Lake Kawaguchiko is the Fuji Five Lake with the train station, the most hotels and the best-known Fuji photo spots. Ride the Panoramic Ropeway up Mt Tenjo, walk the flower beds of Oishi Park on the north shore, and use the loop buses to get around. Quieter Lake Yamanaka is about 22 minutes away by car.
Lake Kawaguchiko is the most developed of the Fuji Five Lakes, as japan-guide puts it. It has the region’s train station, the most hotels, and the best-known photo spots: Oishi Park’s flower beds on the north shore, the view from the Panoramic Ropeway, and a convenience store with the mountain sitting on its roof. If you are coming by train and want sights within walking distance, it is the easy choice.
This site is about the quieter lake next door. Lake Yamanaka is about 15 km east, roughly 22 minutes by car, so it is easy to stay at one and spend a day at the other. Our Lake Yamanaka vs Kawaguchiko comparison sets the two side by side.
Checked October 2026. Lake figures are Yamanashi Prefecture’s.
| Lake Kawaguchiko | |
|---|---|
| Area | 5.70 km², second largest of the five lakes |
| Shoreline | 20.94 km |
| Height | 830.5 m above sea level |
| Deepest point | 14.6 m |
| Fuji | Due south, across the lake from the north shore |
| Station | Kawaguchiko Station, end of the Fujikyu Line |
| From Shinjuku | Highway bus about 1 h 45, from ¥2,200 (¥2,000 booked online) |
| From Lake Yamanaka | About 15 km, 22 min by car; Fujikko-go bus 51 min from Asahigaoka |
The lake belongs to Fujikawaguchiko town and, like Lake Yamanaka, it is a component of the Fujisan World Heritage site.
The ropeway climbs Mt Tenjo from the east shore in about three minutes to a viewing deck at 1,075 m. From the top you look across the lake to Fuji and, on a clear day, west to the Southern Alps. The operator calls the summit Kachi Kachi Yama, after the folk tale Dazai Osamu retold, and the summit is dotted with rabbit and raccoon-dog figures from the story.
| Ticket | Until 31 Oct 2026 | From 1 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Return, adult | ¥1,000 | ¥1,200 |
| Return, child | ¥500 | ¥600 |
| One way, adult | ¥600 | Not yet published |
Checked October 2026 on the operator’s site. Hours change with the season, so check the operator’s home page on the day. Note the dates this year: shorter hours (last ride up 15:00) on 21 and 22 October and 25 and 26 November, and an annual closure planned from 7 to 18 December 2026. Strong wind can stop the cars for part of a day or all of it.
If you would rather walk, the ropeway’s own site publishes hiking routes on the mountain.
Oishi Park is a strip of flower beds on the north shore with Fuji straight across the water. It is free and has no gate. The Yamanashi tourism site describes a walkway of about 350 m with more than 90 kinds of flowers through the year. The headline seasons are lavender from late June to mid-July, during the Kawaguchiko Herb Festival, and kochia bushes that turn red in autumn. There is a car park for about 40 cars, and the Red Line loop bus reaches the Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center stop beside the park in about 30 minutes from the station.
Many Tokyo coach days stop here too, so if you have a car, an early start gives you the flower beds with fewer people in the frame.
“Lawson Mt Fuji” is the Lawson Kawaguchiko Ekimae store, a short walk from Kawaguchiko Station, where Fuji appears to sit on the shop’s roof. It became so crowded that in May 2024 Fujikawaguchiko town put up a black screen, about 20 m long, to block the view. The screen came down in August 2024, and the shot is still possible.
Do it politely. The photo only works from the far side of the road, so use the signalled crossing rather than stepping into traffic. The forecourt opposite belongs to a dental clinic and is used by its patients. The store car park is for customers. Local officials cited litter, ignored traffic rules and trespassing when they put the screen up.
Fujikyu runs three sightseeing loops from Kawaguchiko Station, all with buses designed by Eiji Mitooka, who also designed Lake Yamanaka’s KABA amphibious bus.
| Line | Where it goes | Pass (adult) |
|---|---|---|
| Red Line | Round Lake Kawaguchiko, including the ropeway and Oishi Park | 1 day ¥1,500, 2 days ¥2,000 (all three lines) |
| Green Line | Lake Saiko and the Nenba thatched village | Same pass |
| Blue Line | Narusawa, Lake Shojiko and Lake Motosuko | Same pass |
Checked October 2026. Single rides start at ¥180. The one-day pass is sold on board as well as at the station and online. The Green and Blue lines also take you to the Narusawa Ice Cave and the Fugaku Wind Cave.
For Lake Yamanaka, the Fujikko-go loop bus also starts at Kawaguchiko Station. It runs via Fuji-Q Highland, Fujisan Station and Oshino Hakkai before circling Lake Yamanaka, 11 times a day. Its own pass costs ¥1,800 for one day.
The best time to see Mt Fuji guide goes month by month.
Kawaguchiko is a good hub for day trips by public transport. From the station you can reach the Chureito Pagoda by Fujikyu train to Shimoyoshida Station, Fuji-Q Highland by train or bus, and the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station by bus in about 55 minutes.
Most Tokyo coach tours run a loop that touches Lake Yamanaka, Oshino Hakkai, Kawaguchiko and Chureito in some order. The tour we feature above starts at Hirano Beach on Lake Yamanaka, then covers Oshino Hakkai, the Lawson spot, Oishi Park and the pagoda. If you want to choose the order yourself, a private half-day tour from Kawaguchiko hotels on our list includes an hour at Lake Yamanaka in its sample route. Our day trip guide and tours page compare the options.
Choose Kawaguchiko if you are on public transport, staying one night, or want restaurants within walking distance. Choose Lake Yamanaka if you have a car or are happy with buses, and want a bigger, higher and quieter lake, the lakeside cycling path, sunset Diamond Fuji from mid-October to late February, or an easy run to Oshino Hakkai before the coaches arrive. Where to stay near Mt Fuji compares the bases, and the Lake Yamanaka hotels guide covers the quieter side.
One cost to note: Fujikawaguchiko and Fujiyoshida plan a lodging tax of ¥200 per person per night from 1 April 2027. We found no such plan for Lake Yamanaka.
If you are also weighing up Hakone, see Hakone vs Kawaguchiko.
| How | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Car | About 22 min, 15.5 km | Asahigaoka to Kawaguchiko Station, free-flow estimate |
| Local bus | About 30 to 38 min | Gotemba line, once or twice an hour; does not reach Hirano |
| Fujikyu Fujikko-go | 51 min from Asahigaoka | Via Oshino Hakkai, Fujisan Station and Fuji-Q Highland |
Times checked October 2026 on Fujikyu’s timetables and japan-guide. For getting here from Tokyo, see Tokyo to Mt Fuji.
1 day
Starts the day on the north shore of Lake Yamanaka at Hirano Beach, where you can feed the swans, then works through Oshino Hakkai, the Lawson photo spot, Oishi Park and the pagoda at Arakurayama.
from$49
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 availability10 hours
A nine-seat minivan version of the classic loop, leaving Tokyo Station at 07:30 or Shinjuku at 08:00 (hotel pickup optional) for Lake Yamanaka and Hirano Beach, Oshino Hakkai, Chureito Pagoda and Lake Kawaguchi.
from$68
Check availability10 hours
A coach day that does the Kawaguchiko photo spots and an hour at Oshino Hakkai first, then finishes with 20 minutes beside Lake Yamanaka feeding the swans before the drive back.
from$49
Check availability10 hours
A Kawaguchiko-focused coach day that adds the Kachi Kachi ropeway up Mount Tenjo to Oishi Park, Oshino Hakkai and the Chureito Pagoda.
from$49
Check availability3.5 hours
For people already staying around the lakes: a local driver-guide collects you at your Kawaguchiko hotel or station and builds a private half day, with the sample route starting at Lake Yamanaka before Oshino Hakkai and Kitaguchi Hongu Sengen Shrine.
from$69
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Fuji views across the water from its north shore, and easy access. It is the most developed of the Fuji Five Lakes and the area's transport hub, with Kawaguchiko Station at the end of the Fujikyu railway and 56 highway buses a day from Busta Shinjuku. Oishi Park's flowers, the Panoramic Ropeway and the Lawson store with Fuji above it draw the biggest crowds.
Until 31 October 2026 a return ticket costs ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 for children, according to the operator. From 1 November 2026 the individual return fare rises to ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for children. Small and medium dogs ride for ¥600. The ropeway closes for annual inspection from 7 to 18 December 2026 and can stop in strong wind.
Yes. Oishi Park on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchiko is free to walk round at any time. It has a flower walkway of about 350 m with the lake and Mt Fuji behind, more than 90 kinds of flowers through the year, lavender for the Herb Festival from late June to mid-July, and red kochia in autumn. The car park takes about 40 cars.
Yes. The black screen Fujikawaguchiko put up in May 2024 to stop crowds photographing Fuji above the Lawson near Kawaguchiko Station came down in August 2024, and 2026 visitor photos show the view open. Take the photo from the far side of the road, cross only at the signalled crossing, and keep off the dental clinic's forecourt opposite. The store's car park is for its customers.
Kawaguchiko is easier without a car and has more hotels and sights within walking distance. Lake Yamanaka is quieter, larger, higher and closer to Mt Fuji according to its tourism association, with sunset Diamond Fuji from mid-October to late February. The lakes are about 15 km apart, so many visitors stay at one and spend a day at the other.
Pick Kawaguchiko for a first visit by public transport: it has the train station, the most hotels and the best-known sights.
Oshino Hakkai is a group of eight spring-fed ponds in Oshino village, between Lake Yamanaka and Lake Kawaguchiko.
The Fuji Five Lakes are Yamanaka, Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Shoji and Motosu, strung in an arc along the north side of Mt Fuji in Yamanashi.
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.