Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja

Most people who come to Fujiyoshida are on their way to somewhere else: the mountain, Chureito Pagoda, the lakes. Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja is the reason the town grew up. Pilgrims from Edo walked here along the Koshu road, purified themselves, passed under the big torii at the back of the grounds and started climbing. The Yoshida Trail still begins at that gate. The shrine is one of the component parts of the Fujisan World Heritage property, inscribed in 2013, listed within the Fujisan mountain area itself.

The approach is the best part. A long, straight gravel path runs between moss-covered stone lanterns and cedars so tall that the light turns green at noon. At the end stands the Fujisan Otorii, about 18 metres high; the shrine says it is the largest wooden torii in Japan. By custom it is rebuilt or overhauled about every 60 years, and the last big repair started in 2013.

The main hall was built in 1615 by Torii Naritsugu, the local daimyo. To its east is a smaller hall rebuilt by Takeda Shingen in 1561, the oldest building on the grounds, and in all 11 structures are Important Cultural Properties. Most of the layout dates from a rebuilding in the 1730s paid for by Murakami Kosei, head of one of the big Fuji pilgrim associations of Edo. Two of the trees by the hall, the Fuji Taro cedar and a pair of cypresses, are said to be about 1,000 years old.

On the evening of 26 August the Yoshida Fire Festival lights about 80 torches, each around 3 metres tall, along the main street of the old pilgrim quarter. The shrine describes it as a prayer to calm the volcano and a thank-you for the climbing season. Expect road closures and big crowds.

Entry is free. You will not see much of the mountain from inside the grounds, as the forest is too thick. Walk from Fujisan Station in about 20 minutes, passing the Kanadorii gate and the old oshi pilgrim lodgings, or take a bus to Sengen Jinja-mae, which stops at the entrance.