MOUNT FUJI TOURS

Mount Fuji Tours & Guide - Mount Fuji tours (including Mt Fuji Tours from Tokyo), self guided tours, best viewing locations and times.

Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, 3776 meters) is Japan's highest mountain and one of top icons of Japan. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is located to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu.

Understanding Mount Fuji

An almost perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji. For merely seeing Mount Fuji, it's better to maintain some distance.

Seeing and Photographing Mount Fuji

It's not hard to see Mt Fuji, however seeing the ideal scene of Mt Fuji with a complete view of the cone with the classic snow cap can be a little difficult. Getting to photograph it is even more difficult. To get a great view of Mt Fuji you need to go to the right location, in the right season, on the right day and at the right time with the right weather. You need to be a little patient, and have the time to wait, to get the ideal view. The high altitude of Mt Fuji means the weather changes very quickly with cloud moving across the peak obscuring the view from time to time.

The organised sightseeing tours of Mount Fuji offer a convenient to way to see Mt Fuji with some spectacular views on the drive into the city of Fujiyoshida, however the tour bus doesn't normally stop in a location where you can see and take pictures of the whole cone. This resulted in less than ideal pictures of Mt Fuji (see above) with large parts of the cone obscured by trees.

Best viewing spots of Mt Fuji

Many of the best photographs taken of Mt Fuji are from the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park near one of the five lakes that surround Mount Fuji.

• Kawaguchiko (Ubuyagasaki)
  Considered to be one of the top viewing locations
   
• Lake Yamanaka
   
• Koyotenbodai Rest House
  (South of Lake Nishi)
  Access: Lake Kawaguchi-(Fujikyu Yamanashi Bus, 20min)-Koyodai Entrance-(30min Walk)
   
• Panorama Dai
  (East of Lake Yamanaka)
  Access: Fujiyoshida-(taxi 30min)
   
• Misaka-touge
  (North of Lake Kawaguchi)
  Access: Lake Kawaguchi-(Fujikyu Yamanashi Bus, 30min)-Tengajaya

Best Times to View Mount Fuji

We recommend doing this trip on a week day as the roads out of Tokyo and the best viewing locations can be packed on the weekends. The season is also important if you wish to see Mount Fuji with snow on the peak. Mt Fuji has snow on the peak for more than half the year, so the months to avoid are June, July and August. Depending on the seasons temperatures and snow fall, late May and the first half of November.