Day Trip to Mount Fuji (Winter)

Last month I took a unforgettable day trip to Mount Fuji with JTB Sunrise Tours.

Our chosen meeting point was the Keio Plaza Hotel so that was where we met with our guide and hopped on the coach. JTB have an office at the hotel where many of their tours start. Although we had a full-sized coach there were only around 15 guests on the bus. Our guide was great and gave us an introduction for our tour as we headed towards our first stop. The journey was around an hour and half till we got to a visitors centre where we caught our first glimpse of the Mountain.

First view of Fuji

There was also a man playing some traditional Japanese music which added to the atmosphere of being close to one of the most incredible views in the world! A quick bus ride away and we made it to the 4th Station. Sometimes its possible to get to the 5th Station but the snow was too heavy for us to make it up there on the day we visited. Not a problem as we were already at an elevation of 2020m and it was -12 degrees! As we headed to lunch back on the coach, our guide Amy handed out some lyric sheets so we could sing the Mount Fuji Song. The words went something along the line of Fuji being the best mountain in Japan. True, I guess! This was followed by a quick origami lesson where she showed us how to make a mini Fuji. Once we had arrived at the Fuji View Hotel, we were served a traditional Japanese lunch consisting of rice, meat, pickles, salad and some other unidentified items accompanied by tea. Our next stop which I was most looking forward to was the Kawaguchiko ropeway. The ascent on the cable car took 3 minutes to reach the top where we experienced some of the most stunning views I had ever seen.

View from the Kawaguchiko Ropeway

Below us to one side we had the beautiful scenery of Lake Ashi and its surroundings, and on the other side the breath-taking Mount Fuji. We were extremely lucky that we got to see Fuji as on many days of the year the top is covered in cloud. On our previous visit in Springtime we hadn't got to see it so I was very grateful we did this time. The views were incredible and we could see for miles in the clear winter air. The sky was so crisp and almost cloud-less, we really did have perfect conditions.

After our descent we had a chance to buy one of the famous Fuji Cookies which were shaped like the mountain and tasted delicious! Mine was strawberry flavoured then dipped with white chocolate as the snow. A quick bus ride later and we made it to the cruise terminal for our boat ride across the lake. Again the scenery was beautiful but it was very very windy on the deck! The cruise lasted around fifteen minutes and took us to Hakone where our coach was waiting to take us to Odawara station to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

The trip was fantastic and I would highly recommend JTB Sunrise tours. However I do think the trip is weather dependant and the chances of seeing Fuji are higher in from winter due to the clearer air. So wrap up warm and visit when Fuji is dusted with snow!