The First Time In 130 Years, This Is The Cause Of Mount Fuji Not Fading

Illustration of Mount Fuji in Japan (Freepik/tawatchai07)

JAKARTA - A rare phenomenon occurs at the peak of Mount Fuji, Japan. This iconic tourist spot from Japan for the first time in 130 years has been seen snowless since October 2024.

Reported by VOI from the Japan Times website on Tuesday, October 5, 2024, this is the first time in 130 years that the snowy mountain looks snowless.

Generally, the snow sheet in the volcano began to form on October 2, and last year snow was first detected there on October 5.

"However, due to warm weather, this year there has not been any snowfall seen on the highest mountain in Japan," said Yutaka Katsuta, a weather forecaster at Kofu's Local Meteorological Office.

Katsuta said the date marks the last date since comparative data was available in 1894. This beat the previous record on October 26, which was recorded twice, in 1955 and 2016.

"The temperature is high this summer, and this high temperature continues until September, blocking cold air," said Katsuta.

He agrees climate change may have an impact on delays in the formation of a snow layer.

This summer in Japan is the hottest summer ever recorded, equivalent to temperatures in 2023. This is because extreme heat waves triggered by climate change hit many parts of the world.

Mount Fuji was covered in snow for most of the year, but during the July - September climbing season, more than 220,000 visitors worked hard to climb its steep and rocky slopes.

Many climb throughout the night to see the sun rising from a peak of 3,776 meters.

However, the number of climbers climbing Mount Fuji this year is less, after Japanese authorities imposed entrance fees and restrictions on the number of daily climbers to fight excessive tourism.

This symmetric mountain has been immortalized in many works of art, including Hokusai's "Big Wave". This mountain last erupted about 300 years ago.