Mt Fuji Getting there & around

Getting there & away

The Fuji-san area is most easily reached from Tokyo by bus; from Kansai, the journey can require multiple connections via Mishima station on the Kodama shinkansen. The two main towns on the north side of the mountain, Fuji-Yoshida and Kawaguchi-ko, are the principal gateways.

Daily direct buses (¥2600, 2½ hours) run from Shinjuku bus terminal to the Kawaguchi-ko 5th station. For details call 03-5376-2217. This is by far the fastest and cheapest way of getting from Tokyo to the 5th station. If you take two trains and a bus, the same trip can cost nearly ¥6000. If you’re already in Kawaguchi-ko, there are bus services up to Kawaguchi-ko 5th station (¥1700, 55 minutes) from April to mid-November. The schedule varies considerably during that period – call Fuji Kyūkō bus (72-2911) for details. At the height of the climbing season, there are buses until quite late in the evening – ideal for climbers intending to make an overnight ascent. Taxis operate from Kawaguchi-ko train station to the Kawaguchi-ko 5th station for around ¥10, 000, plus tolls.

From Subashiri, buses to the Subashiri 5th station cost ¥1220 and take 55 minutes. From Gotemba station they cost ¥1500.

From Gotemba, buses to the Gotemba 5th station (¥1080, 45 minutes) operate four to six times daily during climbing season only.

Coming from western Japan, buses run from the shinkansen stations at Shin-Fuji (¥2400) and Mishima (¥2390) to Fujinomiya (Mishima) 5th station in just over two hours. There are reservation centres in Tokyo (03-5376-2217) and Fuji (72-5111).