Mount Fuji from Tokyo: day tours, lakes and Hakone

How to choose a tour

Fuji on your own: the bus from Shinjuku and the lakes

“Mount Fuji from Tokyo” is one of the most common queries from people flying to Japan, but in practice the trip depends on the weather and on what exactly you want to see. The view of the mountain, the lakes, the Chureito pagoda, the 5th station, hot springs: choose two or three goals, not all at once.

• Bus. Express buses run from Shinjuku bus terminal (Busta Shinjuku) to Kawaguchiko station in about 2 hours. It is better to buy a ticket in advance for the time you want: in season and at weekends seats run out.
• Train. Via Otsuki on the JR Chuo line and then on the Fujikyuko line: longer, but without traffic jams on the road. Around the lakes run the Retro Bus and Blue Line buses.
• Tour. If you need a ready route, take a tour from the catalogue: the bus itself goes round the lakes and photo spots, and you do not depend on the timetable.

The main points by the mountain

Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko) is the most convenient for a walk and a view of the mountain, with a cable car up Mount Tenjo nearby. Lake Yamanaka is quieter and suits swan boats. Oshino Hakkai is eight ponds of spring water. Arakurayama Sengen Park with the five-storey Chureito pagoda gives you that famous shot of Fuji with cherry blossom; in April there are hundreds of people here. The photo at the Lawson shop in Kawaguchiko became popular thanks to the view, but the street is narrow, and tourists are asked not to cross the road in the wrong places. For a closer acquaintance with the mountain there is the 5th station (Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station), which the road climbs to; in summer the road may be closed to private vehicles.

Climbing to the summit is possible only in summer: the season begins in July and ends in early September. On the Yoshida trail a mandatory fee and a daily visitor limit have been in place since 2025, so reservations are made in advance. For an ordinary day at the 5th station a walk and photos are enough.

Which tickets and tours there are

Prices are as of 10 October 2026. Check the contents, language and conditions on the page of the offer you choose.

What else is nearby

See Hakone and Nikko. All offers: excursions near Mount Fuji and in Hakone.

Restrictions and tips

• The weather decides everything. Fuji is often hidden by clouds, especially in the afternoon and in summer. It is best seen in the early morning, in winter and in autumn; check the forecast the day before and take a tour where the stops follow one another.
• Clothing. At the 5th station (about 2,300 metres) it is cold even in July: you need a windbreaker and closed shoes. By the lakes it is warmer, but the wind is stronger than in the city.
• Drones and photos. In the national park and around the lakes drones are restricted. Do not enter private fields and do not step onto the roadway for a shot.
• Queues and crowds. Arrive for the first wave of buses, at about 8–9 am. By sunset there is a long queue for a shot at the Chureito pagoda.
• Passport. It is needed for issuing tickets and when boarding the tour bus. Hakone and Fuji are often combined in one tour, but in practice it is a very long day.

The description is based on Trip.com cards; opening hours and the contents of offers may change.