Mount Fuji's Climbing Fee: What It Costs and What It's For
The Mount Fuji climbing fee is a mandatory 4,000 yen charge per climber per entry on all four official trails, in place from the summer 2025 season onward.12 It is separate from transport, mountain-hut beds, and the older voluntary donation it replaced.
Fees, rules, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing and the Shizuoka Prefecture climbing-regulation pages.
Overview
The fee applies to everyone who passes beyond the prefecture-defined entry point toward the summit during the official season, regardless of nationality (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).132 People who only stroll the O-chudo trail or sightsee at a 5th station outside the gate do not pay.1
The amount is the same on all four trails, but the payment channel, the registration steps, and the daily-cap rules differ between the Yamanashi side and the Shizuoka side (as of 2026-06).132 This article states each side's procedure separately so you do not carry one side's rule onto the other side's trailhead.
What the fee is and who pays it
The charge is a per-climber, per-entry access fee: 4,000 yen per person for each entry beyond the gate or reference point (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).1 On Yoshida the notice phrases it as 4,000 yen per person per visit for use of the descending trail system (as of 2026-04).1
Who pays and who does not
You pay if you pass through the Yoshida 5th-station gate onto the trail system, even when you started climbing from a different gate but use the Yoshida descending trail.1 On the Shizuoka side you pay when you pass the prefecture-defined reference point toward the summit on the Fujinomiya, Gotemba, or Subashiri trail (as of 2026-06).32
Sightseers who stay at the 5th station or walk the O-chudo trail outside the gate do not pay.1 On the Shizuoka side, narrow exemptions exist for disabled persons and their caregivers, school-curriculum educational activities, and kindergarten nature-observation events, granted by advance application (as of 2026-06).2
How much it costs, trail by trail
All four trails charge the same headline figure, set independently by each prefecture under its own ordinance (as of 2026-06; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).12 The table below is the budgeting snapshot; to place this fee alongside lodging taxes and other local charges in a whole-trip budget, see Extra Fees When Visiting Japan: Destination and Activity Charges. Payment channels follow in the next section.
| Trail (side) | Fee per climber | As of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshida (Yamanashi) | 4,000 yen per person per visit | 2026-041 | Collected through the gate system; hut guests also pay |
| Fujinomiya (Shizuoka) | 4,000 yen per person per entry | 2026-062 | Paid via FUJI NAVI or on site |
| Gotemba (Shizuoka) | 4,000 yen per person per entry | 2026-062 | Paid via FUJI NAVI or on site |
| Subashiri (Shizuoka) | 4,000 yen per person per entry | 2026-062 | Paid via FUJI NAVI or on site |
Yoshida Trail (Yamanashi side)
The Yoshida fee is 4,000 yen per person per visit (as of 2026-04).1 Mountain-hut guests pay it too, with local payment accepted for that group (as of 2026-04).1
Advance passage reservations require the 4,000 yen payment up front and stay open until climb day, closing early once the daily limit is reached (as of 2026-04).1 Cancellation fees apply from two days after the payment date, personal-reason cancellations including transport delays are non-refundable, and prefecture-attributable blocks are refunded (as of 2026-04).1
Shizuoka-side trails (Subashiri, Fujinomiya, Gotemba)
All three Shizuoka-side trails charge an identical 4,000 yen per person per entry under the Shizuoka fee-collection ordinance, with no trail-by-trail price difference (as of 2026-06).2 The all-four-trails 4,000 yen alignment dates from summer 2025, when Shizuoka adopted its ordinance and Yamanashi raised Yoshida from 2,000 yen (as of 2025-06).45
Unlike Yoshida, the three Shizuoka-side trails have no daily entry cap; their controls are the entry procedure, the night-hour hut rule, and the fee itself.3
How and where to pay
Yoshida and Shizuoka run separate systems with separate QR codes, so register on the side you will actually climb (as of 2026-06; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).132 The chart below routes you to the right channel.
Yoshida Trail payment (online pre-registration vs on-site)
The primary channel is advance online reservation with pre-payment through the Yamanashi access-reservation system, which sells passage for the 5th-station gate (as of 2026-04).1 The ticketing page offers a multilingual flow, and you must accept the equipment and conduct pledges before purchase (as of 2026-04).1
Same-day counter purchase remains possible but is subject to the live gate and capacity situation, so advance booking is the safe default (as of 2026-04).1 Even with a reservation and pre-payment, you must pass the gate by 2:00 PM on the visit day unless you are staying in a mountain hut (as of 2026-04).1
The purchase flow requires confirming cold-weather clothing, separate rain gear, and proper climbing footwear, plus conduct rules such as no off-trail travel and carrying trash out. Trail staff may refuse use of the descending trail on violation.1
Shizuoka-side payment (FUJI NAVI vs on-site)
Advance registration runs through the free Shizuoka FUJI NAVI app and registration site, open from May 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM for the 2026 season (as of 2026-06).32 You complete the e-learning on conservation rules and climbing manners, pass the Mt. Fuji test, register your climb details, then pay 4,000 yen by credit card or e-money to receive a QR entry permit (as of 2026-04).3
On the day you launch the app, present the QR permit to on-site staff and receive a wristband to show at the trailhead (as of 2026-04).3 Permits can be changed or cancelled with a full refund to the payment method until entry day, but not after on-site authentication, and an expired pass cannot be changed for personal reasons (as of 2026-04).3
Climbers without smartphones can complete the whole procedure on site at the 5th station, including the prior learning, paperwork, and the 4,000 yen payment in cash or cashless methods such as credit cards (as of 2026-06).32 Allow about 30 minutes and expect peak-season queues (as of 2026-06).3
What the fee funds
Shizuoka states its entry fee is saved into the Mt. Fuji Future Succession Fund and spent on environmental conservation, safety measures and climber-support operations, plus the operating costs of the climbing-restriction regime.6 Annual line-item uses are decided each year by a selection committee and the prefectural assembly, and published per fiscal year.6
Yamanashi frames its regime around preserving the environment and keeping climbing safe for everyone.1 A Yamanashi-side line-item breakdown was not confirmed in the fetched English notice, so treat the Shizuoka statement above as the precise sourcing and the Yamanashi purpose as general context.
Mandatory fee versus the old voluntary donation
The 4,000 yen charge is mandatory for every climber passing the gate or reference point, and access is controlled through gates and permits (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).13 Until recently the mountain was free to climb apart from a requested 1,000 yen donation collected on a purely voluntary basis.5
The history runs in three steps. Yamanashi introduced a mandatory 2,000 yen Yoshida toll for the summer 2024 season while still requesting the 1,000 yen donation (as of 2025-03).45 From summer 2025 the donation request ended and the mandatory fee became 4,000 yen on all four trails, with Shizuoka adopting its ordinance on March 17, 2025 and Yamanashi raising Yoshida the same month (as of 2025-06).45
Shizuoka accepts voluntary Mt. Fuji Fund donations from 1,000 yen per unit, with a wooden-plaque gift, at the three Shizuoka 5th stations during the season (as of 2026-04).3 This is optional and additional to the mandatory 4,000 yen, not a substitute for it.
The practical test is simple. If passing the gate or reference point requires it, it is the mandatory fee. If a 5th-station counter requests it with a gift in return, it is the optional donation.
Good to know
The fee does not book your mountain hut bed
The 4,000 yen buys passage only. Yamanashi states its reservation is for passage and not a hut booking, and the Shizuoka app does not make hut reservations; book beds directly with the huts.13 Budget the hut night separately.
Paying the fee does not guarantee entry on a capped day
Yoshida closes its gate from 2:00 PM to 3:00 AM for climbers without a hut stay and closes it whenever the 4,000-climber daily count is reached (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Official Website for Mt. Fuji Climbing).1 Advance reservations close at the same cap, so a paid passage still requires passing the gate before the cutoff (as of 2026-04).1
Climb only inside the short official season window
For 2026, Yoshida and Subashiri run July 1 to September 10, while Fujinomiya and Gotemba open July 10 and close September 10; Yamanashi notes summit access is closed until June 30 (as of 2026-04).1 Outside these windows the trails are officially closed, and this article's fee figures do not apply.
See also
- Mount Fuji Climbing Restrictions: Time Bands, Capacity Caps, and Mandatory E-Learning
- Budgeting for Japan's New Tourist Fees and Taxes: A Realistic Add-On Estimate
- How Long Should Your Trip to Japan Be?
- Should You Visit Japan Right Now?