Kawaguchiko Day Trip from Tokyo

The Sample Plan

Start early because Fuji views are best in the morning. Cloud builds through the day, and one visibility study puts the best window from sunrise to about 8:30. Winter gives better odds of a clear mountain than summer does.

The plan below assumes the highway bus. If you take the train instead, add a transfer at Otsuki.

1. About 7:30, board the Fujikyu highway bus at Busta Shinjuku. The ride takes about 1 hour 45 minutes and the fare starts at 2,200 yen, or 2,000 yen booked online. Reservations open one month before travel and close 10 minutes before the first departure. 2. On arrival at Kawaguchiko Station, leave bags in a coin locker and buy an Omni bus day pass if you plan several bus hops: the Kawaguchiko Saiko Motosuko pass costs 1,500 yen for 1 day or 2,000 yen for 2 days. 3. About 9:40, take the Fujikyu line to Shimoyoshida Station, 10 minutes and 310 yen from Kawaguchiko, then walk ten minutes to Arakura Sengen Shrine and five more up nearly 400 steps to Chureito Pagoda. The pagoda is free. Plan 30 to 45 minutes, more in peak seasons when there is a queue at the viewing deck. 4. About 11:30, ride back to Kawaguchiko Station and take the Red Line Omni bus toward the lake. The Red Line runs the lake's east and north shores every 15 minutes. 5. About 12:15, ride the Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway from the east shore. It costs 1,000 yen round trip or 600 yen one way, departs every 5 to 10 minutes and runs 8:30 to 17:00, until 18:00 from 20 July to 31 August. Allow time for the ride and the view deck. 6. About 13:15, lunch near the ropeway base or the lake shore, then walk to the Ensoleille cruise pier. The cruise costs 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children, lasts 20 minutes and runs every 30 minutes. Sailing hours are 9:00 to 17:30 in summer, 9:00 to 16:30 in other seasons and 9:00 to 16:00 in winter. 7. About 14:30, take the Red Line bus to Oishi Park on the north shore, the classic lake-and-mountain photo stop. 8. About 15:30, museum option: the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum shows dyed kimono art, costs 1,300 yen for adults, opens 9:30 to 17:30 from April to November and 10:00 to 16:30 from December to March, and closes every Tuesday. 9. About 17:00, return to Kawaguchiko Station and catch a bus back to Busta Shinjuku.

The highway bus costs 2,200 yen each way, or 2,000 yen booked online, before local trains and buses and sight fees.

• Chureito Pagoda: free, 30 to 45 minutes
• Panoramic Ropeway: 1,000 yen round trip
• Ensoleille cruise: 1,000 yen adults, 20 minutes
• Itchiku Kubota Art Museum: 1,300 yen adults, closed Tuesdays
• Omni bus day pass: 1,500 yen

What to Skip If Short of Time

With fewer than eight hours on the ground, cut the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum first. It costs 1,300 yen. The lake cruise can also go, since the ropeway deck already gives you an elevated lake and mountain view for 1,000 yen round trip.

Keep the Chureito Pagoda and the ropeway. The pagoda is free and delivers the single most recognisable view in the region, the pagoda built in 1963 as a peace memorial with Mt Fuji behind it. The ropeway runs every 5 to 10 minutes, so it rarely costs you waiting time.

Lake Kawaguchi

Lake Kawaguchi is the second of the Fuji Five Lakes and the main base for a Fuji day trip. The north shore has about 200 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees along 1 km of waterfront, and the Momiji Corridor on the north shore is a famous autumn maple walk that is free to enter. The red Omni bus line covers the east and north shores and runs every 15 minutes, the green Saiko line runs every 30 minutes, and a blue line links to Lake Yamanaka.

The lake itself costs nothing to enjoy, and the shore paths between bus stops are the best free sightseeing in the region.

Oishi Park

Oishi Park sits on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi and is the park most photos of the lake are taken from. The framing is simple: the lake in the foreground and Mt Fuji behind. It is on the red Omni bus line, so it adds only a short hop to your day.

Come in the morning if you want the best light on the mountain, since cloud tends to build after that.

Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway

The Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway climbs a hill above the lake's east shore to a viewing deck that looks across the water to the mountain. It costs 1,000 yen round trip or 600 yen one way for adults and cabins leave every 5 to 10 minutes. Hours are 8:30 to 17:00, extended to 18:00 from 20 July to 31 August.

A bus from Kawaguchiko Station takes 15 minutes and the walk takes 15 to 20 minutes if you prefer to save the fare.

The Ensoleille Lake Cruise

The Lake Kawaguchi Ensoleille sightseeing cruise loops a section of the lake from the water. It costs 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children, lasts 20 minutes and departs every 30 minutes. Sailing hours run 9:00 to 17:30 in summer, 9:00 to 16:30 in other seasons and 9:00 to 16:00 in winter, so check the last sailing if you leave the cruise late in the day.

Chureito Pagoda

Chureito Pagoda is the pagoda on the hillside above Shimoyoshida, built in 1963 as a peace memorial. It is free to visit. From Kawaguchiko Station the Fujikyu line takes 10 minutes and 310 yen to Shimo-Yoshida Station, then it is a ten minute walk to Arakura Sengen Shrine and five more up nearly 400 steps to the viewing deck beside the pagoda.

Plan 30 to 45 minutes at the site, more in peak seasons when there is a queue at the deck. The park holds about 650 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees, with peak bloom usually around the middle of April.

Itchiku Kubota Art Museum

The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum near the lake's northern side displays the tsujigahana dyed kimono art of the artist Itchiku Kubota, in a museum near Lake Kawaguchi. Admission is 1,300 yen for adults. Hours are 9:30 to 17:30 from April to November and 10:00 to 16:30 from December to March.

It closes every Tuesday, so plan around that. It is the main cultural stop on the lake.

Kawaguchiko Music Forest and Other Extras

Kawaguchiko Music Forest is a music box museum. It costs 1,800 yen on weekdays and 2,100 yen on weekends and opens 10:00 to 17:30. If you want a bath instead of a museum, Kawaguchiko onsen baths with Fuji views are mostly in ryokan and hotels on the north-eastern shore, and the Omni Bus Red Line takes 15 to 25 minutes from Kawaguchiko Station to the onsen facilities.

Hotel Mifujien opens its baths to day visitors 13:00 to 21:00, entry until 20:00, for 1,200 yen.

Comparing the Options

Three tours in the catalogue cover Lake Kawaguchi directly, and all three leave from central Tokyo meeting points with no hotel pickup. Lunch is not included, except with the lunch-set option on the $82 tour. On your own, the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku takes about 1 hour 45 minutes from 2,200 yen each way, while the train route runs from Shinjuku by JR Chuo limited express to Otsuki in 70 minutes for 2,430 yen, then the Fujikyu Railway to Kawaguchiko in 55 minutes for 1,170 yen.

Which One Fits You

Take the $54 budget coach if price is the deciding factor and you are happy in a group of up to 45. Take the $82 day tour if you want Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi and Oshino Hakkai covered in one route with a choice of lunch sets. Pay $149 for the small group if a minibus of 15 and a 5th Station stop matter more to you than the fare.

Go DIY by highway bus if you want full control of your schedule, since buses leave Shinjuku about twice an hour and the ropeway, cruise and museum cost 1,000, 1,000 and 1,300 yen on your own. Go DIY by train if you already hold a JR Tokyo Wide Pass, which covers the whole Tokyo-Kawaguchiko journey except panorama seats, while the Japan Rail Pass is not valid between Otsuki and Kawaguchiko and needs a 1,170 yen supplement, or 1,770 yen on the limited express.

Bus or Train to Kawaguchiko Station

Everything in this guide starts at Kawaguchiko Station, the transport hub for the lake. The fastest simple option is the Fujikyu highway bus from Busta Shinjuku, about 1 hour 45 minutes, fares from 2,200 yen or 2,000 yen online, with buses about twice an hour. By train, take the JR Chuo limited express from Shinjuku to Otsuki in 70 minutes for 2,430 yen, then the Fujikyu Railway for 55 minutes and 1,170 yen.

The direct Fuji Excursion limited express does Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko in about two hours, a few times a day, with all seats reserved. For the step-by-step platform and ticket detail, see the full Tokyo to Mt Fuji by train guide.