A search is underway for Matt Johnson, an American man who disappeared after apparently going on a hiking/camping trip to Mt. Fuji:

video can be seen here
http://youtu.be/_NkQNx-Nt3A

Johnson has been an engineer in Eaton Corp.’s vehicle business unit in Galesburg since 2003, according to a company statement published on the website for television station WOOD-TV 8. He went to Japan on a business trip on Jan. 8.

Johnson’s car was found at the base of the mountain, the highest peak in Japan at 12,385 feet, but rescuers were unable to begin searching for him until 5 p.m. Tuesday, local time, because 16 inches of snow had fallen

Most travel guides warn against visiting Mt. Fuji in the winter months. There are also numerous warnings issued by Japanese authorities, such as this one on the Fuji-Yoshida city homepage: http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp/div/english/html/winter_climbing.html

Mt. Fuji is 3776m above sea level and has conditions that kill climbers every year. The official climbing season is limited to two months, July and August. It is considered very dangerous to climb during the off-season.

Winter conditions on the mountain are similar to those found on 8000m Himalayan peaks and are dangerous for even the most professional alpinists.

Three Deadly Reasons to Stay off Mt. Fuji in the off-season:
● Avalanche. Mt. Fuji is the perfect domain for avalanches due to its steep slope and lack of vegetation. When a slab of ice breaks free, hikers are pummeled against snow, ice, and trees and buried as if encased in wet concrete.
● Winds. Strong winds literally blow climbers off the slippery slopes. There have been several cases of tents flying off of the slopes with their occupants onboard.
● Hypothermia. Though not limited to the off-season, hyperthermia is a life-threatening condition that proves fatal if not diagnosed and treated properly. It is the result of a hiker’s core body temperature dropping and internal organs succumbing to the cold.


Those wishing to climb Mt. Fuji in the off-season face considerable danger and a lack of:
●Rescue Personnel
●Mountain Huts. Most mountain huts close at the end of season, but some stay open into September. After September, there is no lodging, food, or water on Mt. Fuji.
●Transportation. The road to the 5th Station is closed for most of the year. Buses, if running, are infrequent and thus climbers become stranded on the mountain over night.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/01/prayer_vigil_held_for_matt_joh.html

Man... 16 inches of snow!? I hope the poor guy's alright...

I hope so too.

>>1 Ok, I'm not directly putting any disbelief into this post at all but what's the story behind the picture? Is it the person that went missing or is it some random stock photo, because Yosemite is in California...the opposite side of the ocean where the man went missing.

its probly just the most recent photo thay had