Rising from the Pacific coast of central Honshu, Mount Fuji is Japan’s iconic sacred mountain – an active volcano whose elegantly sloping flanks have inspired painters, printers, poets and Shinto mystics for many centuries.

A well-known saying asserts that it’s unlucky to climb the peak twice, but a huge number of outdoors enthusiasts and pilgrims make the ascent each summer, when the summit is ice-free and easily accessible to anyone with sufficient stamina. Less adventurous souls can admire its beautiful shape from the shores of the four lakes lapping the mountain’s base.