Mount Fuji has since time immemorial stood as an iconic symbol of Japan, captivating hearts of both locals and tourists alike. It is the tallest peak (technically a volcano) in Japan and attracts numerous climbers each year. For most of the other casual visitors, there are multiple places from where one can get beautiful views of the peak. There are 5 lakes surrounding Mt Fuji – Lake Motosu, Lake Shoji, Lake Saiko, Lake Kawaguchiko, and Lake Yamanaka. Among the five lakes, Lake Kawaguchiko stands out for its timeless scenic beauty and hence, very popular with the tourists. This post will cover details of the day trip we did from Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko area.

Here is the itinerary we followed and some details of the same –

1. Take the Fuji Excursion train at 7:30 am from Shinjuku station to Shimoyoshida station to visit Chureito Pagoda and Shimoyoshida Honcho Street
2. Take the Fujikyuko rail to Kawaguchiko station
3. At the Kawaguchiko station, buy the unlimited bus pass and ride on the Red and Green lines to stop at below sights
a. Red line: Kawaguchiko-Ohashi Bridge, Nagasaki park, Maple Corridor, Oishi Park, Momiji Tunnel
b. Green line: Saiko lake, Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba
Bonus: If renting a car, one can also cover Oshino Hakkai
4. Take the train back to Tokyo

Getting to Shimoyoshida/Lake Kawaguchiko

Trains and Buses are the most popular ways to reach Lake Kawaguchiko region from Tokyo, most of them starting from Shinjuku station. Both of them take around the same time but trains would be more comfortable and preferred route for most given the hilly nature of the roads. One can also consider renting a car from Tokyo to cover the lake area and back, but make sure to take an international drivers permit with you if you plan to do so.

Trains

The railway line between Tokyo and Kawaguchiko can be split into 2 parts – one operated by JR called the “Chuo Line” from Shinjuku to Otsuki station and the other operated by FujiKyuko Railways between Otsuki and Shimoyoshida/Kawaguchiko station.

Fuji Excursion: There are no Shinkansen on this route and the fastest (and the direct) train to get there would be the special “Fuji Excursion” train. This runs at 4 time slots a day each way and is a limited express train taking around 2 hours to reach the destination with stops at Shimoyoshida Station, Mount Fuji Station, Fuji-Q Highland & Lake Kawaguchiko. Tickets open up 30 days before the travel date and tends to sell out quickly, especially for the earliest departure from Tokyo and so, make sure to book in advance if you want to travel on one. You can also place a request to book on Klook even before the 30 day window and they will place the order on their side when it opens up.

• Shinjuku Station towards Kawaguchiko: 7:30am, 8:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am
• Kawaguchiko Station towards Shinjuku: 3:03pm, 4:25pm, 4:51pm, 5:36pm

The ticket price is ¥4,130 per way, or ¥8,260 for a round trip.

Other trains: Multiple other trains run on these route (limited express or otherwise) every day and can be used to commute to the lake area. One has to get down at Otsuki station, exit and take the onward train to Lake area for the same. The JR line from Shinjuku to Otsuki is covered by the JR pass (weekly) while you have to pay for the last bit that runs on the Fujikyuko line from Otsuki to Lake Kawaguchiko. The only JR pass that covers the entire stretch is the “3 day Tokyo Wide Pass“. Prices on the non Fuji Excursion trains tend to be a bit cheaper compared the the direct train. As always, IC cards are accepted on both the railway lines, so one can just use these to commute between Tokyo and the lake area.

Bus

Buses are the other convenient option to commute to the lake area. There are different operators departing at multiple times in the day from different points within Tokyo. It costs around 2,500 Yen for one way ticket and have to be pre-booked in advanced for your date. If you want to avoid the hassle of changing stations, this might be the option for you. It takes roughly the same time as trains and can be subject to traffic situation closer to the city.

Fujikyu Bus pass

Officially called the Kawaguchiko･Saiko･Motosuko area PASS, this pass offers unlimited rides on the Fujikyu buses in Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Narusawa, Shojiko and Motosuko area. It is valid for 2 calendar days costing 1700 Yen per person and can be bought at the Kawaguchiko station.

There are multiple sights or vantage points along these lines that one can get down at to get different views of Mt Fuji. If you are on a day trip, you can realistically only cover the Red and Green lines as they are much shorter in length compared the the longer Blue line.

Suggested sights on the
a. Red line: Kawaguchiko-Ohashi Bridge, Nagasaki park, Maple Corridor, Oishi Park, Momiji Tunnel
b. Green line: Saiko lake, Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba

More information on this can be found here. Since the weather was bad for us and time was short, we only did the red line and skipped the green line completely.

Note: Many of the images below are not what we took and for representation purpose only (copyrighted to others).

Top sights of the day

Chureito Pagoda

Shimoyoshida is a town which is 15 min train ride away from Kawaguchiko station and forms the first stop on most itineraries to reach the most famous landmark around this area – The Chureito Pagoda.
This pagoda is a 5 storied pagoda situated on the mountainside overlooking the Mt Fuji offering stunning views of the mountain with pagoda in the forefront (and potentially cherry blossoms as well if they are in the season). You need to walk 20 mins from the Shimoyoshida station to reach the base and another 400 steps climb up to get to the Pagoda. There is also an accessible road albeit a slightly longer one to reach the top alongside the steps. Once you are at the top, there is a queue system with rotation involved where you get to experience the view for 5 mins before being asked to move out/down the platform.

We were there at the top by 10 am but sadly for us, the weather wasn’t conducive for viewing the mountain. It was fully covered under a thick blanket of cloud which didn’t budge even after waiting for an hour. We decided to head back to the station to proceed towards Lake Kawaguchiko.

Shimoyoshida Honcho Street

This is a road crossing on one of the busier streets in the area. You get a very good view of Mt Fuji in the background and free to visit. Its a short walk from the Shimoyoshida station and is a must visit if the weather is conducive for photographing Mt Fuji. We skipped this one since the weather wasn’t good for us.

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AJ9fSqADMaRSQsV58

Kawaguchiko Station

The station itself is a point of interest for tourists with Mt Fuji in the backdrop. Another unique thing is the numerous anime themed trains that run in this area.

Lawson Store

There is a Lawson convenience store very close to Kawaguchiko station and is an extremely popular photo spot with Mt Fuji in the backdrop. (As of May 2024, Japanese authorities have started installing a huge barrier to block this view due to badly behaved tourists who are ignoring traffic regulations and leaving litter behind).

Kawaguchiko-Ohashi Bridge

One of the spots on the red line, this bridge crosses over Lake Kawaguchiko. One can get down at one end of the bridge and walk to the other side to hop back on to the red bus to get the the next location.

Maple Tunnel/Corridor

Also called the Momiji tunnel/corridor, its a sight on the red line which is especially popular during the fall season when the maple leaves turn bright red color which the locals call “Momiji”. We skipped this since we visited during the cherry blossoms season.

Oishi park

The last stop on the red line, this spot offers great views of Mt Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko. There are good restaurants also adjacent to this and so, makes for a good spot to pause a bit on the whole journey and eat something.

Lake Saiko

A stop on the Green line, it offers views of Mt Fuji along with the lake.

Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nemba

Another green line stop, this is a traditional village overlooking Mt Fuji.

Even though we have mentioned points on the green line as well, realistically, one can hope to cover just the red line sights on the day trip. You only get half a day in the town.

Our experience

It was a gloomy day around Lake Kawaguchiko on our day of visit. We didn’t get the best shots of Mt Fuji from Chureito Pagoda even after waiting for a while. We didn’t even try going to Shimoyoshida Honcho Street as it would be a waste of time without a clear view of Mt Fuji.

The vegetarian food options around Kawaguchiko station was a struggle. The café itself didn’t have anything to offer. We finally had to go out and get some boxed lunch from one of the convenience stores outside (Lawson I think) which was very average. If you have dietary restrictions like us, I would suggest you to carry packed lunch to save time and hassle.

After purchasing the bus pass, most of the day went by visiting view points without a clear view of Mt Fuji. It was only in the evening when we were returning in the bus from our last spot that we saw a clear view of the mountain. We took a lot of photos from the bus itself and that proved to be the highlight of our day. If you can, renting a bicycle/car and/or staying an extra day in the area can make a world of difference to your experience.

Final Thoughts

A trip to Lake Kawaguchiko to explore views of Mt Fuji is undoubtedly one of the most exciting things to do while in Japan. It also is very stressful or scary at the same time. The weather is unpredictable around this region and statistically speaking, Mt Fuji is only visible less than 50% of the time in the year, even lesser during certain seasons. The thought of having to spend time and money on this day trip on a bad weather day gives you goosebumps. That’s why we suggest to stay a night around the lake region to increase your odds of getting good views of Mt Fuji considerably. The early morning and late evenings are anyway the best times to photograph the mountain with the soft light falling on the mountain peak giving it a glow, or its reflection early morning in the still waters of a lake etc. and can only be possible if you stay a night over there.