A new month has just started. July is shichi gatsu(七月) in Japanese. Its old name is Fuduki or Fumiduki (文月), literally letter month.
July 1 is known as Fujisan yamabiraki (富士山山開き), the opening of the Mt. Fuji (See the picture) to climbers. The most popular period for people to hike up Mt. Fuji is from July 1 to August 27 while huts and other facilities are operating. Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Its height is 3,776 m or 12,388 ft. Some people climb the mountain at night in order to be in a position at or near the summit when the sun rises. We call this sunrise goraiko (御来光).
I have climbed Mt. Fuji once in the summer of 1984. For me once is enough but some people climb there every year.
Mt. Fuji is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖), Lake Yamanaka (山中湖), Lake Sai (西湖), Lake Motosu (本栖湖), and Lake Shoji (精進湖). We call these lakes Fuji go ko (富士五湖).
The area is a national park called Fuji Hakone Izu Kokuritsu koen (富士箱根伊豆国立公園). I hope you will have a chance to visit there someday.
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