How to get to Mt. Fuji / Lake Kawaguchiko from Tokyo
Mt. Fuji is one of Japan’s most iconic symbols, and a landmark not to be missed on a trip to Japan. There are many different locations to see Mt. Fuji – it is a huge mountain afterall! Kawaguchiko, in the Fuji Five Lakes region, is known for its picturesque views of Mt. Fuji, and easy to get to from Tokyo.
Lake Kawaguchiko is one of the Fuji Five Lakes, and the most accessible from Tokyo. The town has a serene atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and many recreational activities including onsens (natural hot springs), hiking, and lake boat rides.
In this post I’m going to share with you how to get to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo, whether you’re doing it as a day trip or spending the night in the area. It will cover what train options there are, how long it takes to get there, how much it costs, and bus options as well.
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Kawaguchiko
Lake Kawaguchiko is located about 100 kilometers west of Tokyo, and it’s easy to reach using public transportation or by car. Options for public transportation include trains and buses.
When to go
Seeing Mount Fuji is not always guaranteed as it is weather dependent. November to February has the highest chance of seeing Mt. Fuji, whereas it is relatively rare to see it between April and August.
We visited in April, and were really lucky to see Mt. Fuji all day long on the day we arrived. However, the next morning we saw a glimpse of it from our ryokan (which was amazing honestly!) before it hid behind the clouds the entire day.
If you are really worried about visibility, do it as a day trip when the skies are clear in Tokyo ☀️
Kawaguchiko vs Shimoyoshida
Depending on your choice of activities around the Kawaguchiko area, you may want to look at getting off at Shimoyoshida Station, or Kawaguchiko Station. Some of the trains below stop at Shimoyoshida before Kawaguchiko, and the fares are slightly cheaper if your final destination is Shimoyoshida. For reference, the famous Chureito Pagoda and Arakurayama Sengen Park are near Shimoyoshida Station. In general, if you are staying the night in the area you’ll most likely want to head to Kawaguchiko Station. If you are going for a day trip and don’t have lots of bags, you can stop at Shimoyoshida first.
For us, we were staying at a ryokan around the lake that had free shuttle service from and to Kawaguchiko Station. We took the train from Shinjuku Station to Kawaguchiko, left our bags at the coin lockers at the station, hopped on the local train to Shimoyoshida and looked around before getting back to Kawaguchiko Station for the hotel pick up. This way we avoided having to haul the bags on the local trains.
Now onto how to actually get from Tokyo to kawaguchiko:
How to get to Kawaguchiko:
There are direct train options from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko, and ones that require transfers.
🚊 Fuji Excursion – Direct Train – 2 hours
Fuji Excursion, or Fujikaiyuu, is a direct limited express train from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko. Price is 4130 one way (about $27 total). The Fuji Excursion departs Shinjuku Station 5 times a day, at 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:30 and 11:34 am. The ride takes about 2 hours.
Tickets can be purchased at JR East website but I don’t recommend this – the site is not easy to navigate, you have to pick up physical tickets, and I had to try 3 different credit cards until one was accepted. I’d purchase tickets at Klook.com for. convenience of receiving it as a QR code, and easy payment.
The Fuji Excursion does sell out – I highly recommend purchasing tickets soon as you know the date you are traveling. I also recommend getting the reserved seats as there’s no extra charge – I took this train to Kawaguchiko and the aisles were packed with people standing the entire 2 hour journey. Select window seats to get views of Mt. Fuji from the train.
Tip: You can sit on either side (left or right) because the train eventually changes direction and both sides will get views of Fuji at some point.
For return journey, the trains run from Kawaguchiko Station to Shinjuku, departing at 14:10, 14:55, 16:22, 16:45, 17:33.
In my opinion, the Fuji Excursion is the most convenient way to travel to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo.
🚆 Train (with transfers) – 2 hours 10 minutes
Take the Azusa train from Shinjuku to Otsuki, then transfer to Fuji Excursion or Fujikyuko Line from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko. Total costs 3530 yen one way ($23) – can be up to 4390 yen depending on the trains.
Interestingly, the Azusa and Fuji Excursion are the same train, but the train cars split at Otsuki Station and head to different final destinations. If you take the Azusa option, you have to get off at Otsuki Station and switch to a local train to get to Kawaguchiko. It takes 1 hour from Shinjuku to Otsuki, and a short 10-15 minute transfer, and another hour from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko.
As you can see, the price difference really isn’t that significant so if you can take the Fuji Excursion without having to switch between trains, I would opt for the Fuji Excursion.
You can also take local trains on Chuo line or Keio line, but these options while slightly cheaper, require transfers and take longer so I would not recommend.
🚌 Bus – 1.5-2.5 hours
An advantage of taking the bus is that there are departures from several stations around Tokyo, and you’re not restricted to just Shinjuku Station. Departures are available from Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara and Tokyo Station. Cost 2200 yen ($14) one way. It supposedly takes around 1 hour 35 minutes from Shinjuku, but the actual travel times can be longer depending on traffic. You can purchase tickets from the official highway bus website here.
Another bus option is offered on Klook. This VIP liner shuttle bus departs from Tokyo Station or Akihabara Station, goes straight to Kawaguchiko. It costs around $20.
Other ways of getting to Kawaguchiko
You can drive to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo, or hire a private car/driver like this one below:
Klook.comWhat is there to do around Kawaguchiko?
🗻Honcho Street, Shimoyoshida
🗻Chureito Pagoda at Arakurayama Sengen Shrine
🗻Kawaguchiko Station
🗻Oishi Park
🗻Oshino Hakkai Village
🗻Tenku no Torii
🗻Along the shores of Lake Kawaguchi
🗻Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
There’s a cute little shop that sells Mt. Fuji themed pudding near Kawaguchiko Station. It’s called FUJISAN SHOKUPAN. The pudding was delicious!
At Shimoyoshida we also found this cafe with open windows featuring stunning views of Mt. Fuji. Menu is super limited but… I was there for the views so that’s okay!
Fujiyoshida Kinseiken Fuji Chaan
フジヨシダキンセイケンフジチャアン
View from our Ryokan (SHUHOUKAKU KOGETSU) room
Book our hotel here!
If this is all too compliated, check out some of these best selling day tours on Klook for Mt. Fuji:
Klook.comCONCLUSION
In conclusion, Kawaguchiko area is easy to get to from Tokyo using trains, buses or private transfers, and offers stunning views of Mt. Fuji from every corner.
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