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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
