Choose Kawaguchiko if seeing Mt Fuji up close is the point: the mountain stands across the lake, about 17 km away, and the bus from Shinjuku takes about 1 h 45. Choose Hakone for hot springs, the ropeway and Lake Ashi, with Fuji as a distant extra on clear days. Lake Yamanaka is a quieter, closer third option.
Pick Kawaguchiko if Mt Fuji itself is the reason you are going. The mountain fills the view across the lake, about 17 km from the summit, and the bus from Shinjuku takes about 1 hour 45. Pick Hakone if you want hot springs, a ropeway over a volcanic valley and a boat on Lake Ashi, with Fuji as a bonus on clear days. If you want the Fuji view without Kawaguchiko’s crowds, look at Lake Yamanaka, the closest of the Fuji Five Lakes to the mountain.
Choose Hakone if:
Choose Kawaguchiko if:
Choose Lake Yamanaka if you want the Fuji view, swans and a slower pace, and do not mind relying on buses.
| Hakone | Kawaguchiko | Lake Yamanaka | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Fuji’s summit (straight line) | Not measured here | About 17 km | About 15 km |
| Fuji views | From Owakudani, the ropeway and Lake Ashi on clear days | Across the lake from the north shore, Oishi Park, Chureito Pagoda | Across the lake from most of the shore |
| From Shinjuku | About 80 min to Hakone-Yumoto by Romancecar | About 1 h 45 by bus, 1 h 55 by Fuji Excursion | 2 h 14 to 2 h 22 by bus |
| Main draws | Hot springs, ropeway, Lake Ashi boats, Owakudani | Lakeshore, ropeway, Oishi Park, Fuji-Q, pagoda | Swans, swan boat, KABA bus, flower park, Diamond Fuji |
| Getting around | Hakone Freepass covers trains, cable car, ropeway, boats, buses | Fujikyu sightseeing buses and the Fujikyu Line | Fujikko-go loop bus, bikes |
| Railway | Yes, Odakyu and Hakone Tozan | Yes, Fujikyu Line | None; bus only |
Distances are our calculation from Wikidata coordinates. Times and passes checked October 2026 with Odakyu, Fujikyu Bus and Fujikyu Railway.
This is the deciding point for most people, and Kawaguchiko wins it. From Lake Kawaguchi you look straight across the water at the mountain. Oishi Park by the lake and the Chureito Pagoda above Fujiyoshida, one stop away on the Fujikyu Line, are the two classic photographs.
In Hakone, Fuji is one of several views rather than the main one. The Odakyu-run Hakone guide says the mountain “can be seen from Owakudani and the ropeway” on a clear, fine day, between Ubako and Owakudani and partway down towards Sounzan. Lake Ashi with Hakone Shrine’s red torii is the other well-known frame.
Whichever you choose, cloud can hide the mountain. Fuji City’s 2025 count found the whole mountain visible at 8 am on only 37 percent of days, and on two days in June. Read the visibility forecast before you commit to a date, and see the best time to see Mt Fuji for the months.
Hakone is the hot spring destination. A Japan Tourism Agency text counts 17 hot springs in the area, and the ryokan there are the reason many people go. Kawaguchiko has its own hot spring district, which gives Kawaguchiko station its full name on Fujikyu’s map, Fujikawaguchiko Onsenkyo, and lakeside hotels such as Fuji Lake Hotel pair Fuji views with hot spring baths. For a ryokan with the mountain in view, see Mt Fuji ryokan.
Odakyu’s Romancecar runs from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes. The limited express surcharge is ¥1,200 each way on top of your fare or pass. Most visitors buy the Hakone Freepass, which in October 2026 cost ¥7,100 for two days or ¥7,500 for three from Shinjuku, including the Odakyu ride to Odawara and back. It covers the Hakone Tozan train and cable car, the ropeway, the Lake Ashi boats and buses in set areas.
The highway bus from Busta Shinjuku takes about 1 hour 45 and costs ¥2,200 (¥2,000 online), with 56 departures a day in October 2026. The Fuji Excursion train takes about 1 hour 55 for ¥4,200. Our Tokyo to Mt Fuji guide compares every route. Once there, Fujikyu’s Mt. Fuji All-Inclusive Ticket (¥3,000 for a day) covers the sightseeing buses and the Fujikyu Line between Kawaguchiko and Shimoyoshida.
Kawaguchiko costs less to reach. Hakone’s Freepass bundles more transport into its price, and you will use it: the main sights sit along a chain of different trains, lifts and boats.
Both are busy. Kawaguchiko has had the sharper overtourism problems. In 2024 a screen went up in Fujikawaguchiko to stop crowds photographing Fuji above a convenience store, and in 2026 Fujiyoshida cancelled its cherry blossom festival at the Chureito Pagoda because of crowding. Go early in the morning at either place. Day tours from Tokyo leave between 07:00 and 08:00 and need close to two hours on the road, so a night in either place gives you the early hours before the coaches arrive.
Lake Yamanaka sits on the east side of the Fuji Five Lakes, about 12 to 13 km in a straight line from the summit. The Yamanakako tourist association calls it the closest of the five lakes to Mt Fuji, and it is the largest of them by area on Yamanashi prefecture’s figures. There is a swan boat and an amphibious bus, and in winter photographers come for Diamond Fuji, when the sun sets on the summit.
No railway reaches it, so you rely on the bus (27 a day from Shinjuku in October 2026, about 2 hours 15). It has fewer hotels and restaurants than Kawaguchiko, and the Benifuji no Yu day spa is closed until a planned March 2027. Our Lake Yamanaka vs Kawaguchiko guide covers that choice in detail.
It is also the easiest Fuji lake to pair with Hakone. Fujikyu’s bus from Gotemba reaches Lake Yamanaka in about 37 minutes, before it goes on to Oshino Hakkai and Kawaguchiko.
There is no train between Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes. Travel guides describe a bus from the Sengoku area of Hakone to Gotemba Station and a Fujikyu bus from there. On the Fujikyu timetable, Gotemba to Asahigaoka on Lake Yamanaka takes about 37 minutes. Check both operators’ times before you set out.
The simpler way to see both in one day is a tour. In October 2026 the highest-rated Hakone and Fuji coach day was 4.9 from 1,105 reviews at $49, and the most-reviewed one had 8,284 reviews at $55. Both ride the ropeway, cruise Lake Ashi and stop at Lake Yamanaka’s swan beach and Oshino Hakkai. See our ranked Mt Fuji day trips from Tokyo.
Stay at Kawaguchiko or Lake Yamanaka for Fuji. Stay in Hakone for onsen and a varied day of trains, ropeway and boats. With two nights, do one of each and cross by bus via Gotemba. For bases on the Fuji side, see where to stay near Mt Fuji.
1 day
Combines Hakone and Fuji in one coach day: Hakone Shrine, the pirate ship on Lake Ashi, the ropeway over Owakudani, then about 20 minutes on the swan beach at Lake Yamanaka and a last stop at Oshino Hakkai.
from$49
Check availability10 hours
The biggest-selling Hakone and Fuji combination, leaving from Tokyo Station or Shinjuku for Lake Ashi, the ropeway and Owakudani before a 20-minute swan-shore photo stop at Lake Yamanaka and a walk round Oshino Hakkai.
from$55
Check availability10-11 hours
A private van for up to five from a Tokyo hotel, choosing from a long list of stops that includes Lake Yamanaka, Oshino Hakkai, the pagoda and parts of Hakone.
from$364 per group (up to 5)
Check availability10 hours - 1 day
The most-reviewed Fuji day trip that stops at the lake: the coach goes to Hirano Beach first for the morning reflection and the swans, then on to Oshino Hakkai, Oishi Park and the Chureito Pagoda.
from$49
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Kawaguchiko. The mountain rises straight across the lake, about 17 km from the summit in a straight line, and the classic photo spots such as Oishi Park and the Chureito Pagoda are close by. In Hakone, Fuji appears on clear days from Owakudani, the ropeway and Lake Ashi, but it is further off and only one part of a wider view, and cloud hides it often.
On a tour, yes. Several coach tours from Tokyo combine Hakone's ropeway and Lake Ashi with a stop at Lake Yamanaka and Oshino Hakkai, from $49 in October 2026. By public transport it is too much for one day: there is no train between the two areas, and the bus needs a change at Gotemba. Spend a night in each, or pick one.
By bus, changing at Gotemba Station. An Odakyu highway bus runs from the Sengoku area of Hakone to Gotemba, then Fujikyu buses run on to Lake Yamanaka in about 37 minutes and to Kawaguchiko after that. Lake Yamanaka is the first of the Fuji Five Lakes on that line. No train links Hakone with the lakes. Check both timetables before you go.
Hakone, slightly. Odakyu's Romancecar reaches Hakone-Yumoto from Shinjuku in about 80 minutes. The highway bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko takes about 1 hour 45, and the Fuji Excursion train about 1 hour 55. Hakone's sights sit higher up the valley, though, so allow extra time on the Tozan train or bus to reach Owakudani or Lake Ashi.
Hakone is the bigger hot spring area: a Japan Tourism Agency text counts 17 hot springs there. Kawaguchiko has its own hot spring district, Fujikawaguchiko Onsenkyo, and lakeside hotels with Fuji-view baths. At Lake Yamanaka, the Benifuji no Yu day spa is closed until a planned March 2027, so use Ishiwari no Yu or a hotel bath instead.
Pick Kawaguchiko for a first visit by public transport: it has the train station, the most hotels and the best-known sights.
Lake Kawaguchiko is the Fuji Five Lake with the train station, the most hotels and the best-known Fuji photo spots.
Kawaguchiko is the easiest base near Mt Fuji, with the most hotels and the rail station.
The cheapest and most frequent way from Tokyo to Mt Fuji is the Fujikyu or Keio highway bus from Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko: 56 a day, about 1 h 45, from ¥2,000 paid online.