The height of Mount Fujiyama in Japan in meters

Agree, the height of Mount Fujiyama in Japan is of interest not only for schoolchildren in geography classes in the seventh to eighth grades of a comprehensive school. Even we, adults, really would like to know how many meters up this magnificent symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun rises. Why? Yes, we just got used to seeing her from the very childhood on postage stamps, postcards and on TV. It is very peculiar and unusual - Mount Fuji in Japan, a photo of which can now be found in almost any modern guidebook.

In the article the reader will get acquainted with the secrets and peculiarities of this geographical object. Of course, the exact height of Mount Fuji in Japan will be mentioned.

general description

Geographically, Fuji is located on the island of Honshu in Japan, almost a hundred kilometers from Tokyo. According to the latest data, which can be considered the most reliable, the exact height of Fuji in Japan in meters is 3,776 meters, which makes it the highest in the state.

Scientists have established that the mountain belongs to the conical-shaped layered type volcanoes. The last eruption occurred in the period 1707-1708. Now it belongs to the weakly active volcanoes.

To date, this highest point of the island is considered one of the symbols of the empire, a place of Buddhist and Shinto worship. By the way, not everyone knows that in the past Fujii in Japan was a popular art object. At present, on its summit there is a Shinto shrine, a weather station and a post office.

The mountain is a part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

Etymology of the name

In Japan, Fuji volcano is very popular, but to understand the reasons for such fame, you will have to turn to the basics of the local language.

Linguists argue that the hieroglyphs 富士山 used for the name Fuji, mean "wealth" and "noble man." Most likely, these signs do not make much sense, but were chosen because of their sound. At least, there is no information about the origin of the given name.

In the Japanese tale "Taketori Mononatari" (X century) it is asserted that the name appeared from the words "immortality" (不死 fushi, fuji) and "a lot of soldiers" (富 fu and 士 si, ji).

According to folk etymology, the name of the mountain came from 不二 - "incomparable". Another assumption is the basis of the word 不尽, meaning "inexhaustibility".

There are alternative versions of the origin of the name. Hirata Atsutane - a scholar of the Edo period - believed that her famous mountain name in Japan Fujiyama received from an expression meaning "a mountain standing gracefully like a rice ear". The British missionary J. Batchelor (1854-1944) was sure that the mountain was named after the fire deity Camuy Futi, and the word belongs to the Ainu language. But this version was refuted by the Japanese linguist Kindaiity Kesuke.

In modern toponymy it is assumed that the word "Fuji" refers to the language of Yamato and means "a beautiful long slope".

Geological features

Mt. Fujiyama, whose photo can not but astonish the imagination of even the most experienced travelers, rises above the ancient volcanoes in a zone of prolonged volcanic activity, where the Eurasian, Philippine and Okhotsk plates converge.

The formation of the object occurred in 4 stages. First, from the streams of andesite, the Saint-Kamitake volcano was formed, replaced by the basalt volcano Komitake. About 80 thousand years ago, "Old Fuji" appeared. The volcano "Young Fuji" was born 11,000-8,000 years ago. For several thousand years on the mountain volcanic explosions occurred, and then - lava eruptions. The current stage of the development of the volcano is characterized by magmas from basalt. Thanks to this on the slopes of the mountain there were crevices and depressions, and north of the object there were five lakes Fuji, which are now a popular holiday destination in Japan.

In total, since 781 Fujiyama, whose height exceeds 3000 meters, erupted 12 times. The largest basaltic eruptions were recorded in 800, 864 and 1707-1708. The last release was the strongest for all time.

By the way, not everyone knows that after the above-mentioned events on the eastern side of the slope formed the crater Hoey-zan, and the city of Edo (Tokyo) was covered with a thick layer of ash. Mount Fuji has the appearance of a cone and is a typical stratovolcano.

Is it possible to consider a volcano as active?

In the history of the volcano, there were 19 eruptions, and today it is considered to be active, but is now in a dormant state, since the last activity was observed over 300 years ago. The diameter of the crater of the mountain is 505 m and has a depth of 200 m.

The height of Mount Fuji in Japan is impressive, but if you look inside, for example, from an airplane, you can pay attention to the fact that the crater is like a lotus flower framed by crests, like petals. The volcano has a long history. Several stages of its activity are distinguished.

The natural landscape of mountain slopes is unique and diverse. Here grow cherry and plum gardens, deciduous and coniferous forests, spread out rice plantations. This place is of special interest for tourists from all over the world who want to conquer the top of the volcano. Fujiyama (height is more than 3000 meters) is open to travelers. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that climbing the mountain takes up to 8 hours, and descent - 5 hours, so without good physical preparation here simply can not do.

History of the ascent

Annually the volcano visits up to 200 000 people, including foreign tourists. The safest period for climbing is July-August. For tourists, there are rescue centers and Japanese Yamagoya, where you can have a snack and rest.

In other months, the top is covered with snow. The height of Fujiyama in Japan is such that, on the recommendation of specialists, it had to be divided into several so-called levels. Now there are 10 of them. Up to the fifth of them, there is a toll road, buses run. Here there are restaurants, parking. From the 5th to the top, only 4 routes are open. There are also several ways from the foot of Fujiyama. Traveling on any of the routes takes from 3 to 8 hours, and descent - from 2 to 5 hours.

In addition to these routes, to the top are roads for bulldozers that are used to deliver goods and evacuate people in emergency cases. They are not protected from rockfall and are dangerous for pedestrian ascents.

The height of Mount Fujiyama in Japan. Fairy Tales and Myths

The legend says that in 286 BC. The bowels of the earth in these parts moved apart, and a large lake of Biwa formed, and from the remaining ground grew Mount Fuji. And this is practically the case. Honshu Island is located in the Pacific seismic zone at the junction of several lithospheric plates. The mountain itself stands in the region of the transverse fault.

Each year in Japan, there are about 1500 earthquakes of varying intensity, volcanic eruptions and thermal springs occur, and individual parts of the earth's crust slowly rise and fall. Up to 4 shocks per day are recorded.

For the Japanese, the Fuji volcano is a sacred place where the gods live and the gates to hell open. Mountains of this kind have always been associated with the model of the universe and the center of the world, symbolized peace. This attitude of people towards the volcano is explained by the fact that the beauty of Fuji is not eternal, it can disappear ever again.

Features of flora

Interest is not only such an object parameter, as height. Fujiyama in Japan is the place where certain representatives of the flora grow.

At the foot of the mountain you can see plum and cherry trees, rice fields are broken . Camels, laurel trees, oaks, pines, cypresses and thuja are found in the forests preserved on the slopes. The trunks of the trees are lined with stalks of lianas, grapes or ivy. The earth is covered with a carpet of fern.

The climate of the middle reaches is cooler, and in these areas broad-leaved trees predominate: oaks, chestnuts, beeches, ash and maples. A little higher begins the realm of conifers: spruce, fir, larch and yew. The upper tiers of the volcano are occupied by Ledum, rhododendron, cowberry and meadows. The peak itself is covered with snow for most of the year.

What threatens sorrow today

Now the volcano is in critical condition, and the fault was the strongest earthquake that happened off the coast of Japan in March 2011. The 9-magnitude tremors and the devastating tsunami led to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, jeopardized the entire Japanese archipelago and seriously endangered the volcano.

Such data was provided by a team of Japanese and French researchers who are confident that Fujiyama can wake up.

Excursions

Fuji is a symbol of the state, and all the Japanese dream to climb to the top of the mountain. It is associated with the divine purity, the strength of the nation and the country.

True, you can only climb in the summer months. In the Edo period, there were more than 800 societies that followed the ascent. The ascent to Fuji was difficult and difficult. People wore straw hats and stocked long staffs.

Now everything is much simpler, and for tourists all the conditions are created that facilitate the way to the top, half of which can be done by bus or car.

Excursions are not hampered even by the fact that the mountain belongs to the Shinto temple. Under the control of the country, only the routes laid for the ascent to the summit remain and the weather station.

Horrors

Not everyone is aware of the fact that the mountain keeps in itself several really chilling secrets. At the base of the volcano there is a national park Aokigahara, who got his grim reputation after the publication in 1993 of the book Vataru Tsurumi "Complete Guide to Suicide." The author called the forest planting an ideal place for taking care of life. The book became a bestseller in Japan, and it is often found near dead people who have died in the forest. The park frightens its silence. People who get in there seem to be haunted by someone.

In Japan, this place was called the forest of suicides. Only in 2002, about 80 dead bodies were found on its territory. Despite the fact that there are tourist trails to the top of the volcano, travelers rarely visit these places. The mythology of Japan also says that the forest serves as a haven of black power. In the XIX century. The inhabitants of the country brought here and left children and old people who could not feed themselves.

In the depths of the forest there are reserves of iron ore. Compasses stop working in people in these areas. In the caves inhabited by snakes, wild dogs and foxes.

Today, CCTV cameras are installed in the forest, and a special employee is on duty around the clock.

Curious facts about the volcano

The volcano refers to the active sanctuaries of the Shinto. Here there are religious buildings of this faith.

Thanks to ancient Japanese engravings, the opinion was formed that the white beauty of the mountain is endless. But the statement that the top of the volcano is always covered with snow is erroneous. In the period from July to September, the snow cover on the mountain completely disappears.

When climbing Fuji tourists are prohibited from throwing out trash, as warned by special signs. A package is issued for these purposes.

Travelers built toilets with heated seats, powered by solar panels.

The top of the mountain is not particularly suitable for flying on a paraglider. The reasons are heavy cloudiness and wind. For classes, the slopes between Subasiri and Gothemba are most often used.