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A THREE DAY ITINERARY IN YAMANASHI AND FUJI LAKES

There are tons of info on the Fuji Five Lakes and the Yamanashi region online, but a lot of locations that are worth visiting are only easily accessible by car. By taking a campervan and a tent, this is an amazing area to explore as each of the Fuji Five Lakes have places to park for the evening. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to wake up with Mount Fuji views. The Yamanashi region is a nice place to explore and camp especially during the summer as temperatures are typically nicer. Yamanashi is only two hours away by car - a convenient place especially for families trying to avoid long trips. This trip it quite fast paced so if you are more of the type to take your time or aren’t short on time, you may want to add an additional day or choose from some of the places listed in our itinerary

Day 1  

Nishizawa Keikoku (Valley)

Near Kofu, inside the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, there is a beautiful valley hiiden away called the Nishizawa Keikoku (西沢渓谷).

A hiking trail leads up to Nishizawa Valley with several waterfalls, a picturesque mountain and dark green stream of crystal clear water.

The round trip hike from the parking lot is roughly 3-4 hours, but if you want to take your time ad take photos, it might be closer to a 4-5 hour hike for the full loop.

Fuefukigawa Fruit Park

Fuefukigawa Fruit Park is great place for families. It’s located on the mountainside near Yamanashi City Station. At this park you can enjoy a nice scenery of Yamanashi city as well as Mt. Fuji.

The park’s gardens grow eight unique fruits of: grapes, peaches, apples, pears, persimmons, gingko fruits, pomegranates and chestnuts. Entry to the park is free and there is plenty of green grass and space for families and kids to enjoy. For children above the age of 3, there’s a free outdoor water park. They also have glass buildings where you can find a tropical greenhouse, children’s indoor play place, as well as resting places such as restaurants and refreshments. Once you have had enough for the day, drive a few minutes up the mountain where you can soak in an outdoor onsen with a superb view of Yamanashi City and Mt. Fuji.

Hotarakashi Onsen is open from one hour before sunrise to 22:00 in the evening . It features an indoor and outdoor hot springs. For morning bathers, there is a restaurant attached to the onsen that sells a simple breakfast for ¥600 of rice, pickled side dishes, raw eggs, miso soup. Google Map

Photo Credit: Hotaraki Onsen Website
Photo Credit: Zekkei

Photo Credit: Zekkei

Parking for the night

To park and sleep for the night there are various campsites nearby - the closest being just just 20-30 second drive from Hotarakashi Onsen. You’ll need to book and reserve a spot. Note: they can be very booked on weekends, especially during the summer.

To park for free, there’s a a stop called Michi-no-eki about 15 minutes drive away (Address: 2120 室伏 牧丘町 Yamanashi, 404-0012)

Down the mountain you can find a 7-11 convenience store Google Map

Yamanashi Prefecture is known for its flat style udon noodle. The noodles are chewy, and gluttonous,  served in a thick broth. The broth is rich in ingredients which includes things such as pumpkin. We recommend you try the noodles at Funari as it’s just a 5-minute drive away from The Fuefukigawa Fruit Park. Google Map>  

Day 2

Day 2 concentrates on Mt. Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes.

Oishi Park

Oishi park sits on the north shore of Kawaguchi Lake and provides a breathtaking view of the lake and Mt.Fuji. The park features a 350m walking path accompanied by various flowers along the way. Near the parking lot, you can find many shops such as the Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center where you can make your own jam. The most popular souvenir purchases are blueberry jam and blueberry soft ice cream.

Kawaguchi Asama Shrine

In 864, Mt. Fuji erupted which resulted with a festival of fire in the following year dedicated to the goddess of Mt. Fuji to suppress further eruptions.  Asama Shrines are a sub-set of Shinto shrines devoted to the deity of volcanoes. In the shrine, there are seven huge trees, said to be over 1200 years old, each with their own name and meaning.  In 2013, a number of Asama Shrines, including this one, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site listings for Mount Fuji.

Photo Credit: Yamanashi Website

Photo Credit: Yamanashi Website

Hahano Shirataki Shrine

Hahano Shirataki Shrine or Mother Shirataki Shrine  – meaning “Mother’s white waterfall” is a 30-40minute walk from Kawaguchi Asama Shrine. The most prominent feature being the Torii gate beside the waterfall. I It’s recommend to go by car, as trekking the road on foot could take longer.

Photo Credit: FUjisan website

Photo Credit: Fujisan website

Saiko Iyashino-Sato Nenba

The Iyashi village was once destroyed by a typhoon in 1966, but was rebuilt and is now made up of more than twenty thatch roofed homes. These homes have been converted into shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. Iyashi in Japanese means healing. Wandering through this village could put you back into ancient times. If the weather permits, you can see Fuji in the distance, making it a popular spot for photographers. 

Photo Credit: My Stays

Photo Credit: My Stays

Nakanokura Pass Observation Point

The Nakanokura Toge Mountain Pass Observatory is located on the northern side of Lake Motosuko. With clear weather, you’ll be able to see Mount Fuji reflected onto the surface of the lake. In fact, the 1,000 yen bill is modeled after this view. It’s about a 30 minute walk from the parking lot to the Observatory. Connected to the main road and around the lake, there are various spots designated for parking and photo spots. Motosuko lake itself is a beautiful crystal clear lake. There are numerous campsites near or attached to the lake where you can pay to camp by tent or campervan.

Photo Credit: TripAdvisor

Photo Credit: TripAdvisor

Minobusan Kuonji

Minobusan Kuonji is home to the “Nichiren-shu” Buddhist religious sect and generally doesn’t seem to be a very well known location. It is a 30-40 minute drive from the west side of Lake Motosuko, and is most commonly visited by tourists during cherryblossom season looking to see the beautiful 400-year-old weeping cherry tree in front of the main temple. At first, I was hesitant to even travel here as I was enjoying the sights and nature around Motosuko, but the temple was definitely worth the journey. 

Parking for the night

Finding parking places around the Fuji Five Lakes is quite easy. Each lake has more than one parking area making it easy to drive around the lake and find the most suitable location to stop for the night.

Oishi Park Parking Lot (Wake up to flowers and view of Mt. Fuji) Google Maps

Shoji Lake Canoe Parking Lot (Right next to lake) Google Maps

Lake Motosuko Parking Google Maps

For bathing there is the  Izumi hot spring hot spring. There are both indoor and outdoor pools. There is also a cafeteria, where you can dine after taking a bath. Cost of entry is¥900 for adults and ¥500 for children.

Day 3

On the way back to Tokyo, you can stop by several places.

Aokigahara Forest

Aokighara forest is found near Mt.fuji, located at an altitude of about 900-1300m above sea level. You’ll find moss, vegetation, forest trees, and caves atop the lava flows from Mt Fuji. This forest is also known as suicide forest due to it being a place where it’s dense and easy to get lost if you’re not careful.  Around this area are several caves to explore including an “ice cave,” “wind cave,” “bat cave,” etc. There is a parking lots where you can stop by and peek into the forest for about 5-10 minutes.

Photo Credit: Mental Floss

Photo Credit: Mental Floss

Arakurayama Sengen Park

Arakurayama Sengen Park is located halfway up Mount Arakura in Yamanashi and home to Fuji Asama Shrine.  This park provides a panoramic view of the city with Mount Fuji in the background. This is an iconic region in Japan and is well known for its cherry blossoms. You can stop by here and on the way back and then make your journey back home.

Photo Credit: Matcha JP

Photo Credit: Matcha JP

THREE DAY CAMPER VAN TRIP FROM TOKYO

Complete with places to sleep at, great food, relaxing and cheap hot springs, beautiful locations and many places to see and do, this 3 day trip is a one of a kind experience out of Tokyo. There are three spots to spend three nights - you can customize these spots to go at your own pace and needs or even drop some out of the itinerary completely - it’s all under your control. We will introduce to you three spots that you can visit and stay at night to park your car.

Hakone

At Hakone, one of the highlights of the area is Hakone Ropeway. The ropeway brings you up Mt. Hakone where you can visit the hellish valleys of Owakudani - an active volcano where sulfurous fumes are being expelled. On the way up, if the weather permits, you can catch a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. Nearby at Hakone Yumoto, relax and soak in hot springs fueled by volcanic activity. Yuryo Hot Springs is a great place to soak in.

Bathe/ Eat: Hakone Yuryo Hot Springs

Sleep: Roadside Station Hakone Togo is a good spot to rest if tired before continuing on into Izu

Heda, Izu

This is a very small town that is one of our favorite places on the road trip. The deep-sea bay that the town overlooks is home to spider crabs which make for an excellent lunch. The harbour also features an excellent fish market on the ground floor. For Dinner check out Tagore Hostel. There is also an option to rent fishing rods and bikes to explore the town. There is a hot-spring too at the back of the town to refresh and renew.

Eat: Marusan – Seafood / Crab Restaurant on the Harbor 10am – 6pm

Cafe: Tagore Hostel, Excellent coffee and a great place to chill. 

Bathe: Road Station at the back of the town, Hot Springs closes at 8pm

Sleep: Heda Road Station or the lookout point overlooking the bay

Unique stop: The Old Bus is an old bus converted into a bar that has a stunning view of Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji, Lake Saiko

A very popular spot for visitors, you can drive the van on to the bank of the lake in a few designated spaces. It’s possible to sleep there in your vans and it’s worth having a drive around to look for your perfect spot to settle down for a nice evening by the lake. If you want to set up camp properly - such as making a fire and grilling out – there are several paid campsites around the lake which you can book. Some Japanese may be required, but let our team know and we’ll get a reservation sorted out for you!

There are a few interesting spots to visit in the area such as an ancient village, a bat cave and an ice cave in winter. Open google maps in the area and you will see the spots.  

Eat/ Bathe/ Sleep: Fuji Yurari Hot Spring is a wonderful Hot Spring nearby with great hot springs, good food and a car-park to park your van to sleep for the night.

Sleep: Near the lake, (wild camp) or  Roadside Station Katsuyama Rest Area. Food also available until 5pm – located at the next lake over.

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