Japanese Mount Fuji’s snowless peak signals climate shifts

Mount Fuji, Japan's iconic peak, has long stood as a symbol of the nation's cultural identity, spiritual significance, and political history.

For centuries, its white cap has been a symbol of Japan’s natural beauty and spiritual significance. Recently, however, the mountain's peak remained snow-free for the longest stretch on record—since data began being collected 130 years ago. Typically, snow begins to blanket the summit in early October, but this year, the snow remained absent until early November. Local media reported that the first snow was observed on Fuji’s peak, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Fuji has always been revered as a spiritual, cultural, and political icon, partly because its snow-covered summit, which often persists even as lower peaks thaw, imparts an eternal and timeless quality. However, as October transitioned into November, many in Japan felt unsettled by the mountain's bare peak.

“This is the first time we haven’t seen snow on the mountain in November,” said Takefumi Sakaki, an official from Fujiyoshida City, located at the foot of the mountain. “Everyone feels strange not seeing snow in November.”

Standing at 12,389 feet, Mount Fuji is an active volcano and is typically covered in snow for much of the year. However, climbers are allowed to ascend the mountain during a brief two-month window between July and September. On average, the first snow is recorded on Fuji by October 2. 

If November 6 is confirmed as the first snowfall date, it will mark the latest snowfall on record since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1894. For the past month, officials in Fujiyoshida City have been rising at 5 a.m. each day, hoping to catch a glimpse of the first snow on Mount Fuji so they could announce its arrival, according to Mr. Sakaki. It seemed that snow had fallen overnight, but cloud cover prevented local officials from confirming it. Local media shared photos showing a light dusting of snow on the mountain’s peak. 

This year, which tied 2023 as Japan’s hottest summer on record, saw unusually warm weather lingering deep into the autumn. Tomoki Tanaka, a meteorological researcher about 20 miles north of Mount Fuji, explained that while several factors likely contributed to the delay in snowfall, climate change undeniably played a significant role.

Mount Fuji has long been revered as a symbol of immortality in both Shinto and Buddhist traditions. In Japan's ancient poetic anthology Man’yoshu, compiled in the 8th century, the poet Yamabe no Akahito described Fuji as a divine mountain that had stood “since the parting of heaven and earth.” 

By Naila Huseynova