Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain, rising 3,776 meters above sea level.
Mount Fuji is a nearly symmetrical stratovolcano on Honshu, Japan’s largest island. It stands on the boundary of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, west of Tokyo, and its distinctive snow-capped profile has made it a national symbol for centuries.
The volcano’s present form developed through several stages of volcanic activity. Its last confirmed eruption began in December 1707 and continued into early 1708. The eruption created the Hōei crater and spread ash over areas including Edo, the city now called Tokyo.
Mount Fuji is sacred in Japanese traditions and has long inspired painters, poets, and printmakers. Katsushika Hokusai’s series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji helped make its image famous internationally. The mountain was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013 as a cultural site, not simply as a natural landmark.