When the first proper snows arrive, usually from late November, but conditions are still not good enough for skiing, then the low hills around Sapporo’s suburbs can provide a way to scratch the itch. Fujinofuji is a short but satisfying day out on snowshoes that Jeff and I have done a few times, twice from the cemetery as described here and once on a longer hike in from the south. We’ve never met anybody else up there. The summit marker, on the other hand, seems to migrate up and down its tree every time we go. On our last visit there was not enough of a base to make snowshoes worthwhile so we floundered up without them.
On another occasion it was snowing heavily and although there were no views up top to reward our efforts, when we arrived back at the trailhead in the gloomy light the hushed cemetery blanketed in snow was hugely atmospheric.
