Hello! I'm planning a day trip to Mt. Fuji on July 1 quite like some tour operators organize, however, I'm hoping to save some money and do a self-guided tour instead. This is what I'd like my itinerary to be like
1) Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko 5th Station by bus to visit Mt. Fuji
2) Somehow get to Togendi Station then take a 5 min walk to Kojiri Pier for the Lake Ashi Ferry Boat Tour
3) Get off at Hakone-en Pier
4) Hop onto the Mt. Komagatake Ropeway and get off at Odawara Stn
5) Head back to Shinjuku
I have some questions mostly about travel and transporation
1) Does the 6x a day bus schedule start immediately on July 1 or is it closer to the middle/end of the month?
2) How do I get to Togendi Station from Kawaguchiko 5th Station?
3) Once I get onto the Ferry boat, is there an actual Hakone-en Pier/Stop to get off at?
4) Is the Hakone-en Pier/Stop where I would be able to get onto Mt. Komagatake Ropeway?
5) How do I get back to Shinjuku the cheapest and fastest way from the Mt. Komagatake Ropeway?
Thank you very much for your help!! It's much appreciated.
Hello! I'm planning a day trip to Mt. Fuji on July 1 quite like some tour operators organize, however, I'm hoping to save some money and do a self-guided tour instead. This is what I'd like my itinerary to be like
1) Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko 5th Station by bus to visit Mt. Fuji
2) Somehow get to Togendi Station then take a 5 min walk to Kojiri Pier for the Lake Ashi Ferry Boat Tour
3) Get off at Hakone-en Pier
4) Hop onto the Mt. Komagatake Ropeway and get off at Odawara Stn
5) Head back to Shinjuku
I have some questions mostly about travel and transporation
1) Does the 6x a day bus schedule start immediately on July 1 or is it closer to the middle/end of the month?
2) How do I get to Togendi Station from Kawaguchiko 5th Station?
3) Once I get onto the Ferry boat, is there an actual Hakone-en Pier/Stop to get off at?
4) Is the Hakone-en Pier/Stop where I would be able to get onto Mt. Komagatake Ropeway?
5) How do I get back to Shinjuku the cheapest and fastest way from the Mt. Komagatake Ropeway?
Thank you very much for your help!! It's much appreciated.
Crystal
Personally, I think you should just skip Kawaguchiko 5th station. There isnt much to see there.
I climbed Fuji last year and if you want to see Fuji at gogome, see this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5MAHOAGxjQ
It's 27 seconds into the video. For that view - and the bus costs 2600 yen, it's not worth the money nor the time. It takes 2 1/4 hour to get there by bus from Shinjuku bus terminal
I'm not sure how much it will cost you or how to get to Togendai.
But The Hakone trip with Lake Ashi and all the cable cars and what not would take most of a day. So your itinerary is almost not possible to do.
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I know you mentioned trying to do it yourself, but I recently did this Mt. Fuji/Lake Ashi/Komagatake Ropeway/Shinkansen return day trip, and thought it was a pretty good value. We lucked out and got a cloudless morning around Mr. Fuji. Unfortunately, that is apparently the exception to the rule, and views of Mt. Fuji are often compromised by cloud cover.
I swear, tourists feel compelled to go to Mount Fuji because it's something they've all heard of, like the Ginza (which is just an avenue of department stores, not exciting if you have department stores in your home town).
It's often clouded over in the summer. I was once in the foothills within 10 miles of it, and I had to ask the people I was visiting which direction Fuji was. They had to stop and think, because they hadn't seen it for so long.
The most surefire way to see Mt. Fuji is to go to Japan in the winter, take the elevator to the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and look to the northwest.
So after talking to a few people, I'm going to skip the Kawaguchiko 5th station and only go to Lake Ashi and Hakone area. Any good advice on things to see around there? (Got ur PM Ichi, thanks)
So after talking to a few people, I'm going to skip the Kawaguchiko 5th station and only go to Lake Ashi and Hakone area. Any good advice on things to see around there? (Got ur PM Ichi, thanks)
Good call. As I've written, as have many others, you aren't missing anything.
I swear, tourists feel compelled to go to Mount Fuji because it's something they've all heard of, like the Ginza (which is just an avenue of department stores, not exciting if you have department stores in your home town).
Ginza keeps being mentioned again and again as somewhere that's overhyped with limited worth for visitors, but there’s so much more to it than just the department stores and neon lights.
What keeps drawing me back to the area (and the main reason I’ve taken people to see it) all happens on the little side streets off the main ‘drag’. Ginza seems to be one of the main engines that churns the wheels of the nation’s artesan industries relating to kimono and kimono accessories that are such a draw to tourists looking for glimpses of ‘real Japan’.
The Maiko and Geisha of Kyoto help generate a proportion of the output with their own unique costumes and ways of wearing indigenous clothing, but in the Ginza area are a breed of ladies who take kimono wearing to an exquisite level rarely seen elsewhere (even at weddings). There must be craftsmen and women throughout Japan who rely on Ginza in order to continue their professions, and seeing their work showcased so beautifully as adornments on the women who work within this tiny portion of Tokyo is something that is, for me, breathtaking and intensely satisfying.
As well as these ladies who wear kimono professionally, Ginza also attracts a good share of well heeled Tokyoites in fabulously expensive zouri, it’s a great place to see contemporary Japanese clothes. But, I stress, it’s the side streets, from dusk onwards, where the most impressive highlights of the area can be spotted. You just need to keep your eyes open and know where to look.
But the average tourist is going to emerge from the ground at one of the subway stops in the middle of the day and ask, "Is that all there is?"
Thanks for the hint, though. On my next trip to Tokyo, I'll definitely explore the side streets in the area. Side streets are the highlight of any part of Tokyo.
But the average tourist is going to emerge from the ground at one of the subway stops in the middle of the day and ask, "Is that all there is?"
Thanks for the hint, though. On my next trip to Tokyo, I'll definitely explore the side streets in the area. Side streets are the highlight of any part of Tokyo.
I love the sidestreet in Shinjuku - the 4 or 5 seats ramen stalls. Also in Ameyoko in Ueno as well and all the yakitori places near Hibiya. I always stay at a ryokan in the shitamachi area in Ueno - it's the best. You find the small shops and meet the locals. Sorry I'm all about eating
I swear, tourists feel compelled to go to Mount Fuji because it's something they've all heard of, like the Ginza (which is just an avenue of department stores, not exciting if you have department stores in your home town).
It's often clouded over in the summer. I was once in the foothills within 10 miles of it, and I had to ask the people I was visiting which direction Fuji was. They had to stop and think, because they hadn't seen it for so long.
The most surefire way to see Mt. Fuji is to go to Japan in the winter, take the elevator to the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and look to the northwest.
I have tried to see Mt Fuji 4 times now. Each time it has been clouded over.
I have tried spring, summer and early fall - failure each time.
I hope to try again later on this month with a day trip with a tour group out of Tokyo.
What are the chances I will actually see it this time? Planning to do this 3rd week in November.
What are the chances I will actually see it this time? Planning to do this 3rd week in November.
Pretty good. November skies are typically clear, but nothing is guaranteed.
(Some hotels in the area have been known to offer refunds if Fuji isn't visible during your stay - but they tend to have professional spotters on the look out for the briefest glimpse of Fuji on cloudy days, just to deny you that precious refund .... heheh)
