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Lake Saiko from its western end with Mount Fuji behind
The red five-storey Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it
The clear spring water of Waku Pond at Oshino Hakkai
The Fujiyama roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland
Climbers and mountain huts on the upper Yoshida Trail, seen from the summit

Things to do around the Fuji Five Lakes: 9 experiences

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Photo: Amarpreet.singh.in, CC BY-SA 3.0

Chureito Pagoda, Arakura Sengen Shrine, Fujiyoshida

Climb the steps to the Chureito Pagoda for Fuji behind it

Check dates and prices

Photo: Ximonic, CC BY-SA 4.0

Oshino Hakkai, Oshino

See Fuji's snowmelt rise in the eight ponds of Oshino Hakkai

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Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida

Ride the record-breaking roller coasters of Fuji-Q Highland

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Photo: Geomr~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0

Yoshida Trail, Mount Fuji

Climb Mount Fuji by the Yoshida Trail for sunrise on the summit

Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Fuji Five Lakes curve around the northern foot of Mount Fuji, about two hours from Tokyo by direct bus, and are the easiest place to see the mountain up close. The Japan page covers the classic view across Lake Kawaguchi from its northern shore. This page adds the rest: the Chureito Pagoda above Fujiyoshida, the spring ponds of Oshino Hakkai, the lava caves of the Aokigahara forest, a rebuilt thatched village, a kimono museum, Fuji-Q Highland's coasters and, in summer, the climb itself.

9 things to do in Fuji Five Lakes

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The red five-storey Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it

Climb the steps to the Chureito Pagoda for Fuji behind it

Chureito Pagoda, Arakura Sengen Shrine, Fujiyoshida

30 to 45 minutes, plus queues in seasonFree

A five-storey peace pagoda nearly 400 steps above Fujiyoshida, framing Mount Fuji in one of Japan's most photographed views.

Check dates and pricesMount Fuji day trip with Chureito Pagoda
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The clear spring water of Waku Pond at Oshino Hakkai

See Fuji's snowmelt rise in the eight ponds of Oshino Hakkai

Oshino Hakkai, Oshino

1 to 1.5 hoursGo alone or with a tour

Eight clear spring ponds fed by Fuji snowmelt that spends over 80 years filtering through lava, on the bed of a vanished lake.

Check dates and pricesFuji 5th Station and Oshino Hakkai day trip
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Climbers and mountain huts on the upper Yoshida Trail, seen from the summit

Climb Mount Fuji by the Yoshida Trail for sunrise on the summit

Yoshida Trail, Mount Fuji

Overnight: 5 to 7 hours up, 3 to 5 downBook ahead

Japan's highest mountain, 3,776 m, climbed by thousands every summer through the night to watch the sun rise from the top.

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The red prayer hall of Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine

Walk the cedar avenue to the shrine where the old Fuji climb began

Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, Fujiyoshida

20 to 30 minutesFree

The main shrine on Fuji's north side, at the end of a lantern-lined cedar avenue, with the original trailhead behind its hall.

Been there?
Stairs leading down into the Narusawa Ice Cave

Duck into the lava caves at Fuji's feet, where ice lasts all summer

Narusawa Ice Cave and Fugaku Wind Cave, Aokigahara

1 to 2 hours for two cavesNo booking needed

Tunnels left by Fuji's lava flows, one of them cold enough to store ice all year round.

Been there?
Thatched farmhouses of Iyashi no Sato on the slope above Lake Saiko

Try a craft in the rebuilt thatched village of Iyashi no Sato

Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba, Lake Saiko

1 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

A farming village on Lake Saiko wiped out by a typhoon landslide in 1966, rebuilt forty years later as a village of craft workshops.

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The stone gate and grounds of the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum on Lake Kawaguchiko

See Mount Fuji in eighty kimono at the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum

Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, Lake Kawaguchiko

1 to 1.5 hoursNo booking needed

One artist's life work reviving a lost silk-dyeing art, shown in a timber hall in the woods above Lake Kawaguchiko.

Been there?
The Fujiyama roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland

Ride the record-breaking roller coasters of Fuji-Q Highland

Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida

A full dayGo alone or with a tour

A theme park at the foot of Fuji built around record coasters, from the 121-degree drop of Takabisha to the spinning seats of Eejanaika.

Check dates and pricesFuji-Q Highland one-day pass for visitors
Been there?
Mount Fuji across Lake Kawaguchi from Oishi Park

Watch Mount Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi's northern shore

Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi

No booking needed

Fuji rising straight across the water, sometimes mirrored in it, from the northern shore of the easiest Fuji lake to reach.

Tours in Fuji Five Lakes
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Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Fuji Five Lakes yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Fujikyu and Keio run about two direct buses an hour from the Shinjuku Bus Terminal to Kawaguchiko Station in about two hours for ¥2,200, most stopping at Fujisan Station and Fuji-Q Highland; others leave from Tokyo Station. By train, take JR to Otsuki and change to the Fujikyu line. The Japan Rail Pass does not cover the buses.

  • Getting around

    Kawaguchiko Station is the hub. The Omni Bus Red Line circles the north shore of Lake Kawaguchiko, the Green Line runs west to Lake Saiko, Iyashi no Sato and the caves, and the Blue Line is a quicker way to the caves. Buses towards Gotemba serve Oshino Hakkai and the Sengen Shrine.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, one night is the minimum: Fuji is most often clear early in the morning, and day trippers arrive after the clouds. Two days covers the pagoda, Oshino Hakkai, the caves and a museum. Climbing Fuji needs its own two days in summer.

  • When to go

    Mid April brings cherry blossom to the pagoda and late April to Oshino Hakkai; the first half of November brings autumn colour. Winter is cold but gives the clearest views of the mountain. The climbing season runs from 1 July to 10 September, busiest from late July through August.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need to book to climb Mount Fuji?

On the Yoshida Trail, yes in practice: in 2026 every hiker pays ¥4,000 and is asked to reserve online, with a cap of 4,000 people a day. Trailheads close from 14:00 to 3:00 unless you have a hut booked, and staff check for trekking shoes, warm clothing and rainwear.

Is the Chureito Pagoda free?

Yes. The pagoda and Arakura Sengen Shrine are always open and free. Expect queues at the viewpoint in cherry blossom and autumn season, and respect the residential streets below, where crowds have caused real trouble.

How do I get from Tokyo to the Fuji Five Lakes?

The direct bus from Shinjuku is simplest: about two hours to Kawaguchiko Station for ¥2,200. Trains need a change at Otsuki onto the Fujikyu line, and the Japan Rail Pass covers only the JR part.

Can I visit the caves in winter?

The Ice Cave and the Wind Cave open all year with shorter winter hours. The Bat Cave closes from 1 December to 19 March.

More places in this region

Things to do in Japan

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