This sublime beauty Mt. Fuji is the pride of Japan and Japanese people. It is 3,776m from the ground and the highest mountain in Japan.  But the popularity of Mt. Fuji is not only because of its height but of its beautiful appearance with white snow veil on the top of the mountain all year around.

If you happen to be there during the open season (from early July to early September), you can climb up the mountain but you need to be well-prepared as it may not be an easy climbing like hiking. Click here for the official website for more details.

OR if you rather want to sit back and simply appreciate its beauty from the distance, you can visit one of the five lakes that surround Mt. Fuji. You will see the ultimate beauty of Mt. Fuji with serene lake, a picture perfect scenery! And if that sounds good to you, we recommend you to visit Lake Kawaguchi! (Kawaguchi-Ko in Japanese)

There are two major ways to get to Lake Kawaguchi. One is by express bus and another is by train. You can catch an express highway bus (Kohsoku bus) from Shinjuku Station. It takes about 2 hours, if no traffic jams, and cost you ¥1,700 per person. If you don’t trust the busy streets of Japan (I am saying this as it has once taken me 5 hours during holiday season via highway!), catch JR Chuo Line Limited Express from Shinjuku Station to Otsuki Station (1 hour) then change to Fuji-kyuko Line at Otsuki Station to Kawaguchi-ko Station for 50 minutes more. The total fare is about ¥3,000 per person. It is still possible to do this as a day trip from Tokyo if you don’t have enough time to stay overnight. Kawaguchi-ko Station does not stand by the lake so you may need to catch a taxi or local bus depending on the destination you want to go.

If you are interested in Onsen hot spring, we definitely recommend you to stay overnight to enjoy the most of it, as many accommodations in Lake Kawaguchi offer you nice outside open-air Onsen bath (called Roten-buro) with a fantastic view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. A best way to indulge yourself at the end of the day, or even in a morning to start a day!

Lake Kawaguchi town also has many attractions such as museums and gardens. For example, Music Forrest Museum exhibits different music boxes in a pretty building with a pleasant garden by the lake. A great place to have a cup of tea. You can visit the official website of Lake Kawaguchi town for more details.

If you are with children or if you seek for some adrenalin, why don’t you go to the amusement park: Fuji-Q Highland. Can you imagine how it is like to go on a super roller coaster ride whilst you are looking at Mt. Fuji?

Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchi