The "5th Station" (go-gōme)

The 5th Station originally indicated the halfway to the summit on a particular route, which has been developed as the base station for each major trail accessible by vehicles.

"5th Station" is a trasnlated phrase for Japanese go-gōme (五合目), which traditionally means to indicate on-site the location approximately at five tenth (i.e. 50%) of the way to a particular frequented summit. In the same manner, there may be the 1st Station, 2nd Station, and so on, where pilgrims would take a rest on a bench, at a tea stall, or in a stone chamber commonly available around the milepost.

In the case of Mt. Fuji, the 5th Station has originally been considered as a border between lower secular ki-yama (木山: "tree mountain") and upper inviolable yake-yama (焼山: "burnt mountain"), and later in modern time became to serve as a base point with facilities after the construction of access roads and parking spaces, from which visitors can embark on to the climax.

Currently the 5th Station is synonyms to the trailhead station for each major route, while other "stations" above just roughtly notifies how far you have reached with the presence of a guidepost and one or more mountain huts depending on the route. Lower (1st–4th) "stations", on the other hand, can be visited along the old Yoshida Trail, but virtually abondoned on other trails.