Guided Tours & Things to Do in Mount Fuji

Not on these tours, and you should not attempt it alone. The official season runs roughly early July to early September, and it is when the mountain huts, the trail staff and the rescue cover are actually in place. Outside it the trails are closed, the huts are shut, and conditions on the upper mountain are alpine. If your dates fall outside the season, the Fifth Station day tour is the sensible substitute.

Fujinomiya is the shortest ascent and the steepest, which suits fit walkers short on time. Subashiri starts lower and passes through forest before the tree line, and is the quietest of the main routes. The Prince Route goes through the Hoei crater and avoids the worst of the congestion. All three are two-day trips with a hut stay, which is the correct way to do it: the single-night dash from the Fifth Station is where altitude sickness and exhaustion come from.

Honestly, sometimes not. The mountain makes its own cloud and it is hidden more often than the photographs suggest, particularly in summer. Your odds are best in the cold months, early in the morning. No operator can guarantee a view and none of these tours refund for cloud, so build it into a trip rather than around it. Winter mornings from the Kawaguchiko side are the reliable bet.

You can use buses, but the Fuji sights are spread around the lakes and the connections between them are infrequent. On a day trip the timetable, not the distance, is what limits how much you see. A private car day is the difference between three stops and one. If you are staying overnight in Kawaguchiko, buses become much more workable.

Proper layers, a windproof outer, a headtorch, gloves and cash in small coins for the mountain toilets. The summit is often near freezing with strong wind even in August, while the trailhead is warm. Altitude is the other factor: the Fifth Station is already at around 2,300 metres and the summit is 3,776, which is why the two-day format with a hut night exists.

Yes, and it is around 400 steps, which is the part nobody mentions. It gives the single most recognisable view in Japan, the pagoda in the foreground with Fuji behind, and it is best in the early morning light or during the April blossom. It is included in the Chureito and Kawaguchiko car tour.

It is possible and we list it, but be clear about the trade. Fuji and Hakone are around 90 minutes apart and doing both in a day means a long drive and a shallow visit to each. If you have two days, give each one. If you have one, our Hakone tours are the easier day and still give you Fuji views across Lake Ashi on a clear morning.

Around two to two and a half hours each way by road, and traffic on the return into Tokyo on a Sunday evening can add a great deal to that. A day trip is realistic but long, roughly 11 to 12 hours door to door. If Fuji is a priority rather than a tick, staying a night at Kawaguchiko changes the trip completely and gets you the morning light.