Yoshida 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
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. On the way it passes 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. Yoshida lava tree molds
Mount Fuji's lava does strange things to trees. When a flow of molten rock surges through a forest, it wraps around trunks and hardens, and when the tree burns away it leaves a hollow cast, a round tube in the rock that looks like a well or a chimney. The lava tree molds at Yoshida are formed in this way, found along the lower slopes in the dense forest known as Aokigahara, where the ground is black, rough and honeycombed with caves. The flows come from eruptions of Fuji in the ninth century and later, and the forest has grown up over the cooling rock ever since.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Yoshida 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 17 km in. 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.