A Chinese national had to be rescued twice from the slopes of Mount Fuji in the space of a week after he returned to the mountain peak to retrieve his phone. The 27-year-old, who has not been named, had been living in Japan, studying at a university, when he first decided to climb the country's tallest peak in the off season, according to a report in The Independent.
The man was airlifted the first time while on the Fujinomiya trail, about 3,000m above sea level, on the mountain's Shizuoka Prefecture side. However, he became the subject of a second search only four days later when he decided to recover his belongings that he had left behind, including his phone.
It remains unclear if he had managed to retrieve the phone, but rescue officials soon recognised that he was the same man they had rescued a few days earlier.
The Shizuoka prefectural police's mountain rescue officers brought the man back on a stretcher and handed him over to the fire department.
"He was suspected of having altitude sickness and was taken to hospital," a police spokesperson told the media.
Notably, Mount Fuji is covered in snow for the major part of the year but during the summer hiking season, many professional as well as amateur climbers trudge up its steep, rocky slopes through the night to see the sunrise. The climbing season traditionally begins from 1 July and stretches up to September, with over 200,000 hikers attempting the summit annually.
However, the authorities usually discourage climbers from hiking Mount Fuji during the off-season due to the risk of death or injury from harsh conditions.
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Mount Fuji entry fee
Owing to the high number of foreign tourists that visit the mountain peak every year, leading to overcrowding, the local authorities last month passed a bill. Hikers attempting any of Mount Fuji's four main trails will be charged an entry fee of Rs 2,333 (4,000 yen).
A cap on daily entries and online reservations were also brought in on that trail by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on Fuji's majestic slopes.
