Mount Fuji landslide: road closures and travel advice
Current status, checked at 11:20 PM Japan Standard Time on September 9, 2026: heavy rain caused two separate access problems on Mount Fuji. A landslide reached the Fujinomiya fifth station parking area on the Shizuoka side. On the Yamanashi side, soil runoff and rainfall closed the Fuji Subaru Line, the toll road used to reach the Yoshida Trail's fifth station.
*The hero is an original editorial illustration of rainy access conditions, not a photograph of the September 9 landslide.*
Three parked vehicles were covered at Fujinomiya fifth station, and no injuries were reported from that landslide. The separate Fuji Subaru Line closure affected visitors and climbers on the other side of the mountain. Authorities had not published a firm reopening time in the latest reports reviewed for this update.
The short answer: do not leave Tokyo, Kawaguchiko or a hotel for a Mount Fuji trailhead until the road authority, bus operator and official climbing site all support the same plan. An open trail calendar does not make a closed access road passable, and a route shown in a map app is not proof that buses or private cars can use it.
This page is a travel decision guide, not an emergency warning. Conditions can change quickly after heavy rain.
Mount Fuji access status at a glance
| Place or route | Side of Mount Fuji | Latest verified position | What travelers should do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujinomiya fifth station parking area | Shizuoka, south side | A landslide reached the parking area shortly after midnight on September 9 and covered three parked vehicles. No injuries were reported from this incident. | Do not drive toward the station until Shizuoka authorities and the route operator confirm access. |
| Fuji Subaru Line | Yamanashi, north side | Closed after rainfall and soil runoff. Current reports did not give a firm reopening time. | Check the official road page before taking a bus, taxi or rental car toward the fifth station. |
| Yoshida Trail | Yamanashi side | The scheduled 2026 climbing season runs through September 10, but weather and access closures can override the calendar. | Treat the road, trail and gate as three separate checks. Do not climb solely because the date falls inside the season. |
| Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotemba trails | Shizuoka side | The official season page lists closure at 5:00 PM on September 10. Emergency closures can happen sooner in unsafe weather. | Check the specific trail and access route, not a general Mount Fuji status post. |
| Fifth-station buses | Route dependent | Fujikyu Bus says fifth-station services are suspended when the Fuji Subaru Line is closed. If the road opens only to the fourth station, buses run only that far. | Confirm the dated service notice before going to the bus stop. |
The Fujinomiya landslide and Fuji Subaru Line closure are not the same incident
The distinction matters because Mount Fuji has several approach routes. A headline saying that "Mount Fuji is closed" can hide which side, road or trail is actually affected.
The Fujinomiya fifth station landslide happened in Shizuoka Prefecture, on the mountain's south side. Reports placed the debris in the fifth-station parking area and described a slide about 10 metres long and 10 metres wide. Three parked vehicles were covered. No injuries were reported from that landslide, and restoration timing had not been confirmed when the report was published.
The Fuji Subaru Line closure is in Yamanashi Prefecture, on the side used for the Yoshida Trail and the popular fifth-station approach from the Fuji Five Lakes area. Heavy rain crossed the road's closure threshold, and soil runoff was also reported. News reports said roughly 1,600 climbers were transported down under the road operator's guidance.
The Shizuoka landslide did not cause the Yamanashi closure. Heavy rain affected both areas, but each route needs its own official status check.
Should you go to Mount Fuji on September 10?
September 10 is the scheduled final climbing day for the main 2026 season, which may create pressure to keep a reservation. A closing date is not a safety clearance.
Use this order before making the journey:
- Check the Japan Meteorological Agency warnings and real-time risk maps for the prefecture and route.
- Open the official Fuji Subaru Line page if you plan to use the Yoshida side.
- Check the official Mount Fuji climbing site for the named trail, gate and facility status.
- Check the bus, rail or tour operator for the exact departure you booked.
- Confirm the return journey, not just the uphill connection.
- Keep the plan cancelled if any authority says the road or trail is closed.
Do not walk along a closed section of the Fuji Subaru Line. The road operator says pedestrians must not enter a closed section and notes that the road has no sidewalk. Do not ask a taxi or rental-car company to route around a barrier.
If the route reopens, heavy rain can still leave loose ground, standing water and delayed transport. Recheck immediately before leaving and again before the last return service.
Can you still visit Kawaguchiko if Mount Fuji is hidden by rain?
Yes, but only if you want a Fuji Five Lakes stay even without a mountain view. Low cloud can hide Mount Fuji for an entire day, and the fifth station should not be the fallback when its road is closed.
A sensible rainy-day decision is to slow the itinerary down. Keep activities near the accommodation, choose an indoor venue listed by the local tourism office, and preserve enough time to return before any weather-related transport change. If Mount Fuji is the only reason for the trip, postponing may be better than spending several hours on transport for a view that the forecast does not support.
Travelers coming from Tokyo should also check the exact train or highway-bus service. A working train to the Fuji Five Lakes area does not establish that the mountain road or fifth-station bus is operating.
What happens to buses, trains and rental cars?
Buses to the fifth station
The Fujikyu Bus guidance is explicit: buses to the fifth station are suspended when the Fuji Subaru Line is closed. If the road is open only as far as the fourth station, the bus operates only to that point. A timetable shows the normal plan, not a guarantee during a weather closure.
Check the operating notice before reaching Kawaguchiko Station or another boarding point. If the road has reopened, confirm whether the first departures are running normally or on a reduced schedule.
Trains and highway buses from Tokyo
Check the operating company for the exact departure and return. Weather elsewhere in central Japan can affect rail lines or roads even when the Tokyo terminal is dry. Preserve a screenshot of the cancellation or delay notice if you need to request a refund from a separate attraction, hotel or tour.
Do not build a same-day itinerary around the last connection home. A delayed fifth-station bus can cause a missed train or highway bus even if that service runs as scheduled.
Rental cars
A navigation app may continue to display a mountain road after the authority closes it. The barrier and road operator take priority. Rental-car insurance does not make entry into a restricted road acceptable, and an ordinary roadside-assistance plan may not cover deliberate entry into a closed area.
Ask the rental company whether a weather closure changes the booking. Keep fuel, a charged phone and the accommodation address available, but do not wait in a roadside area exposed to runoff.
Are Mount Fuji climbing fees and tickets refundable?
There is no single Mount Fuji refund. The hiking fee, bus, train, guided tour, hut and hotel are separate purchases with separate conditions.
Yoshida Trail hiking fee
An official September 6 refund notice explains how an earlier Fuji Subaru Line closure was handled. Advance hiking fees were refunded when the road closure prevented climbing during the notice's specified period. Visitors who had already received an on-site wristband were not eligible under that notice, and eligible online purchasers did not need to make a separate application.
That notice covers its named September 6 to 8 closure window. It does not automatically prove that every September 9 or 10 booking will receive the same treatment. Check for a newer notice tied to your date and keep the reservation confirmation.
Bus and train tickets
Ask the company that issued the ticket. Refund eligibility can depend on whether the operator cancelled, whether the ticket was changed voluntarily and whether it was bought through an agent. A road closure does not automatically cancel a rail ticket between Tokyo and Kawaguchiko.
Tours, huts and hotels
Contact each provider before the no-show deadline. Ask whether an official road or trail closure qualifies for a refund, a date change or credit, and which evidence is required. Keep replies in writing. Do not assume that a cancelled climbing reservation also cancels a Tokyo hotel or onward train.
Mount Fuji trail closing dates in September 2026
The official climbing-season page lists these scheduled endings:
| Route | Scheduled 2026 ending | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshida ascent | September 10 | Road, gate and weather closures can end access earlier. |
| Yoshida descent below the eighth station | Noon on September 11 | This supports climbers already descending; it is not an extra ascent day. |
| Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotemba trails | 5:00 PM on September 10 | Check the named Shizuoka route after the Fujinomiya incident. |
All summit trails are closed outside the official season. Do not interpret a visible path, a map route or another climber's post as permission to continue after closure.
Fifth-station tourism and summit climbing are different activities. Some fifth-station access can operate outside the climbing season when the road and facilities are open, but that does not open the summit trail. Check the road and bus for the intended date.
What to save before leaving the hotel
| Tool or record | Why it matters | Offline backup |
|---|---|---|
| JMA warnings and risk map | Heavy-rain, flood and landslide risk by area | Save the issue time, but reopen before travel |
| Fuji Subaru Line status | Road opening level and restrictions | Save the road authority's contact details |
| Official climbing site | Trail, gate, fee and facility notices | Save the booking reference and wristband status |
| Bus or rail app | Exact departure and cancellation notice | Screenshot the ticket and refund terms |
| Hotel or tour messages | No-show, change and refund evidence | Keep the phone number and address outside the app |
| Offline map | Route back to the station or hotel | Download Tokyo, Fuji Five Lakes and the overnight base |
Japan's official Safe Travel Information page links current warnings and transport information. Its Safety Tips app provides disaster alerts for visitors. The JNTO Visitor Hotline operates around the clock in English, Chinese and Korean at 050-3816-2787 inside Japan or +81-50-3816-2787 from overseas.
Keep 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance available offline. Mobile data and a translation app do not replace emergency services or local instructions.
Keeping road and booking updates reachable
A Japan Roaming eSIM can provide a separate travel-data line for road status, weather warnings, bus notices, maps and booking messages while a network listed for the selected package remains available. The usual SIM can stay in the phone for its normal calls and SMS, subject to the home carrier's charges and device settings.
The live Japan catalog returned 43 packages when checked at 11:15 PM Japan time on September 9. Examples included 1GB for seven days at $1.40, 5GB for 30 days at $5.40 and 10GB for 30 days at $9.40. Those fixed-data examples were marked as eligible for top-up and listed combinations of KDDI, NTT Docomo, Rakuten Mobile or SoftBank, depending on the package. Open the selected card for the current allowance, validity, network list, hotspot terms, speed policy and top-up status.
The useful difference during a fast-changing road closure is timing: a compatible, unlocked phone can have the profile installed before departure, without waiting for a shop near the station, and Roaming eSIM publishes a 24/7 support route for setup and connection help. That does not guarantee mountain coverage, remove network congestion or reopen a road. Download critical maps, tickets and contact details before leaving stable Wi-Fi.
Check whether the phone supports eSIM, read when to install a Roaming eSIM, and estimate maps and messages with the travel data calculator. For a broader comparison of allowances, validity and setup, use the Japan eSIM guide.
Ten Mount Fuji landslide and closure questions
1. Is Mount Fuji closed after the September 9 landslide?
Do not reduce the situation to one mountain-wide label. The Fujinomiya fifth station parking area was hit by a landslide, while the separate Fuji Subaru Line on the Yamanashi side closed after heavy rain and soil runoff. Check the exact road and trail you planned to use.
2. Is the Fuji Subaru Line open?
The latest reports reviewed for this update said it was closed and did not give a firm reopening time. Use the official road page immediately before travel because that status can change after inspection and cleanup.
3. Can I take a bus to Mount Fuji fifth station?
Not while the Fuji Subaru Line is closed on the Yoshida side. Fujikyu Bus says fifth-station services are suspended during a full road closure and operate only to the fourth station if the road opens only that far.
4. Is the Fujinomiya Trail affected?
The landslide reached the Fujinomiya fifth station parking area. Check the Shizuoka-side access road and official trail notice before setting out. Do not infer safety from the scheduled September 10 season ending.
5. Can I climb Mount Fuji after September 10?
No. The official summit trails close outside the climbing season. The Yoshida descent route remains available below the eighth station until noon on September 11 for climbers coming down; that is not an additional ascent window.
6. Will I get a hiking-fee refund?
It depends on the dated official notice and whether an on-site wristband was issued. An earlier September notice refunded eligible advance Yoshida fees for a specified road-closure period, but it does not automatically decide a September 9 or 10 case.
7. Should I cancel a Tokyo day trip to Kawaguchiko when rain hides Mount Fuji?
Cancel or postpone if the mountain view is the trip's only purpose. Keep the trip only if you are comfortable spending the day around the lakes and nearby indoor venues without a fifth-station visit or clear view.
8. Are trains from Tokyo also cancelled?
Road closure does not automatically mean the train is cancelled. Search the exact train or highway bus with its operator, then check the fifth-station connection separately. Preserve a return buffer.
9. Can I walk up the closed Fuji Subaru Line?
No. The road authority says pedestrians must not enter a closed section and notes that the road has no sidewalk. Do not cross a barrier or follow a map app around it.
10. Will Roaming eSIM work on Mount Fuji during heavy rain?
It can use a listed local network while that network, power and backhaul remain available. Mountain terrain, weather, congestion and outages can interrupt service. Save maps, tickets, warnings and emergency contacts offline.
For current plans, use the Japan Roaming eSIM page. This guide will be updated when authorities publish a material reopening, recovery or dated refund notice.
