Tokyo Day Trips: Lake Kawaguchiko

This was our first day trip in Japan and its major purpose was to get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. We missed climbing season by one month and had to settle for getting some great pictures of the mountain instead. There were several ways to do this. Our choices were: travel to Hakone, Lake Kawaguchiko, Fuji Fifth Station or try to do a combination of the three. In the end we settled on a single day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko, the most developed of the five Fuji lakes. In the end, this trip offered the best views for the least amount of money and we couldn’t have been happier with the results. Essentially, we got our pictures and there was plenty to do. It was also easy to get around and Mt. Fuji was always in sight.

Of course, Lake Kawaguchiko is most famous for its views of Mt. Fuji, but you certainly won’t get bored while visiting. The second most famous attraction at the lake is a short gondola up to a viewing station. The ropeway does offer incredible views of the mountain. At the top of the gondola, you’ll find food, bathrooms, and a short hiking trail. Do it! It’s very short, more private and offers better views than the actual platform. Hike until you come to a rabbit shrine and then stop. You can’t miss it. It’s rabbit sized and covered in acorns. This could quite possibly be the best part of your trip. It’s hard to beat being alone in the woods with great big mountain like Fuji to keep you company.

When you finish having a moment with the mountain and have paid your respects to the rabbits, head back down to the gondola. The hike does continue on, but it’s a little too intense for a single day trip. The ropeway is fun, but the best views of Mt. Fuji are actually on the other side of the lake. From the ropeway, hop on the retro bus and take it to the very last stop: Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center. It’s a short ride and the buses run every 15 minutes.

At this stop, you’ll find more bathrooms, food and another trail offering great views of Mt. Fuji. This trail follows the lake’s edge and wonders through a pretty flower garden as well. You’ll probably see some fishing boats, and even some lucky buggers water skiing and tubing on the lake. (New life goal: do water sports on a volcanic lake beneath Mt. Fuji. Looks like I have to go back.) At the very least, you’ll be able to walk down and put your feet in the water. It felt pretty cold when we were there.

To get more views of the volcano, we hopped back on the retro bus and took it to Nagasaki Park. There are no facilities here, but it is a nice quiet lakeside trail. We ran into a few families picnicking by the lake and several bikers. (If only we had known there were bikes! This would have been a very different trip.) Follow the trail until it spits you back out on the road and continue walking until you reach signs for the Itchiku Gallery.



Here, you’ll be able to get back on the bus and take it anywhere you want to go. We decided to stay and check out the gallery before continuing on. Itchiku was a famous kimono designer who revived one of the oldest traditional fabric dying methods, which had previously been lost to history. The process is similar to really intricate tie-dying, emphasis on REALLY INTRICATE. Itchiku definitely made the process his own and his work has been displayed across the globe, including in Washington D.C.

As you can imagine from his work, Itchiku was not a boring man and his gallery reflects this. It’s beautifully designed with a flowing architectural pattern and excessive attention to detail. There’s even a beautiful wooded garden behind the gallery that’s included in your admission ticket. Check it out. It has a pretty little waterfall and apparently Itchiku had a thing for doorways. Maybe he believed in the fairy folk? You’ll see what I mean.

After our gallery visit, the buses were about to stop and it was time to head back to Kawaguchiko Station for dinner. If you have more time, the Musical Forest and Craft Fair look interesting or you can even backtrack to the ropeway and rent a paddle boat for half an hour. This last option was seriously tempting, but we decided to skip it in favor of some really good food. Priorities!

In all seriousness, this dinner was one of the highlights of this trip and you simply must eat here if you visit. Fuji Tempera is a great tempura restaurant that’s a short walk from the train station. The food was affordable, filling and delicious. It was the best tempura experience we had while in Japan. There you go: Fuji and fried things. What more could you want?

Getting Around

Reserve your bus tickets. DO IT! I don’t care if you want to go at six in the morning on a Wednesday, reserve your tickets! This trip almost didn’t happen for us because NO ONE online talked about reserving the stupid bus tickets. Basically, we were extremely lucky and there were some no shows, which allowed us to hop on an otherwise completely full bus. I think you can reserve tickets online, but I’m not certain. Have fun figuring that out.

The buses depart every 30 minutes from Shinjuku Station. Do not be fooled by the frequency and reserve your tickets! You have been warned. It costs just under $2,000 JPY per person for a one-way ticket. You shouldn’t be, but if you’re buying tickets on the fly, you will not be able to purchase a round-trip ticket until you arrive at Kawaguchiko Station. Make sure to do this as soon as you arrive as the buses fill up fast.

From Shinjuku Station, it’s a two-hour trip to the lake so get an early start. At the very latest, try to be on a bus by nine in the morning and reserve your return tickets for some time after dinner. The stop for the lake is called Kawaguchiko Station. It’s a nice station with bathrooms, food and even a souvenir shop in case you feel the need to purchase some legitimate Mt. Fuji waters.

Kawaguchiko Station is also where you buy any lake passes that you may want. The most popular tourist pass includes discounted ropeway tickets, a ferry ride and an all-day retro bus pass. Of course, we decided to skip this and just purchase two all-day bus passes. If we had known about the bike rentals, we might have even skipped these.