Lake Kawaguchi Walk - Best Tokyo Day Trips
When visiting Japan, a trip to Fuji is an absolute must. Fuji is such a nice change of pace to the hustle and bustle of the cities. Mt. Fuji is quite close to Tokyo, making it a great destination for a day trip out of the city. One of my favorite places in my trip to Japan was Fujikawaguchiko, a very small town nestled amongst Lake Kawaguchi. This small town has some incredible views of not only Fuji, but a beautiful lake and parks.
While in Fujikawaguchiko, we decided to spend one day walking around the entire lake and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and of course photographable the walk was. If you enjoy nature and small Japanese towns, this is a must see.
Getting There
Getting to Fuji is a pretty straightforward process. There are 2 options that I would recommend. Bus or train. Bus is my top option because it is affordable and easy to book. There are many different booking companies that you can use. My recommendations would be: highway-buses.jp or willer-travel.com. Both work great, but have different starting points so check which one works best for you. Personally, we used Willer and started at the Tokyo Station Yaesu to Kawaguchiko Station. If you wanted to go to Fujiyoshida first (another small town close by), you could take a bus from Shinjuku to Fujiyoshida. Highway buses need to be pre-booked and it takes about 2 hours to get there. The only drawback with a bus is because of pre-booking you will have to gamble with the weather. I stayed in Fujikawaguchi for 3 nights and did have 1 day of complete cloudy, heavy rain.
Another more spontaneous option is to take the train. This does not need to be pre-booked and is straightforward. The reason I did not do this is because it is slightly more expensive and a longer journey at 3+ hours, due to stops. If this doesn’t bother you, it could be a good option.
Lastly, you can get to Fuji by getting an Uber in Tokyo and busing back or renting a car, but because I prefer budget traveling, these would not be my first pick.
How Long should you Stay?
A full day in Fuji is an absolute minimum as there is so much to see. If you only have 1 day, I would recommend starting in Fujiyoshida and walking over to Fujikawaguchiko throughout the day and busing back. That way you can see as much as possible.
I stayed in Fujikawaguchiko at the Toyoko Inn for 3 nights and really enjoyed it. It is a no-fuss business hotel that is right next to the lake and convenience stores. They even had included breakfast. 2-3 days is what I would recommend to really enjoy the area.
Walk around the lake
Because we had bad weather on our first day, our second day was filled with lots of walking! Walking around the lake is something that was a lot of fun, I also saw many people biking as well which could be a fun option. Although a lot of it is a walking trail, be aware there is some road walking. It is 18.7 km and I recommend starting early. With stops, it took us about 5-6 hours. Lake Kawaguchiko is one of 5 lakes around Mt. Fuji and is the second largest.
Notable Stops
From Kawaguchiko, most likely your first stop will be Yagizaki Park. This was a beautiful park with views of Fuji, the lake, beautiful green hills, sitting spots, and a hydrangea garden (blooms in June!)
As you make your way around the bend of the lake, you will find stairs up a hill. Take these and you will be at Okukawaguchiko Sakuranosato Park. There is an Observation Deck just at the top that is a nice overlook and place to sit.
Now that you are on the other side of the lake, make your way to Oishi Park. Its gorgeous with lavendar, roses, a cafe, and views of Fuji.
Lastly, make your way around Lake Kawaguchi Great Bridge and make sure to finish off at Oike Park (ps. don’t forget to get Lavendar Soft Serve, it was delicious!)
