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Sir Rutherford Alcock
In 1860, Sir Rutherford Alcock, the then British Ambassador to Japan, became the first foreigner to climb Mount Fuji. Because the mountain is sacred to Japanese people, the Shogun at first tried to prevent him from making the climb, but in the end permission was granted due to the British gentleman’s great enthusiasm. One of the men accompanying Alcock attempted to make a survey of the mountain during their climb and came up with an altitude of 14,177 feet, which of course was almost 2000 feet too high of the mountain’s actual height of 12,380 feet (3,776 meters). In 1992, a monument in memory of Alcock’s climb was erected at the point (2,400 meters) where Alcock began his ascent. To promote further friendship between the two countries, every year, the city of Fujinomiya, where the start point is located, invites the British embassy staff to the climbing season opening ceremony on July 1. During the ceremony, flowers are placed at the monument and a reception is held in the village area where the staff stays overnight before making their own ascent.
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