A simulation for the summit-curious that’ll literally blow you away.

Mt Fuji is on the bucket list for a lot of hikers, but did you know there’s a way you can experience what it’s like to be at the summit without having to take on the arduous climb?

▼ One local recently tipped us off to the unique facility, called Mt Fuji Radar Dome Museum.

Located in Yamanashi Prefecture, which is home to one half of Mt Fuji, with Shizuoka laying claim to the other half, this unique facility features a former weather tracking station that stood at the summit for 35 years, from 1964-1999.

▼ The original radar dome is now displayed here.

Initially opened in 2004, the exhibits inside the building were fully renewed in 2022 to include information regarding disaster prevention, in addition to mainstay displays on weather observations and history. The below panel is particularly interesting as it shows the work involved in setting up the Mt Fuji Radar System, which was listed as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) milestone in electrical engineering upon its completion in 1964, alongside the Shinkansen in the same year.

There’s a lot to see here, but one thing you won’t want to miss is the “Fuji Summit Cold Experience” which includes wind, video and sound elements that have been updated recently for improved realism.

This facility is designed to raise awareness of the importance of weather observation, and the immersive experience helps to do that by mimicking two types of weather conditions on the mountain — one with wind gusts of 10 metres (33 feet) per second and temperatures of -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) and another with wind gusts of 15 metres per hour and temperatures of -25 degrees Celsius.

▼ The former experience (in red) is dubbed “Sunrise Course” while the latter (in blue) is dubbed “Blizzard Course“.

Each visitor can participate in only one course, and there are some English explanations so you can know what to expect.

Each course takes roughly a minute, so we opted for the Blizzard.

▼ “Please do not enter until instructed by staff”

While we weren’t allowed to film inside the chamber, imagine being at the top of this mountain, only with barely any visibility due to a massive snowstorm, and freezing wind bursts that just about knock you off your feet.  

Thankfully, the snowstorm was depicted on the large screen inside the chamber so we weren’t wet but we were icy cold when we stepped outside. The blizzard’s power was truly incredible, giving us new respect for the mountain and its harsh conditions.

We learned that snowy weather can be severe before even reaching the summit, and after experiencing it firsthand, albeit in a controlled environment, we now know why the mountain is closed to hikers outside of the July-to-early-September climbing season.

▼  A rare place to experience an off-season Mt Fuji climb.

A visit here is a unique and memorable experience, and well-priced as well, with the admission fee for adults being 63o yen (US$4.21) and the fee for elementary, junior high and high school students being 420 yen. So if you’re summit-curious or simply looking for a fun day out, the Mt Fuji Radar Dome Hall is ready to blow you away…literally!

Site information

Mt Fuji Radar Dome Hall / 富士山レーダードーム館
Address: Yamanashi-ken, Fujiyoshida-shi, Shinya 3-7-2
山梨県富士吉田市新屋3-7-2
Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Closed: Tuesdays (open on public holidays, open all through August)
Website

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