Hi all, I know this is a common destination but I think I’m looking more for advice than for information. I’m going to be in Tokyo May 4th-8th and it was kind of a last-minute decision so I’m frantically trying to research and plan some stuff. I really want to do a day trip to Mount Fuji, specifically the Kawaguchi area. I figured I’d do a tour package to save myself the stress of figuring out transport and because I want to be as time-efficient as possible and fit a lot into one day. HOWEVER…because it’s so close, and because it’s golden week, the tours that look best to me are sold out. These are the things I really want to do:
* Lake Kawaguchi (hopefully rent a bike and ride around a little bit)
* Arakura Sengen Park + Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine + Chureito Pagoda
* Kachi Kachi/Mt Fuji Ropeway
* 5th Station
None of the tours that are still available have the Ropeway, or if it does have the Ropeway it doesn’t have the other things (and instead has things I don’t want to waste limited time on). So, I guess my question is… is it worth it to attempt this all on my own just so I can do the Ropeway? I won’t have a JR Pass since I’m only there 5 days, and I’ve never been to Japan before, but I’ve been reading about the Fuji Excursion Limited and have faith that I could figure all the trains out. However, I’m a little worried about the train selling out, plus figuring out travel between each spot, timing it all correctly, etc. If I messed up the timing I’d end up missing some of the spots anyway and would’ve been better off on a tour. Thanks in advance for any input…
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We were just there a couple of weeks ago. The excursion buses and trains were all sold out, and apparently had been for weeks. So we took the local trains the whole way there (for us from the Hilton Tokyo/Shinjuku Station, it was JR Chuo Line to Otsuki Station, where we hopped on Fujikyu Railway all the way to Kawaguchiko Station). The regular JR Passes don’t cover this line anyway, unless you have the Tokyo-wide pass. I believe it was about $13 each way, and you can use your IC card. Took us about 2 hrs 45 min to get from Shinjuku to Mt. Fuji, so be sure to leave very early.
Then have your IC card ready again for the sightseeing bus route, because the sights at Lake Kawaguchi are quite far from the train station. The sightseeing route goes right past the ropeway and will get you extremely close. The lines for the ropeway were INSANE when we passed by, literally down the hill and around the block, but it wasn’t in our plan for the day anyway.
Chureito Pagoda is quite close to one of the stops along the Fujikyu Railway Line (Shimoyoshida Station). FYI when it’s busy, there is a line to get up to the best photo spot where you can get Mt. Fuji and the pagoda together in one picture. Again, the line was massive and spiraled down the hill. It looked to be hours long, so we didn’t bother. We got really nice pictures elsewhere anyway!
I am planning on doing it on my own, mainly because the tours all seem to bring you to a mall or market for like 90 minutes. You can get to Fuji via bus easily enough from either Shibuya or Shinjuku station, book your ticket to Kawaguchiko station for your first 3 bullets (there are 2 bike rentals near the station) and from there you can take the local transport to 5th Station. [http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/](http://bus-en.fujikyu.co.jp/)
I’ll have a 13yr boy who wants to go to the Naruto park so after a little sight seeing we are going to go there.
I can’t be much help but I have the same question so I’m following along 🙂
You could use these day trip itineraries as a guide.
– [LiveJapan: Fuji Five Lakes Day Trip](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-fuji_mountain/in-mount_fuji/article-a0002747/)
– [Tokyo to Kawaguchiko Day Trip Itinerary](https://tokyocheapo.com/entertainment/tokyo-to-kawaguchiko-day-trip-guide/)
– [Truly Tokyo: Fuji Day Trip](https://trulytokyo.com/a-day-trip-to-the-mt-fuji-area-lake-kawaguchiko/)
Just keep your fingers crossed that Fuji San is even out that day! I live super close to it and this time of the year is when it starts getting hidden by clouds.