If you’re planning a trip to Japan then there’s no doubt that Mt Fuji is on your mind. Most people try and visit Mt Fuji from Tokyo by doing a day trip which will take you to multiple spots before heading back to Tokyo. However, we decided to stay overnight in the beautiful town of Fujikawaguchiko. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we made in Japan! In this post we’ll be giving you our top tips for an overnight Mt Fuji stay from Tokyo! These tips will include how to book transport, where to stay and how to make the most out of your time in Fujikawaguchiko!
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Allow Ample Time to Fully Experience Mt Fuji
Japan was a whirlwind! It’s one of those destinations that can really take its toll as you’re constantly on the move, hopping from iconic sight to iconic sight. However, the one place we visited on our first trip to Japan where we didn’t feel this way was Fujikawaguchiko. This town had such a calming, relaxing atmosphere as we were surrounded by beautiful nature. It really is a total contrast from Tokyo, only a couple of hours away. That’s why one of the best decisions we made on our recent trip was to give ourselves a couple of days to really soak in this amazing atmosphere. In fact, we’d go as far as saying that doing an overnight trip to Mt Fuji was one of the best things we did in Japan.
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Don’t worry – we understand that most people visiting Japan (including us) have limited time and budgets, so adding a couple of days can feel like too much. Hear us out: most people do a day trip to Mt Fuji, usually booked with a tour company. These are great if you’re pressed for time and want an easy way to see one of Japan’s most iconic sights. However, if seeing Mount Fuji really is at the top of your bucket list, one thing that’s important to know is that by giving yourself two days (or more) and staying overnight, you massively improve your chances of actually seeing it!
Take our trip, for example – we visited at the start of December, one of the best times to visit Mount Fuji. On the day we arrived, visibility was perfect. But the next day, when we’d planned to hit the best photo spots in the area, the weather wasn’t half as good. We won’t complain, because the clouds did clear, but the point is that the weather here is so unpredictable that by giving yourself two days, you can massively increase your odds of getting some incredible views. Think of it like a safari – you’d do multiple game drives to boost your chances of seeing wildlife, right?
Also, there are amazing walks, cafés, and restaurants around Lake Kawaguchiko (many with stunning views). So even if the weather isn’t on your side, it’s worth escaping from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities. You can soak in an onsen or take a stroll through Japan’s breathtaking nature.
See our favourite spots in Japan here
Secure Your Stay by Booking in Advance
If you’re planning a trip to Mt Fuji from Tokyo, don’t leave it to the last minute like we did.
Accommodation in Fujikawaguchiko fills up fast as it’s popular with both foreign and local tourists. So our advice is to book early. Luckily, we managed to find an absolute win of a hotel right next to Lake Kawaguchiko (you can book it here) – we’d highly recommend it. It literally had only one room left and was one of the few options in our budget range. If you know you want to do an overnight trip from Tokyo to Mt Fuji, take our advice and reserve early.
We also checked a few Airbnbs for other dates – there are some really beautiful stays, but they get booked up weeks in advance. When searching for accommodation, we’d suggest Airbnb, Booking.com, or Trip.com. And if a hotel with an onsen is on your wishlist, you can’t beat the one where we stayed: its public onsen even welcomes tattooed guests – a huge bonus for us as Callum has multiple tattoos.
Stay at a budget-friendly onsen hotel by Mt Fuji – reserve now!
Rise Early for Crowd-Free Mt Fuji Photos
If you really want to get the most out of your stay in Fujikawaguchiko, you’re going to want to get up early. Think about it: most people do a day trip from Tokyo to Mt Fuji and don’t arrive until 10am or later. That gives you the perfect window to visit the Instagram-famous Lawson’s, Arakurayama Sengen Park (the iconic pagoda shot), and the picturesque Lake Kawaguchiko before the crowds turn up. Get up nice and early and you’ll have these spots almost to yourself – or at least with fewer day-trippers from Tokyo to contend with. If you want to see some of our favourite spots in Fujikawaguchiko, you can check them out here.
Bonus tip: Hire a car to save time and hassle!
One of our biggest regrets in Japan was not having a car at our disposal. Most of the trains and buses do reach many of Fujikawaguchiko’s top spots. However it’s important to know that services can be infrequent and every wasted minute waiting around for public transport is valuable time you could be using to explore. Sadly, our International Driving Permit ran out before our trip – oops! You can also reach even more destinations around Fujikawaguchiko that are otherwise a nightmare to reach or cost a lot if you get a taxi. Given the choice we would definitely book a rental car if we returned in the future. Just remember to get an IDP before your trip!
Book Your Overnight Mt Fuji Trip in Advance
Fortunately, booking transport from Tokyo to Mt Fuji couldn’t be easier. You can reserve your tickets here (use code TWOBRITSONTHEGO for 10% off transport and even activities Japan like Visiting teamLAB Planets).
The tricky part of an overnight stay in Fujikawaguchiko is sorting out your onward travel. We spent ages searching for a direct service from Kawaguchiko to Osaka or Kyoto. Unfortunately we only found an overnight bus – which books out fast. It also wasn’t ideal in our situation as we’d already booked in our hotels for both Kyoto and Osaka. There may be other options, but when we looked, this was the only direct route.
Thankfully, there’s a reliable workaround. You can book a return ticket from Kawaguchiko back to Tokyo, then hop on the Shinkansen to Kyoto or Osaka. At first, retracing our steps felt like a massive waste of time, but then you realise you’re in Japan and the bullet trains are ridiculously fast. So you can leave Kawaguchiko in the morning and arrive in Kyoto well in time for some ramen. Just be sure to allow plenty of buffer time between your bus and the bullet train departure. Trains can be costly and missing it would be an expensive mistake!
Money saving tip: Use our code TWOBRITSONTHEGO and book your train tickets with Klook and you’ll save 10% – book here!
We hope this guide has inspired you to consider booking an overnight stay in Fujikawaguchiko. We absolutely loved our experience visiting Mt Fuji from Tokyo, and giving ourselves extra time to explore the serene shores of Lake Kawaguchiko was one of our best decisions for Japan. For more travel inspiration, follow us on Instagram, and dive deeper into our travel vlogs on YouTube – watch our full Mt Fuji from Tokyo overnight vlog below!
