Experience the best of Fujinomiya

Fujinomiya sits on the south-western slope of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, where the volcano's cone fills the northern sky above fields of tea and highland pasture. Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, the head shrine of the Sengen shrines dedicated to the mountain across Japan, stands at the centre of town beside a pond fed by water that wells up from beneath Fuji.

The Fujinomiya route is the shortest of the four climbing trails to the summit and starts from the highest of the mountain's fifth stations. Shiraito Falls and Otodome Falls, curtains of water spilling from volcanic rock, are part of the Fuji World Heritage listing. The grassy Asagiri Plateau has dairy farms and wide views of the cone, and the shore of Suruga Bay lies not far to the south.

Fujinomiya yakisoba is the city's best-known dish: chewy noodles stir-fried with cabbage and pork scraps, finished with a dusting of dried fish powder. Rainbow trout from farms fed by spring water and tea from the slopes also feature. Climbing happens in the summer months, while the cone is white with snow from late autumn.