Explore the other side of Mount Fuji

There are many ways to enjoy Japan's iconic peak without crowds, from hiking its sister summits to touring vineyards.

- Oliver Berry

"If Fuji-san is wearing his hat," says canoe guide Shinji Toizumi, as we paddle out across Lake Kawaguchi, "it means rain is on the way." He points to the distant outline of Mount Fuji, silhouetted against the rose-pink sky. Sure enough, a disc of cloud is drifting around its summit. It's so common, Toi says, it even has a name here: kasakumo, the umbrella cloud.

He goes on to tell me that he used to be a florist, but his second passion has always been canoeing. We drift into the lee of a wooded island, where he sets out camping chairs and brews a pot of coffee. As the rising sun turns Fuji's slopes red, we sip from enamel mugs, then paddle back to the mainland. True to Toi's prediction, drizzle begins to fall. An hour later, the mountain has vanished from view.

Every year, 220,000 people descend on Mount Fuji, mostly between June and August when weather conditions are favourable for a summit push.

Thousands more come just to get a quick snap, take a selfie and hashtag the view. The mountain is a deeply sacred site in Japan. Since 2013, it's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed not just for its beauty, but also its spiritual significance as the alleged dwelling place of deities and spirits. However, in some places, the overcrowding has become so bad that councils have introduced climbing permits and erected barriers to stop sightseers from blocking traffic.