A father was castigated by the police after leaving his 7 year old son alone on Mount Fuji for several hours as he continued his hike.
In a bizarre incident, the young boy was left sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, with just a soft drink and a snack, situated at over 2,000m.
He was told by his father to "wait here" after he had complained about feeling tired, before the father proceeded to continue hiking with his elder son, according to reports from Japan Today.
Police were informed after the boy was found near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit. The father was later tracked down between the seventh and eight stations of the route, reportedly three hours away.
Police then reprimanded the father when he returned from the higher station, before he was reunited with his son, who was "tired and fussy" after hours of waiting.
The family were said to have been on the Fujinomiya route, which begins on the fifth station on the mountain, accessible by public transport. It takes approximately five hours to reach the mountain's peak and another three hours to come down, according to climbing guides.
Almost 200,000 people climb this mountain every year, but some routes have daily caps on them to avoid overcrowding.
Located south west of Tokyo, around 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year, but some routes have daily caps on them to avoid overcrowding.
Mount Fuji, which was granted World Heritage status in 2013. It is one of the three traditional "Holy Mountains", along with Mount Tate and Mount Haka.
