A father has landed himself in hot water after leaving his young son on Mount Fuji for several hours as he continued his hike.
The father reportedly left his son, 7, 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. The young child was reportedly told by his father to "wait here" after he had complained he was feeling tired, before the father proceeded to carry on with the walk with his elder son, according to reports from Japan Today.
It was reported that the boy was found near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit, before they informed police.
The father was later tracked down between the seventh and eight stations of the route, reportedly three hours away. He was accosted by police 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. It was granted World Heritage status in 2013.
Located south west of Tokyo, Mount Fuji, is one of the three traditional "Holy Mountains", along with Mount Tate and Mount Haka.
