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. The Fuji Excursion train takes about 1 h 55 for ¥4,200. Day tours from $30 suit one-day visits.
The cheapest and most frequent way from Tokyo to Mt Fuji is the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station. Fujikyu Bus and Keio Bus ran 56 a day there in October 2026, in about 1 hour 45, for ¥2,200 (¥2,000 paid online). The Fuji Excursion train is quicker to board and avoids traffic but costs ¥4,200. A coach tour is the easiest way to see several sights in one day. Driving takes about an hour and a half.
“Mt Fuji” here means the Fuji Five Lakes on the mountain’s north side: Kawaguchiko, Fujiyoshida, Oshino and Lake Yamanaka. That is where the buses, the train and nearly every day tour go. Climbing is a separate trip with its own rules.
| Highway bus | Fuji Excursion train | Day tour | Car | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Busta Shinjuku or Tokyo Station | Shinjuku | Tokyo Station, Shinjuku or hotel | Anywhere |
| To Kawaguchiko | About 1 h 45 (Shinjuku) | About 1 h 55 | Included | About 1 h 30 to the lakes |
| Price | ¥2,200, ¥2,000 online | ¥4,200 | From $30 | Tolls, fuel, hire |
| Runs | 56 a day from Shinjuku | 4 or 5 a day each way | Daily, about 10 hours | Any time |
| Book | Required, a month ahead | Seat advised, a month ahead | Online | Hire car |
| Best for | Most people | JR Pass holders, rail fans | One day, many stops | Families, early starts |
Fares and times checked October 2026 on the Fujikyu Bus Shinjuku route, the Fujikyu Bus Tokyo Station route and Fujikyu Railway’s Fuji Excursion page. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s on 15 October 2026. Driving time is the Yamanakako tourist association’s.
The Chuo Expressway buses are what most visitors use. Fujikyu Bus runs or co-runs every route below, which is why “Fujikyu bus” is the name you will see on tickets and signs.
Buses leave from Busta Shinjuku, the fourth-floor terminal directly connected to Shinjuku Station’s South Exit. The first leaves at 06:45 and the last at 22:25. Kawaguchiko Station is about 1 hour 45 away, Fuji-Q Highland about 1 hour 40. In practice the timetable ranges from 1 hour 35 to 1 hour 52 to Kawaguchiko.
Fares in October 2026: ¥2,200 to Fuji-Q Highland or Kawaguchiko, ¥2,000 if you pay online, half for children. All seats are assigned. Sales open on the same date one month before, online or by phone, and close 10 minutes before departure.
Most buses go further. 38 a day continue to Fujisan Station in Fujiyoshida, 27 to Lake Yamanaka, and six call at Oshino Hakkai. The Tokyo to Lake Yamanaka guide has the lake times. The October timetable also showed two buses a day running on to the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station.
Coming back, 55 buses a day leave Kawaguchiko for Shinjuku. The last one left at 20:15 in October 2026, reaching Shinjuku at 22:00.
Fujikyu, Fuji Express and JR Bus Kanto run from the Yaesu South Exit (some also from the Tekko Building at the Yaesu North side). The trip to Kawaguchiko takes about 2 hours and costs ¥2,300. There were 17 departures a day in October 2026, fewer than from Shinjuku. Book ahead: if you pay at the stop or on board it is cash only, and Suica and PASMO are not accepted.
Fujikyu runs direct buses from Haneda (¥3,300, about 2 hours 50 to Kawaguchiko) and from Narita (from ¥6,000, about 3 hours 30 to 3 hours 40; on-board payment is cash only). Both stop at Kawaguchiko, Fuji-Q Highland and Fujisan Station.
No single JR train goes to Mt Fuji. The Fujikyu Line climbs 26.6 km from Otsuki on the JR Chuo Line to Kawaguchiko, gaining about 500 m on the way.
The Fuji Excursion runs straight through from Shinjuku to Fujisan Station and Kawaguchiko. Four trains a day run each way, with a fifth in season. The fastest takes 1 hour 53 to Kawaguchiko, and the fare is ¥4,200. Without it, you ride JR to Otsuki and change to a Fujikyu local or the Fujisan View Express, which takes about 45 minutes from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko.
With a JR Pass, JR covers Shinjuku to Otsuki. The Fujikyu section is extra: ¥1,170 fare to Kawaguchiko plus ¥600 if you are on the Fuji Excursion.
Two late local JR trains also run through from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko each evening (18:06 and 19:04 on weekdays). They are slow but need no change.
A tour suits you if you have one day and want Kawaguchiko, Oshino Hakkai and the Chureito Pagoda without timing local buses. Most leave Tokyo Station or Shinjuku between 07:00 and 08:30 and take about 10 hours. On GetYourGuide in October 2026, coach tours started at $30, nine-seat small-group minivans at $51, and private cars from $319 for up to three people.
Many of them stop at Lake Yamanaka too, usually first thing for the reflection at Hirano Beach. Our Mt Fuji day trip guide ranks the best of them and gives a do-it-yourself bus plan.
The Yamanakako tourist association gives about 1 hour to Otsuki on the Chuo Expressway, 20 minutes on to Kawaguchiko IC, and 10 more to Yamanakako IC: about 1 hour 30 from central Tokyo to the lakes. The Tomei Expressway via Gotemba takes about 1 hour 35 to Yamanaka. In winter, snow can close the Higashi-Fuji-goko Road and Route 138 as a precaution; carry snow tyres or chains from December to March.
A car makes sense for a family, or for sunrise at a viewpoint before the first bus arrives. For one or two people the bus is cheaper.
Kawaguchiko Station and Fujisan Station are the hubs for the local Fujikyu buses. Sightseeing loops run round Kawaguchiko, Saiko and Motosuko (the Red, Green and Blue Lines), and the Fujikko-go loop covers Fujiyoshida, Oshino Hakkai and Lake Yamanaka. Local buses take Suica and PASMO.
Two tickets help if you plan several rides. The Fujiyoshida, Oshino and Yamanaka area pass costs ¥1,800 for one day or ¥2,200 for two, and is sold at Kawaguchiko Station, Fujisan Station and the Asahigaoka bus terminal. Fujikyu Railway’s Mt. Fuji All-Inclusive Ticket costs ¥3,000 for one day and covers all those sightseeing loops, the Fujikyu Line between Kawaguchiko and Shimoyoshida (for the Chureito Pagoda), and one meal or souvenir voucher at shops along the way. Both prices checked October 2026 with Fujikyu.
Take the bus from Shinjuku if you are staying a night or more. It costs about half as much as the train, and buses leave Shinjuku every 10 to 30 minutes from early morning until about 17:00. Take the Fuji Excursion if you have a JR Pass or want a fixed arrival time. Book a tour if you have a single day and want to see more than one place.
Whatever you pick, check the Mt Fuji visibility forecast first. Fuji City’s 2025 count found the whole mountain visible at 8 am on 136 days, about 37 percent of the year, and on only two days in June. If you are deciding where to base yourself, compare Hakone and Kawaguchiko or read where to stay near Mt Fuji.
10 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
The cheapest well-reviewed day trip from Tokyo, packing nine stops into one coach day, beginning with Fuji reflections at Hirano Beach on Lake Yamanaka and ending at the Chureito Pagoda.
from$30
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 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 availability10-11 hours
A private car and English-speaking driver from a Tokyo, Ueno or Yokohama hotel, with a route you shape yourself; Lake Yamanaka is on the menu of optional stops alongside the pagoda and Oshino Hakkai.
from$319 per group (up to 3)
Check availability1 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 availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
For most people, the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station. It runs 56 times a day, takes about 1 hour 45, and costs ¥2,200 or ¥2,000 paid online, checked October 2026. The Fuji Excursion train is the pick for JR Pass holders. For a single day without planning, a coach tour from $30 covers more stops than public transport can.
Fujikyu's Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko or Fuji-Q Highland fare is ¥2,200 for adults, or ¥2,000 if you pay online, and children pay half. From Tokyo Station's Yaesu South Exit it is ¥2,300 to Kawaguchiko and ¥2,700 to Lake Yamanaka. Fares checked October 2026 on Fujikyu Bus route pages. Pay at the stop and it is cash only.
Yes. Every seat on the Chuo Expressway buses is assigned, and you need a ticket before you board. Bookings open on the same date one month before travel and close 10 minutes before the first departure. Book online through Fujikyu or Keio, or by phone. Fujikyu does not publish how fast buses fill, so book early for weekends.
Often, but not always. Fuji City's official 8 am count for 2025 found the whole mountain visible on 136 days, about 37 percent. Winter was best, with 22 clear mornings in February, and June the worst at two. Mornings beat afternoons. Check the forecast the night before and pick a clear day if your dates are flexible.
Only the JR part. On the Fuji Excursion the pass covers Shinjuku to Otsuki, and you pay the Fujikyu Railway section from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko separately: ¥1,170 fare plus a ¥600 limited express charge. The Fujikyu highway buses from Shinjuku and Tokyo Station are not covered. JR's own trains and seat reservations on the JR section cost nothing extra.
The easiest way from Tokyo to Lake Yamanaka is the direct highway bus from Busta Shinjuku.
The Fuji Excursion is a JR East and Fujikyu limited express from Shinjuku to Fujisan Station and Kawaguchiko with no change.
A Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo takes about 10 hours, with roughly four of them on the road.
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.