Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest peak, rising 3,776 metres above sea level.
Mount Fuji is a nearly symmetrical stratovolcano on Japan’s Honshu Island, west of Tokyo. Its summit is shared by the prefectures of Shizuoka and Yamanashi. The mountain’s distinctive snow-capped cone has made it one of Japan’s most recognisable natural landmarks and a recurring subject in Japanese art.
Fuji is an active volcano, although it has not erupted since 1707. That eruption, known as the Hōei eruption, deposited ash over areas including Edo, the city now called Tokyo. The present cone formed through several stages of volcanic activity, with the youngest main cone commonly called Shin-Fuji.
Mount Fuji is also a sacred site in Japanese tradition. Pilgrims have climbed it for centuries, and the mountain became a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site in 2013. It is not Japan’s tallest point by a different measurement: its official elevation remains 3,776 metres.