If you are looking for The perfect day trip from Tokyo, this is it. Standing as one of the country’s most prominent symbols Mt. Fuji is slightly difficult to get to but well worth the visit.
What are you doing there?
Everyone visits Mt. Fuji for a different reason. From hiking the mountain, visiting the caves, fishing in the lakes, or just being there to see the views, Mt. Fuji offers so many different activities and itineraries.
Figure out what you want to see there. Are you hiking the mountain, visiting the onsens, exploring the historic caves?
We picked the lakes because there are not only bus tours straight from the train station but also the ice caves, abandoned silk villages, and much more to do without hiking. Lake Kawaguchi is the best place to get an overview of what Mt. Fuji has to offer.
How to get there
This of course has many factors to it, where you coming from being the main factor.
At every train station, you can visit the JR. Booth for help. There they will be able to reserve seats and create a custom train-to-train route for you as there is no straight route to Fuji; especially not from Tokyo.
Again, we picked the lakes so we told them to book us a route for the Kawiguchiko station.
You will have to transfer trains a few times but in the end, you’re going to hop on more of like a trolly that takes you into the city of Kawiguchiko.
What to do
Because we were staying only a day in Mt. Fuji, the moment we got off the station we put our things into lockers and bought our tickets for the bus tour. Most tourists opt for the red line but personally, I highly suggest the green line.
The green line will take you to some of the coolest spots in the area including Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba.
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba is a traditional village turned tour spot.
The village consists of a collection of thatched-roof houses that have been preserved and restored to resemble a traditional Japanese farming village from the Edo period (1603-1868).
These thatched-roof houses are known as “gassho-zukuri” houses, characterized by their steeply sloping thatched roofs, which resemble hands held together in prayer (the term “gassho” means “to put one’s hands together”).
These buildings have been renovated into souvenir shops, cafes, and craft workshops, and participate in hands-on activities such as traditional crafts like making washi paper or trying on traditional kimono.
The green line also stops at many caves including, the Ice Caves, the Wind Cave, and the Bat Cave. All of these are super cool and only about a 15-minute walk in but do have an entrance fee of about 350 yen per cave.
(You do have to crawl/duck down while going into the caves)
Where to Stay
I highly suggest staying in a traditional Japanese hotel while in Fuji. We stayed in the cutest hotel and Onsen which was literally called the Kawaguchiko Hotel.
They gave us floor mat beds and at the top floor there is an Onsen with a view of Mt. Fuji.
Where to Eat
By the train station, there is a handful of good places to eat including a good tempura place down the street called Fuji Tempura Idaten.
By the lake, there are fewer options. We ate at a local Izakaya and it was super good. It’s called Cooliya.
What makes Mt. Fuji so iconic – Historical Significance
Mount Fuji has been an integral part of Japanese culture and spirituality for centuries. It is considered a sacred mountain and has been a site of religious pilgrimage and artistic inspiration. Monks from Buddhism and Shintoism have made Mt. Fuji their spot for meditation, and some believe that climbing it is a sign of spiritual purification. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was in 663 AD by an anonymous monk, women where not allowed to climb the mountain until the 19th Century
Mount Fuji was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, further protecting and solidifying it’s status as a world wide treasure.
I’ll see you
