1 Day Trip to Mt Fuji: A Delicious Guide to Fujiyoshida

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During our latest vacation in Japan, we knew we wanted to try our hand at seeing Mt. Fuji, but our 2 week Japan itinerary was literally JAM PACKED. So, we did what most travelers would do in this situation. We vowed to at least make a day trip to Mt Fuji.

In theory, that seemed like it would suffice.

All we had to do was pop in, see the mountain, maybe grab a snack, and that should feel fulfilling. We even opted to stay overnight so we could have extra time to grab dinner. But as we soon found out, a day trip to Mt Fuji simply was NOT enough. From the moment we arrived, I was entranced. There was so much more to see, do, and eat than I imagined and I wish I had more time.

But alas, when haven’t I felt that in Japan?

So yeah, in hindsight, I wish we had spent more time in the area, but yanno, sometimes it all comes down to timing. If you’re like me and you really only have wiggle room for a day trip to Mt Fuji, then hopefully this mini guide will help you get the most out of your short but sweet time!

Getting There

First, I want to thank my good friend Michael, Portland’s BEST food influencer, for figuring out the logistics of a day trip to Mt Fuji. There are technically a few ways, but the best way to get to Mt Fuji from Tokyo -meaning the cheapest and equally fastest – is by taking a bus!

We used Highway Buses, and they have routes all over Japan. Seriously, you can plan your whole Japan itinerary by bus! But, let me not get distracted. Before you book your day trip to Mt Fuji from Tokyo, you’ll need to know WHERE you’ll be staying in the Mt Fuji area. For a little context, the Mt Fuji area is mostly centered around five lakes, aptly named the Fuji Five Lakes, and most of the towns are based around these lakes. Since you are only staying for the day (or one overnight stay like us), you won’t have enough time to explore much more than your one city. Like…you just won’t.

Each town has its perks, but for our day trip to Mt Fuji, we chose to visit Fujiyoshida. Fujiyoshida is at the northern base of Mt Fuji, and is the town closest to the mountain. It is also home to the iconic Chureito Pagoda, Fuji-Q Theme Park, and Honcho Street (for all you photographers out there). That said, you probably won’t be able to enjoy all of the town’s attractions, but it’s nice to have options!

First – you will need to know your point A and point B. Depending on where you’re staying in Tokyo (if you haven’t booked yet check out my recommendations for hotels in Tokyo!), you may have a closer/more convenient station, but I recommend departing Tokyo from Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal.

One, because it is right next to Shinjuku Station which is a main transportation hub in Tokyo and most lines will take you there pretty easily. Two, there are a lot of buses that leave out of Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal, so you will have more options for departing and returning. Now that you know your departing station (Kanto region – Tokyo – Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal), you need to know where your final destination is. Mt Fuji is located in the Koshinetsu area, and you’ll want to choose Yamanashi.

If you want to make things easier on yourself and follow our personal day trip to Mt Fuji, then your destination station with either be Fujisan Station or Fuji-Q Highland – both in the town of Fujiyoshida. Now, if you’re just going for a day trip to Mt Fuji and not staying overnight, then I recommend going directly to Fujisan Station. That will drop you off right at the action of Fujiyoshida with shops and restaurants and picturesque streets, plus you can take the local trains from there to other attractions.

However, if you are choosing to stay overnight like we did, I highly highly recommend staying at Highland Resort Hotel & Spa and then you would get off at the Fuji-Q Highland stop. I have a more in-depth blog post review of Highland Resort, but one of the main reasons we chose it is that the bus stop is RIGHT OUTSIDE. Super convenient for your day trip to Mt Fuji!

When you’re booking your bus from Tokyo to Mt Fuji, you’ll see that there are multiple routes that will include Fujisan Station/Fuji-Q Highland. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter which one you take (as long as your station is in their route!!) but keep a note on the duration of the ride and the departure times! Choose whichever works best for your day trip to Mt Fuji.

When you arrive at the bus station (ON TIME!!! In fact, show up at least 15 minutes before departure so you can get bus snacks), be sure to pay careful attention to your bus number because there will be a lot of buses. If you have any questions, the bus drivers and staff are happy to point you in the right direction! The buses have toilets and wifi onboard!

Bonus tip: if you can, Mt Fuji is on the left side of the bus leaving Tokyo, and on the right side returning to Tokyo

But First, Lunch

Alright, now that you’re in Fujiyoshida, you can start having some fun! If you’re staying overnight at Highland Resort like us, drop off your bags/check in (depending on when you arrive), then you can grab food!

Just a heads up, that their isn’t too convenient of public transit in the Mt Fuji area, so you’re going to be walking a lot. That’s why it’s convenient if you aren’t staying overnight to head straight to Fujisan Station area because there is a lot of food. BUT if you’re nearby Highland Resort, you still have a few options!

Mt Fuji is known for their unique take on udon, a classic Japanese dish, so we wanted to go to Miyaki Udon for lunch. This family run spot is rated as the BEST restaurant in Fujiyoshida (literally #1 on tripadviser) and lunch will run between $5-$10 USD depending on the currency rate. However, after we walked 15 minutes to get there, we discovered it was unexpectedly closed for the day 🙁

But travel is all about adapting! We continued our walk and passed an unassuming spot that seemed to be pretty popular with the residents of Fujiyoshida. The restaurant name in Japanese (which you’ll see on the sign outside) is マスコット, but in Google Maps you can type in “Mascot Fujiyoshida” and it’ll direct you to the same spot. It is an 18 minute walk from Highland Resort.

Don’t expect anyone to speak English, but if you don’t speak a lick of Japanese, then it’s totally fine to just hold up the fingers for the amount of people in your party (for us, it was 5, a big group in Japan!) and they’ll seat you no problem. Heads up, they are cash only! Their menu is on a tablemat on the tables, so you can easily point to whatever looks good to you. Japan travel tip: Use google translate to transcribe the menu into English (or whatever language you speak!)

We ordered a few different things and they were all delicious! This spot was a surprise treat on our day trip to Mt Fuji and I would go back for their incredible sundaes alone!!

Views of Fuji-san

Now onto the action part of your day trip to Mt Fuji. I’m assuming you want to see the mountain, yes? Fujisan is notorious for being finicky when it wants to be seen – one day the mountain will be super clear, the next, completely covered in fog. Taking a day trip to Mt Fuji is technically quite the gamble because you never know until you get there whether Mt Fuji will be out to play that day. Well, after stepping off the bus, you’ll have your answer.

If Mt Fuji is visible – GREAT!! You have lucked out! If not…well, you can always still go on a hike. Might as well since you’re there.

Since you’re limited on time on a day trip to Mt Fuji, the one place I recommend checking out is the Chureito Pagoda – located within Arakurayma Sengen Park. You’ll get the most iconic view of the mountain and close your move ring at the same time (shoutout to my Apple Watch users). You can easily get there by taking the local train to Shimoyoshida Station. From Fujisan Station, the ride is about 30 minutes and will cost about ¥224 jpy (or about $1.50-$2USD depending on currency rate).

From there, you will have a twenty minute scenic stroll to Arakurayama Sengen Park, and that is where the stair climber journey to Chureito Pagoda begins. From the base of the stairs to the top of the pagoda, it is about 45-1 hour stair hike, depending on how many times you stop. For those who cannot or do not want to take the stairs, there is a paved slope up to the top. It takes a little longer as it winds up the hill, but it is accessible for walking devices, strollers, or anyone who needs a break from the stairs.

There are bathrooms, food, drinks, and even a shrine at Arakurayama Sengen Park, so feel free to use the facilities before or after. Once you get to the top, you will (hopefully) be rewarded with a view of the majestic Fujisan and the Chureito Pagoda. It will probably be crowded up there, but if you wait a bit you’ll be able to get some really nice pictures. For the most part, everyone was respectful of the fact that we ALL want nice pictures.

Wind Down

If you’re only visiting as a day trip to Mt Fuji, now would be the time to say your goodbyes and head back to your bus station. However if you’re staying the night at Highland Resort, you can head back to that area. There is a whole theme park behind the resort, named Fuji-Q Highland, so if you have some time left in the day then you can get your thrill fill! By staying at the resort, you get a discount on admission!

We were pretty exhausted from our day though, so we opted out of the theme park and went to our rooms to freshen up for dinner. Since we didn’t get udon for lunch, we were determined to have some for dinner. We went to Hoto Amano (うどんほうとう あまの in Japanese). They have both yoshida udon and hoto noodles, two “types” of udon that originate from the Mt Fuji region. We each ordered something different and all of our orders ended up being equally delicious! Highly recommend!

We ended the night at the onsen attached to Highland Resort, Fujiyama Onsen. If you’ve never been to an onsen or any type of public bathhouse…well, nudity is not only expected but required. But, I don’t want to drag on too long, I’ll leave that story for another post hahah. In any case, we woke up the next morning, grabbed some souvenirs from the onsite shop, checked out, and boarded our bus back to Tokyo!

Conclusion: Day Trip to Mt Fuji

And that’s the end of our day trip to Mt Fuji! Well, does an overnight stay still technically count as a day trip to Mt Fuji? Let me know in the comments below! Hopefully this post has helped you with the logistics of your own day trip to Mt Fuji, but if you have time I strongly recommend extending your trip to at least 2 nights. One, because n the way out, we noticed that Fujisan was COMPLETELY covered with fog, so we truly got super luck on our Day Trip to Mt Fuji.

But two, because there is just so much to see! I will definitely be back (and stay longer) on my next trip. Alternatively, if you’d rather not hassle with transporting yourself, you can also book a tour for a day trip to Mt Fuji, and all you have to do is hop on their shuttle and enjoy the ride!

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