims' path for more than a thousand years. The Fuji Sengen shrine, often called Higashiguchi Hongū, the eastern main shrine, marks the beginning of the Subashiri trail to the summit, and pilgrims traditionally prayed here before starting their climb. The shrine is set in a forest of tall cedars and old trees, with a red gate, wooden halls and a quiet, spiritual atmosphere, and it is one of the components of the Fujisan UNESCO site, recognised as part of the mountain's cultural and religious landscape.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine.
3. Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine
On the southern flank of Mount Fuji, above the town of Susono, a quiet shrine stands among tall cedar trees at the start of one of the oldest climbing routes on the mountain. The Suyama Sengen-jinja is dedicated to the goddess of Fuji and marks the beginning of the Suyama trail, used by pilgrims for centuries before falling into disuse in the twentieth century and being partly revived in recent years. It is one of the component sites of Fujisan, Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration, listed by UNESCO in 2013.