Capturing the extremes: Meet the photographer that calls the top of Mount Fuji home

Japanese photographer Megumi Ueda spends the climbing season living and working at a Shinto shrine near the summit of Japan's highest mountain.

From 3,776 metres above sea level, she photographs sunrises, sunsets and the changing weather while warning climbers about the conditions they may encounter.

Ueda first climbed Mount Fuji in her early 30s after a friend recommended the ascent. She later applied for a job at a mountain shrine, allowing her to spend more time at the summit and take photographs.

A life at the summit

The first season was difficult. She says she had no access to a bath and little freedom, while large numbers of climbers passed through the summit. But the views convinced her to return.

“When I finally came down and turned around and looked at Mt Fuji, all those views came rushing back to me, and I just started crying,” she says.

Ueda has since returned for most climbing seasons. She now works at the shrine, helping prepare meals for staff, while also photographing the mountain.

Every morning, she wakes at around 04:00 to capture the sunrise. “You can’t create that scenery,” she says.

Ueda is particularly drawn to the shared experience of watching the sunrise with climbers from around the world.

“There probably aren’t many places where everyone, people from all different countries, looks in the same direction and shares that sense of awe together,” she says.

Showing the mountain's risks

Ueda's photography is not only about Mount Fuji's spectacular views. She also documents its harsh and unpredictable weather.

Human-caused climate change is having a severe impact on the mountain's weather patterns. The peaks of Mount Fuji typically get a sprinkling of snow by early October, but rising temperatures meant the Sumit was without snowfall until the beginning of November back in 2024.

This marked the longest period without snow since records began some 130 years ago.

Each day, Ueda measures the temperature and wind speed at the summit and posts the information online, together with videos showing the conditions.

She says the visual evidence can help people understand the risks better than figures alone. “At the summit, the temperature is like midwinter in February,” she says.

Strong winds can make it impossible to walk, while poor visibility can make conditions particularly difficult. “I think a lot of people simply don’t expect the weather to be that severe,” she says.

Helping climbers stay safe

More than 200,000 people ascend Mount Fuji during its official climbing season.

Ueda has been trained in wilderness first aid and says she has repeatedly helped with rescues near the summit. She has encountered people suffering from hypothermia after arriving inadequately dressed, as well as climbers who have fallen and been unable to continue.

The photographer says she wants her real-time updates to give people a clearer picture of conditions at the top.

“There aren’t any webcams or anything like that at the summit, so I want to be the one to communicate those conditions instead,” she says. “I’m doing this because I hope that seeing the actual conditions will help raise awareness about safety.”

Japanese media reported that at least six people died on the slopes of Mount Fuji during this year's climbing season.

Beauty and danger

For Ueda, documenting Mount Fuji means showing both sides of the mountain. She continues to photograph the sunrises that first drew her back to the summit, while using her social media posts to highlight the dangers that climbers may face.

“I want to keep thinking about how we can make sure everyone can enjoy climbing the mountain safely and return safely,” she says.

The climbing season has now ended. Ueda plans to return next summer, continuing to document life at the summit and the changing conditions on Japan's iconic mountain.