Q and A
Scaling Mount Fuji  Q.
My wife and I will be visiting Tokyo and we would like to climb Mount Fuji. We would appreciate suggestions for nonathletes. Arthur A. Delaney, Roslyn, L.I.
A. Almost all Japanese, regardless of athletic ability, climb 12,388-foot-high Mount Fuji once. As a Japanese saying goes, "He who climbs Fuji once is a wise man; he who climbs it twice is a fool." Just proceed at your own pace, and remember that 90-year-olds have made it to the summit.
The season for climbing to the top is usually July 1 (or whenever the snow at the top melts sufficiently) through August. Climbers should be sure to wear sturdy shoes with rubber or Vibram soles, for support and to get traction on the volcanic rock, which can be slippery at times. Otherwise, no special equipment is needed. Most people bring their own food and water.
There are five trails to the top, with 10 rest stations -- some just shelters others selling food and souvenirs (at steep prices) -- on each trail. Walking to the peak from the bottom takes an average of nine hours, but most climbers leave from the fifth station, at 8,250 feet, and make the ascent from there. From Tokyo, you can take a two-hour bus trip from Shinjuku or Hamamatsucho to a trailhead at the fifth stage. Cars can be parked by the trailhead. The most popular route for those arriving from Tokyo is to climb up the Kawaguchiko-guchi Trail, 4 to 6 hours but as long as 10, and down the Subashiri-guchi Trail, about two and a half hours.
Climbers usually try to get to the summit by 9 A.M., before clouds form at the top half of Mount Fuji and obscure the view. To get there to see the dawn, a view prized by the Japanese, some leave the fifth station in early afternoon, spend the night in one of a number of the very basic huts around the seventh or eighth station, and head for the peak very early in the morning. (Hut space is about $35 a person a nght, including two meals; the Japan National Tourist Organization and the Tokyo Tourist Center have names of agencies that can arrange reservations, which are required.) Others leave the fifth stage at 4 or 5 P.M. and climb all night. This avoids the heat of the summer but obviously makes for a more strenuous trip. For climbing at night, you must carry a flashlight and bring warm clothing.
The Japan National Tourist Organization, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10111, (212) 757-5640, has free copies of "Mini-Guide to Climbing Mount Fuji" with information on trails, transportation, lodging and other sites in the area. Yacht Honeymoon in Greece
Q.
In June my fiance and I would like to go to Greece on our honeymoon. We would like to consider hiring a small boat with crew to get us to the different islands. Are there companies we can contact? -- Jo Ann Vizzari, Mount Vernon, N.Y.
A. The least costly approach is to rent a bare boat with skipper; a skipper (or captain) refers to a person hired on for a sailing, as opposed to a crew, even of one person permanently associated with the boat. Here are three companies that can arrange for charters in Greek waters.
Lexow Yacht Charters, Post Office Box 1207, Darien, Conn. 06820; (800)662-2628 or (203) 655-8668. The minimum size is a 46-foot sailboat with one crew member, for $670 a day, not including any food or beverage. There is also a 48-foot sailboat with two crew members for $720 a day. Larger boats, usually chartered by four or six people, include a 67-foot yacht with three crew and three cabins for $1,400 a day, and a 106-foot yacht, also with three crew members and cabins for $2,500 a day. For cruises out of Rhodes (good for visiting the Dodecanese Islands of the Turkish coast), a 46-foot sailboat with crew of two is about $600 a day, with breakfast and lunch daily; dinner is generally eaten on the islands. A 47-foot boat with crew of two is $620 a day, also with two meals daily. The company says it also has 64-foot boats with two crew members for $580 to $740 a day out of Rhodes.
One-way cruises are possible at no extra cost if someone has chartered the boat for the return voyage. Eagle Yacht Charters, 150 Main Street, Port Washington, N.Y. 11050; (800) 766-6412 or (516) 944-6760. For a bare boat with skipper, a 36-foot boat is $2,145 a week, a 38-foot boat is $2,795 and a 44-foot boat is $3,845. (July 25 to Aug. 29, prices are about 5 percent higher.) Crewed yachts with skipper, cook and deck hand start at $5,000 a week.
Valef Yachts, Post Office Box 391, Ambler, Pa. 19002; (800) 223-3845 or (215) 641-1624. A 40-foot sailing yacht with skipper is about $500 a day without food. A 30-foot sailing yacht, which many people find snug, is about $300 a day with skipper. A 46-foot motor yacht is $1,000 a day. The company can get you on a scheduled weekly cruise, with about 20 passengers, for about $880 a person for a week, including two meals a day.  O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch
Q.
I am interested in visiting Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, where Georgia O'Keeffe lived. Is it open to the public? -- Carole B. Okun, Port Chester, N.Y.
A. The home and studio that Georgia O'Keeffe referred to as being in Ghost Ranch, N.M., was in fact a neighbor of a ranch by that name, a guest ranch in the 30's and 40's and a conference center owned by the Presbyterian Church since 1955. At the painter's death in 1986 at the age of 98, her home was bequeathed to an associate, who now lives there; it cannot be visited by the public.
The Ghost Ranch proper offers seminars in such subjects as theology, arts and crafts of the area and various social issues. If there is space -- more common at times of year other than summer -- those not taking a seminar can stay in a room there (with shared bath) for $36.75 a day, including three meals. On the property, visitors can see the Southwestern landscape that O'Keeffe depicted, views that ranch personnel call "original O'Keeffes." Information: Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, N.M. 87510; (505) 685-4333. Windsor Mansion in Paris
Q.
Some time ago I learned that the house that was occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the Bois de Boulogne was to be opened to the public. Is it open yet? -- Elsa Martin, Ridgewood, N.J.
A. The house, Le Bois, where the Duke and Duchess lived in the Bois de Boulogne from 1953, has been renovated, but it is not open to the public, nor will it be, according to a spokesman for Mohammed Al-Fayed, who did the renovations. Mr. Fayed, owner of Harrods in London and the Ritz in Paris, has converted the top floor of the three-story mansion into a private apartment where he stays when visiting Paris. The rest of the house is a museum of Windsor memorabilia. Only scholars, guests of the French Government and members of the British royal family are allowed to visit.