Tokyo to Mt. Fuji

Hi Mary,

I see you are in the early stations of planning your Fuji trip. Could you tell me what your goal is in visiting Fuji. The area around Fuji is more than a 800 squire Miles and there's a lot of options available. For instance, do you want to climb Fuji, visit a Fuji theme park, go enjoy an Onsen, do the Hakone circle, explore Fuji Five lakes, or just have a nice view of Fuji?

Fuji 5th station refers to the 5th station when climbing Mt. Fuji. The problem is that there are 5 places that contain the name Fuji 5th station but most are just the start of the hike. Outside of being big parking lots, they're not really worth visiting.

If you are unsure of what to do, then getting a tour is likely the easiest option.

Let me know and I can let you know in turn.
-Daniel

Thank you very much for the information. There is so much to learn and I want to get a head start. I love your forum and blogs, they are very helpful.

We would like to enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji and some of the Fuji Five Lakes scenery. If we chose to do the Mt. Fuji day tour, we are planning to do the Hakone circle on a separate day (unless there is a tour that combines Mt. Fuji scenaries with Hakone).

Would we be able to use our JR passes getting to Mt. Fuji and Hakone area to do the Hakone circle? What is the quickest and efficient route if we do not chose a tour? I know that while in Hakone, we would need to get a Hakone Free pass to travel around Hakone circle.

Thank you,
Mary

Hi Mary,

I think Fuji Five Lakes is a great choice, you can have some of the best views there and it's overall relaxing experience. The easiest way is to take an express bus from Tokyo to lake Kawaguchiko and local transport along the lakes from there. This route is not covered by the JR Pass but is the fastest and costs the least. If you want to save money, then you can travel part of the way using the JR, as explained in the Fuji blog.

For Hakone, I do think taking a full day for it is worth it. Otherwise, it is just too much hassle and you won't have the time to really enjoy your trip. You can use the Shinkansen and JR Pass to travel to Odawara station, from there local transport will get you around Hakone. The Hakone Free Pass is great to get around Hakone and all is really well organized, so you don't need a tour.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Thank you for the information!