Despite its being an active volcano and its threat of eruption, pilgrims and visitors alike can’t be dampened from climbing the majestic Mount Fuji. The Japanese revere it as the key to holiness. While visitors marvel at its almost perfect cone shape.

Most often, when you see a picture of a snow-capped and almost perfect cone-shaped mountain, you readily think of Japan. Yes, it is a prominent landmark of the country. Its name is Mount Fuji, a sacred place for pilgrimage and a portal to an ascetic life. The Japanese believe that deities and their ancestors live in Mount Fuji so much so that they go up there every summer to worship at its peak.

While the Japanese revere the mountain as sacred, foreign visitors are drawn to its sheer beauty. Year after year, tourists from every corner of the globe travel to Japan not necessarily to worship, but to either set foot on it or to behold and contemplate it personally.

Climbing Mount Fuji may satisfy an adventurous soul’s quest of conquering its majesty, although technically, the ascent is not as challenging as that of mountaineering. Going up to the mountain’s peak is rather more like a backpacking trek. And since the terrain can be treacherous with fiercely fickle weather and high winds, climbing Mount Fuji is not for everyone for some reasons or another.

But if your main purpose of visiting Mount Fuji is to just get a first-hand experience of a pristine and starkly beautiful sight of the mountain, stand from a distance instead. Yes, the best view of Mount Fuji is from afar.

Having said that, let me recommend a few good places where you can get the best view of the sacred mountain.

● The Fuji five lakes of Yamanaka, Sai, Motosu, Shoji and Kawaguchiko. On a clear day, you can even see the reflection of Mount Fuji on the northern shore of the Lake Kawaguchiko.
● From the air. If your travel destination includes taking a domestic flight from Haneda Airport to the western parts of Japan, you will get a closer view of Mount Fuji from above. Planes fly very close, or right above the mountain.
● Oshino Hakkai. This place is located just northeast of Mount Fuji.
● Chureito Pagoda. This 5-storey pagoda on the mountainside overlooking Fujiyoshida gives you an unobstructed view of Mount Fuji.
● Fuji Shibazakura Festival. At the base of Mount Fuji lies the shibazakura flower field. In spring, around mid-April to early June, when the flowers are in full bloom, the Japanese celebrate an event called the Fuji Shibazakura Festival. Aside from getting a good view of Mount Fuji, you’ll also witness the magnificent pink carpet of moss phlox spreading its beauty around the area.
● The Izu Peninsula. From the western coast of the Izu Peninsula, you can get a good view of Mount Fuji.
● Bunkyo Civic Center Observation Deck in Tokyo. On a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji from the building’s 25th Floor.

These are but a handful of the many places from where you can have the best view of the majestic Mount Fuji. Each of these areas, too, has its own unique attractions that are worth exploring. So, if you’re still undecided on where to go on your next vacation, consider Japan and Mount Fuji. It’s all worth it!