When in Japan, you can’t miss visiting the iconic Fuji-san! It is so beautiful to see, I think it is worth making a day trip out of it. I’ll help you with all the logistics, details, and everything you need to know to plan your trip!

When to go:

The best thing you can do is leave some flexibility in your itinerary so that you can visit on a clear day. You can follow the Fuji-san visibility forecast to help. The visibility is season dependent, so if seeing Fuji is a priority for you, it could be smart to plan accordingly.

• Best visibility – Winter time (Nov to Feb)
• Decent visibility – Fall and Spring (April, May, Sept, Oct)
• Worst visibility, less than 50% – Summer (June to Aug)

Hiking Mount Fuji:

The season for hiking Mount Fuji is early July to early September. They usually close the trails around September 10th, so make sure you plan accordingly if you want to hike Mount Fuji. We were out of season for this, so I don’t have any tips, but you can check out this complete guide! 

Where to see Mount Fuji:

There are many towns where you can see stunning views of Mount Fuji.

• Kawaguchiko: This is where we went, and this guide will be about visiting Kawaguchiko! It is a beautiful lake town with stunning views of Fuji-san.
• Hakone: We also went to Hakone, but in September our views of Fuji-san were very limited. It would be a beautiful winter destination with views of Fuji-san and incredible hot springs and onsens.
• Fujinomiya: This city is between Tokyo and Kyoto and is the closest city to the majestic Mount Fuji.
• Arakurayama Sengen Park: This is about a 45 minute drive from Kawaguchiko and offers some iconic views of Fuji-san. This is home to the famous photo with a pagoda in the foreground and Fuji-san in the back. I really wanted to go here, but then I read that going to get that photo is a disaster swarm of tourists, and decided it was fine to skip.

Transportation:

We visited Kawaguchiko and took the bus from Tokyo! It worked out decently well, but the traffic coming back into Tokyo was terrible and added over an hour to our drive back. With that being said, for the best route (cost and time) I would recommend taking the bus from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko and then the train back.

Bus Ticket: We bought a Highway Bus ticket about a week ahead of time from Shibuya to Kawaguchiko Station. It costs 2,100 JPY one way.

Train Ticket: There’s a few different routes you can take via train depending on the time and the station in Tokyo. It’s easiest to get to Shinjuku station in Tokyo from Kawaguchiko.

1. You can take the Fuji Kyuko Line local to Otsuki station then transfer to the to the Kaiji limited express on the Chuo Line to Tokyo. ~3,530 JPY one way
2. Depending on what time you’re heading back to Tokyo, you might be able to catch a direct Fuji Kyuko Line to Shinjuku ~ 4,130 JPY

We took the highway bus departing Shibuya at 6:45 am and arriving at Kawaguchiko Station around 9:00 am. 

First stop:

Walk from Kawaguchiko Station to a local bike rental shop and pick up bikes for the day. This was a great way to get around town on your own schedule. We rented all day e-bikes from レンタサイクル富士乃蔵. I don’t remember exactly how much it costs, but I think it was around 3,500 JPY per person. Stop at the iconic Lawson to grab some onigiri and snacks to fuel up for the day.

Fuji-san views:

Since we were visiting in September, we wanted to get views of Fuji-san while we could! We knew it was more likely for clouds to move in in the afternoon, so the first thing we did was bike around the lake to view points. I would recommend going counter-clockwise around the like, heading towards Ubuyagasaki, for good views and a nice bike path.

Then you can go on the lakeside gravel path and follow towards Nagasaki Park for more beautiful views of Fuji-san.

Up next, coffee:

You cannot miss this spot when you’re in lake Kawaguchiko. Head to Nagasaki Coffee for one of the best coffees I have ever had. We relaxed in the cute little coffee shop and enjoyed our drinks.

Kawaguchi Asama Shrine:

Right by the coffee shop, you can spend some time wandering around the Kawaguchi Asama Shrine. We just explored and gave our legs a little rest before our next biking excursion.

Tenku no torii:

If you’re on bikes like we were, get ready for a climb! We biked the big hill up to the Tenku no torii for beautiful views of Fuji-san with the stunning tori gates. We took some photos and enjoyed the view for a while before descending back down.

Snack at a traditional tea house:

After the big climb, we needed a little snack, so we stopped at 古民家なかむら Traditional Japanese House NAKAMURA for a matcha and sweet rice dumplings. They even helped confirm that rice dumplings were gluten free! Then we did a traditional tea ceremony experience and bought some souvenirs from their cute shop.

Bike across Kawaguchiko-ohashi Bridge to lunch:

After your snack, bike across the beautiful Kawaguchiko-ohashi Bridge and enjoy the views. Make your way to Shaw’s Sushi Bar & Dining for lunch. It’s a popular spot and they close lunch at 1:30pm, so make sure you plan accordingly. This place had great food including a whole gluten free lunch set! It was a great spot.

Roam around town or take the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway:

If it’s still clear views, you can take the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway for an afternoon activity! Cost is about 1,000 JPY round trip.

It was cloudy when we were there, so we hung out around the base and looked at the souvenir stores and sat by the lake.

Head back:

Finally, drop your bikes off and walk back to Kawaguchiko Station. Take the train back to Tokyo.

Any comments, ideas, or suggestions – leave a comment below!