Japan
The perfect snow-capped cone of Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is a defining symbol of the nation, interwoven in its culture and religion. Revered over the centuries, the mountain, located around 60 miles (97km) west of Tokyo, is seen as many things, including a living being and the home of spirits, deities and the spirits of ancestors. Today, climbing the peak is seen as a path to transcendence by Japan’s two major religions, Shinto and Buddhism. Their shrines line its sacred slopes and torii gates mark the transition from the profane to the holy.