“Oshi” Lodging House and Suyama Sengen-jinja Shrine starting at Fujiyoshida
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
72 km
Riding-time estimate
1 h 26
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.
72 km from Fujiyoshida to Fujiyoshida, about 1 h 26 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 900 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. “Oshi” Lodging House
Mount Fuji has been a place of pilgrimage for a thousand years, and the lodging houses in Fujiyoshida are what the pilgrims used. Believers in the Fuji cult, called the Fuji-kō, travelled in confraternities from Edo and farther away, and when they reached the foot of the mountain they stayed with an oshi, a guide and priest who arranged their prayers, their meals and their climb. The streets of old Kamiyoshida still have a few of these houses, with deep entrances, long rooms and a small shrine inside, designed for groups to eat, sleep and prepare. UNESCO lists one of them as part of the Fujisan cultural landscape.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
“Oshi” Lodging House 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 20 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.