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The story
On November 8, a Chinese national in his 20s set out alone from the 5th station on the Yamanashi side of Mt. Fuji, which is currently closed for the season, aiming for the summit. He last exchanged messages with a friend around 11:30 a.m., after which contact was lost. Fujiyoshida Police suspect he may be stranded and have searched by ground and helicopter, but he has not been found. During the closed season, the area near Mt. Fuji’s summit is battered by strong winds and ice to the point that ordinary gear can’t cope. On 5ch, opinions split between “it’s his own fault for going in alone during the off-season” and the question of who should bear the cost of the search and rescue.
Nov 10 (Tue) 19:05 — YBS Yamanashi Broadcasting
Contact was lost with a Chinese national who had been climbing toward the summit of Mt. Fuji, currently closed for the season, on the 8th. Police suspect he may be stranded and have been searching with rescue teams and a helicopter, but he has not yet been found.
According to Fujiyoshida Police, the man, a Chinese national in his 20s, set out alone on the 8th from the 5th station on the Yamanashi side of Mt. Fuji toward the summit. Contact was lost after he exchanged messages with a friend around 11:30 a.m.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
This happened in a single night
Seriously, this
We don't need low-class people, regardless of nationality
Because the mountain is there.
Because fools love high places (riffing on the old saying that "fools and smoke both love heights")
I think that's good enough
Don't go near Fuji when it's raging
And solo, no less?
What a hassle
"Require insurance" — if someone climbs during closure without insurance, there's nothing you can do about it.
"Just close off the trailheads during closure" — they already built gates, and people sneak around the side anyway.
So, what do we do?
Station volunteer watchers permanently at the gates
Make them prepay the rescue costs
There are still Japanese climbers resting on Mt. Meili (Meili Snow Mountain) too
Their bodies were never recovered
Rescue can wait till spring
He might already be dead anyway
I bet the search team's car radio will be playing "Haru Ichiban" (a classic song about the first spring gale) lol
if you're still near the summit of Mt. Fuji around midday,
that alone basically counts as being stranded.
Getting back down is already impossible by then.
That's too early
Past 2 p.m. is when it gets dangerous
Re: #1
The friend who lost contact with him called 110 (Japan's emergency police line)
Oh really
Even though there's a travel advisory in place
The police should figure that out too
If the rescue team just pretends to go help without actually climbing, it's a win-win, eh
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Mt. Fuji typically closes for the season in early September, after which winter wind speeds near the summit can reach several dozen meters per second and temperatures drop well below freezing. Climbing during the closed season isn’t an offense under any ordinance — it has traditionally been treated as entering at one’s own risk — and even where gates exist, there are structural limits, since people can simply slip around the side. The cost of rescues carried out by police, fire departments, and disaster-response helicopters is basically covered by public funds, and Japan has almost no system in place to bill the stranded person or their family. On the thread, comments like “stop using tax money for searches” and “insurance should be mandatory” came up, but these reflect a long-running debate aimed at off-season climbers in general, regardless of nationality. As of this report, neither the climber’s fate nor the detailed circumstances have been confirmed, and it’s worth noting that the nationality information in the article is based on a police announcement.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Chinese Climber Possibly Lost on Off-Season Mt. Fuji — Went Solo for the Summit, Now Unreachable; Blizzard Hampers Search, Yamanashi.”
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