Mount Fuji is snow-free for the longest since records began after Japan's sweltering summer Japan

Japan's Mount Fuji remained snow-free on Tuesday, marking the last date its slopes were bare since records began 130 years ago, the country's weather agency said.

The volcano's snow cap begins to form on average on October 2nd, and snow was first discovered there on October 5th last year.

However, due to the warm weather, no snowfall has been observed on Japan's highest mountain this year, said Yutaka Katsuta, a meteorologist at the local Kofu Meteorological Office.

This is the latest date since comparative data became available in 1894, he said, surpassing the previous record of October 26, which was recorded twice, in 1955 and 2016.

“Temperatures have been high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, preventing cold air” that brings snow, Katsuta told AFP.

He said climate change could have some influence on delaying snowcap formation.

This year's summer in Japan was the hottest on record – reaching 2023 levels – as extreme heatwaves fueled by climate change gripped many parts of the world.

Mount Fuji is covered in snow most of the year, but during the hiking season from July to September, more than 220,000 visitors trudge up its steep, rocky slopes. Many climb at night to watch the sunrise from the 3,776 meter high peak.

However, fewer climbers climbed Mount Fuji this year after Japanese authorities introduced an entry fee and a daily maximum number of participants to combat overtourism.

The symmetrical mountain has been immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's “Great Wave.”

The last eruption occurred about 300 years ago.