Hello, this is Nina from HASH196 in Kashiwa!

By the way, did you know that Kizunaya Sharehouse is not just a sharehouse where you can live, but also a sharehouse where you can enjoy communication with other residents? Did you know it’s also a sharehouse where you can meet people from all of our affiliated sharehouses in the Kanto and Kansai areas?

You can get to know each other not only through online events, but also through the “Kizunaya Joint Events” held offline. The offline events had been suspended due to the pandemic, but they will finally return in August 2022!

“Kizunaya Members Gather! 2-day Event to Climb Mt. Fuji”

When the call for participants went out from the official LINE account, it was immediately filled to capacity and there was a waiting list.

People who wanted to challenge the highest mountain in Japan and who were looking forward to the joint event introduced themselves in the LINE group. Participants ranged from those who were nervous, saying “I’ve never climbed a mountain before…” to those who were more confident, saying “This is my 5th time climbing Mt. Fuji!”

In the end, 21 participants from 7 houses in the Kanto and Kansai regions participated. The less confident ones asked questions and received lots of advice from the supermen with a wealth of climbing experience, so we were all well prepared for the day.

The day of the event arrives! We rent a bus to Mt. Fuji’s 5th Station!

We left Ikebukuro at 7:30 a.m., which was quite early, but we all made it! The Kansai group had to stay overnight or take an overnight bus all the way to Tokyo! It took a few hours to get to Yamanashi from there, and the bus lectures entertained us on the way.

After getting to know each other a little through self-introductions, we enjoyed a quiz/bingo game! There were plenty of questions about Mt. Fuji, and it was a great way to deepen our knowledge before the climb. Thanks to the planning team! After that, everyone slept until we arrived… There were many who were so excited that they couldn’t sleep the night before, and I was one of them.

Finally, we arrived at the 5th station of the Fuji-Subaru Line, the starting point of our climb!

Heading toward the mountain hut!

The planning team had thought of a lot of things for this climb, and we were divided into four teams, departing at and staying in two mountain huts. By the way, the towels that we’re carrying were designed by Kizunaya house members. The motif is a giraffe, the guardian deity of all Kizunaya sharehouses. The giraffe is casually wearing a mountaineering hat, and the cheerful colors are quite cute! With this towel as a good luck charm, we would cheerfully aim for the mountain lodge in the sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny weather!

All groups safely reach the mountain hut!

The two teams with more time to spare on the first day arrived at the 7th station early, taking lots of videos and playing games. After a hot cup of tea and a much-appreciated dinner, they went to bed. The remaining two teams went to the 8th station, a few hours further up the mountain. It was a tough climb, and some members were starting to feel a bit discouraged, but they encouraged each other and managed to make it to the hut.

We arrived at the hut at 9:00 p.m., which was a bit of a shock, but something good happened. When we took a break on the way to the hut, we suddenly looked up at the sky and saw beautiful stars through the clouds in the sky! It was a moving moment. A few hours after the 8th station team went to bed, the 7th station team woke up and set off for the summit. However, due to bad weather conditions, they decided to stay with the 8th station team for the time being.

The unexpected happens! Can we get up there safely?

2:00 AM. Tourists are informed that the tour is cancelled due to bad weather. What does the Kizunaya team do?

Soon after, the 7th station team arrived at the 8th station team’s hut and there was an emotional reunion! Then, it was time for a strategy meeting. We decided to wait and see what we would do next, and spent our time outside boiling water to eat ramen and got some more sleep.
5:00 am. The weather conditions were so bad we could not see the summit. We decided to discuss whether we should go back down or continue our climb.
Some said, “Since we have come this far, we should keep climbing!” while others said, “I think we should go back down.”

In order to respect the wishes of each team member, we divided into three teams: the “fast team,” which had more than enough energy to make the summit, the “middle team,” which wanted to climb slowly, and the “turtle team,” which did not know if they could make it, but wanted to give it a try.

Everyone miraculously reaches the summit!

The “fast team” had great physical strength and reached the summit immediately. The rain and fog made it impossible to admire the scenery, so they spent some time relaxing at the mountain hut at the summit. The “middle team” took a moderate rest along the way and reached the summit later.
The team was moved to meet the previous team and ordered oden, a dish that everyone was enjoying. It tasted amazing. The “fasts” couldn’t stand the cold and went down the mountain first, and the “turtles” arrived just as the middle team was about to descend!
Many members of the “turtle team” seemed to be having a hard time, but they encouraged each other and worked hard until the end. We were very impressed that everyone made it to the summit! It was truly amazing! After sharing our excitement, we started our descent at different times.

We climb down and have a break before heading home…

The fastest team descended in a shocking 2 hours from the summit, and all members made it down safely. Some people felt sick on the way down, but we all helped each other to make it.
We are very happy that everyone was able to make it safely. With a sense of accomplishment and fatigue at its peak, we all went to the hot springs that had been waiting for us, and after a refreshing bath, it was time to say goodbye. It felt great to share our impressions of the two days on the bus.
Each of us had our own challenges, but there were many comments focused on “everyone” or someone in particular, and many words of “thank you”. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to work with this group.

Thank you, everyone!

What did you think?

There is always a lot of drama on a Mt. Fuji climb, but this time there was bad weather, trouble, mutual help, and excitement that only the 21 of us experienced. There are many more fun stories to tell, so please visit and ask your local house members about their experiences! And I’m sure there will be many more Kizunaya family joint projects in the future, so please look forward to our next report!