Fuji City (冨士市) is located in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture.  Fuji City is the 3rd largest city in terms of population in Shizuoka Prefecture, trailing Hamamatsu and Shizuoka.  Located on the banks of the Fuji River, it enjoys a good view of Mount Fuji, part of whose summit is within the city borders.  The city economy is industrial, and the city has hosted numerous paper factories including Nippon Paper Industries (日本製紙富士工場; former Daishowa Paper Industries: 大昭和製紙) and Oji Paper Company (王子製紙富士工場) since the Meiji Period.
  It has an area of 245.02 sq. km along the Fuji-kawa River (富士川) facing Suruga Bay (駿河湾) and the current population is 253,942 (April 1, 2009): the density is 1,040 persons/ sq. km.  This is one of the best places to see Mt. Fuji (富士山).

IMAGE	IMAGE NO.	DATA
Mt. Fuji		Mt. Fuji (富士山, 3,776 m high) stands at 3,776 m (12,388 ft) high and is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖), Lake Yamanaka (山中湖), Lake Sai (西湖), Lake Motosu (本栖湖) and Lake Shoji (精進湖).  They, and Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖), provide excellent views of the mountain.  It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (冨士箱根伊豆国立公園).   In the ancient records (古文献), Mt. Fuji was described as "Fuji-san" with two different ways using Chinese characters: (不二山) or (不尽山) meaning the mountain standing unrivalled in Japan.    The present representation has been used since the Kamakura Period first ruled by the samurai class in the late twelfth century because it implies that "bushi" (武士; "samurai") is rich.  Mt. Fuji has also worshipped by Japanese people.  The head shrine is Fujisan-Hongu-Sengen-taisha Shrine (富士山本宮浅間大社, reportedly founded in 31 BC) in Fujinomiya City (富士宮市), Shizuoka.  There are about 1,300 branch shrines of Sengen-jinjya Shrine across the nation.  They enshrines Asama-no-Okami (浅間大神) and Konohana-no-Sakuyabime (木花之佐久夜毘売命).   Today, Mount Fuji is an international tourist destination and common destination for mountain-climbing.  In the early 20th century, American populist educator Frederick Starr (1958-1933)'s Chautauqua lectures about his several ascents of Mount Fuji in 1913, 1919, and 1923, were widely known in America.   Mount Fuji is an attractive volcanic cone and a frequent subject of Japanese art.  Amongst the most renowned works are "Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku" (「聖徳太子絵伝」, anonymous, 1069), "The Mandala Chart of Mt. Fuji" (「富士曼陀羅図」, anonymous, c. 15th century), Minsetsu Kawamura (河村 岷雪)'s One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (『百富士』, 1767), "Hokusai Katsushika (葛飾 北斎)'s 36 Views of Mount Fuji (『冨嶽三十六景』, 1831) and the first collection of the 36 Views of Mount Fuji (『不二三十六景』, 1852) and the second collection of the 36 Views of Mount Fuji (『冨士三十六景』, 1858) by Hiroshige Utagawa (歌川広重; also Hiroshige Ando [安藤広重]).  The mountain is also mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and the subject of many poems.   Mt. Fuji also houses a warrior tradition: ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present day town of Gotemba City (御殿場市).  The shogun Yoritomo Minamoto (源 頼朝) held yabusame (流鏑馬: the art of shooting arrows on horseback; horseback archery) in the area in the early Kamakura Period.  As of 2006, the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the United States Marine Corps operate military bases near Mount Fuji.
	sfj2009-004	(Thursday 12 March) Mt. Fuji, viewed from "Nozomi" Super express (Shinkansen), presumably in Fuji City
	sfj2009-005	(Thursday 12 March) Mt. Fuji, viewed from "Nozomi" Super express (Shinkansen), presumably in Fuji City
	sfj2009-006	(Thursday 12 March) Mt. Fuji, viewed from "Nozomi" Super express (Shinkansen), presumably in Fuji City

        

Copyright (c) 2009 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.