Embarking on an adventure to see Mount Fuji from Tokyo or Kyoto is an activity that I highly recommend. Here you have a 2-day itinerary around the Fujiyoshida and Lake Kawaguchi area to make the most of your trip.
The best time to see Mount Fuji largely depends on personal preferences and the type of experience you are looking for. However, in general, the most popular times to see Mount Fuji are:
Spring (from late March to early May): The cherry blossom season (sakura), from late March to early April, is incredibly picturesque with pink cherry blossoms. The contrast between the flowers and Mount Fuji’s snow-capped peak is stunning. Additionally, the weather is usually clear during this time, offering excellent visibility.
Autumn (late September to mid-November): During autumn, the foliage surrounding Mount Fuji changes color, creating a beautiful landscape of reds, oranges, and yellows. This period, known as “koyo” in Japanese, offers a different but equally impressive view of the mountain. Visibility is also usually excellent.
How to get to Fujiyoshida
First of all, I should mention that for this itinerary we chose to stay overnight in Fujiyoshida (Yamanashi Prefecture), as it is very close to the areas we wanted to visit over the two days.
From Tokyo to Fujiyoshida by train:
Train (this is the route we took):
You can easily get there by train (although the journey takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes) by taking the JR Chuo Line included with the JR Pass to Ōtsuki Station. It costs around ¥2,000 (€12) per trip or it is free if you travel with the JR Pass.
After that, you need to transfer to the Fujikyu Line and take the Fujisan Limited Express to either Gekkouji Station or Fujikyu-Highland Station, depending on where your hotel is located. This part is not included and costs between ¥1,100 and ¥1,500 (between €6 and €10).
Bus: There are direct highway buses from the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal (or other designated terminals in Tokyo) to Fujiyoshida Station or Fuji-Q Highland. The journey takes between 2.5 and 3 hours, depending on traffic and the route. It can cost up to ¥3,000 (€19) per trip.
From Kyoto to Fujiyoshida by train:
Train:
Take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen from Kyoto Station to Mishima Station. It costs between ¥10,000 and ¥13,000 (between €62 and €80) per trip or it is free if you travel with the JR Pass.
Transfer to the Fujikyu Line and take the Fujisan Limited Express or Fujisan View Express to Fujiyoshida Station. The Fujisan Limited Express or Fujisan View Express from Mishima to Fujiyoshida usually costs between ¥2,000 and ¥3,000 (between €12 and €19) per trip.
Bus: You can take a bus from Kyoto Station or the Kyoto Bus Terminal to Fuji-Q Highland or Fujiyoshida Station. It can cost between ¥4,000 and ¥6,000 (between €25 and €38).
Lake Kawaguchi
Two-day itinerary to see Mount Fuji
For this itinerary, we will start the first day by traveling from Tokyo or Kyoto, so we will arrive around 11 AM if we get up early, and we will spend two nights in a hotel in Fujiyoshida:
Day 1 – CHUREITO PAGODA AND SHIMOYOSHIDA
We start the day with a trip from Tokyo to Chureito Pagoda, which offers impressive views of Mount Fuji framed by cherry blossoms (if it is cherry blossom season) or autumn foliage in November. We will first stop to leave our luggage at the hotel, and then you can easily reach the pagoda from the nearest train station. From Shimoyoshida, for example, there is a beautiful walk of around 20 minutes to the pagoda.
Once we finish our walk around the pagoda area, we walk to Shimoyoshida to explore the town and take some photos of Fuji from the streets.
We spend the night in a ryokan with views of Fuji. We stayed at one in Fujiyoshida!
Day 2 – LAKE KAWAGUCHI
We take the local Fujikyuko Line train to visit Lake Kawaguchi in the morning. If you want to visit the famous Lawson photo spot, you will need to get off at Kawaguchiko Station, but keep in mind that the queues for the buses heading to the lake are very long. We took a taxi for around 1,600 yen (approximately €10).
If you visit during cherry blossom season, you can take a relaxing walk through Oishi Park, decorated with many sakura trees in full bloom. If you visit in autumn, I recommend starting the day at the Momiji Corridor, near the lake.
We spend the rest of the day exploring the surrounding area, with options for hiking routes, bike rentals, and beautiful picnic spots by the lake.
Views of Mount Fuji from the streets of Shimoyoshida
Accommodation
Kyūshū offers a wide range of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to traditional ryokan. Here are some options for the different stops we made:
Fujiyoshida:
Hotel Fuji Tatsugaoka: we chose this one because it had baths in the hotel. €100 per night
These are some extra activities you can do in the area:
Fuji-Q Highland: if you like amusement parks, Fuji-Q Highland is a park with a huge roller coaster and attractions with impressive views of Mount Fuji!
Fuji Shibazakura Festival: If you visit the country between late April and early June, you can visit the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, where you can see fields of pink moss phlox flowers with Mount Fuji in the background.
Hakone: famous for its hot springs, impressive mountain views, and iconic shrine.
The Fuji Five Lakes: It is not only Lake Kawaguchi; you can also walk around Lake Saiko, Lake Shoji, Lake Motosu, and Lake Yamanaka, each offering its own charm and activities.
JR PASS! That great friend of tourists traveling to Japan, and it is very important that you get it for your trip. Anyone traveling to Japan for tourism purposes and holding a “Temporary Visitor” visa can apply for it. It is a personal and non-transferable discounted ticket specially designed for tourists, allowing you to travel throughout the country. You can access unlimited travel on all national trains operated by the JR group, metro lines (such as the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, the green circular line, or the Osaka Loop Line), buses, ferries, and even airport transfers.
You can find all the information in another article on my blog here.
In Japan they use the Yen (¥), and you can get an idea of its value knowing that ¥100 is around €0.62. We used our credit card to pay for everything during this trip and had no problems.I got this card to travel to Iceland, and since then it has worked perfectly for me on all my trips. Since I have traveled quite a few times to Japan and other countries that do not use the euro in recent years, I was a bit tired of having to deal with exchange fees at airports or exchange offices, the approximately 3% commission my bank charges me for every card purchase, or for withdrawing money… So I tried to find a solution to this problem because, although it may seem like a small percentage, when you add it all up, the amount of money wasted on fees really adds up.So, when I am traveling, I pay for everything with my N26 prepaid card. You can request it through this link.If you have any questions about this topic, send me an email and I will help you, but the process is very easy. Here is the link again: N26.Views of Mount Fuji from the train
