Japan is a country that cannot be seen in a single trip. There are as many "Japan" as you travel. Each island that makes up this country is unique and depending on the time of year you go you will see ocher and gold colors, intense greens, snow white, turquoise ...
One of the symbols of Japan is the Fujisan or Mount Fuji and without a doubt it is a destination that must be known. Climbing it is another thing, for adventurers or mountaineers, but going to its feet, seeing it, hopefully, is something that we must do if we travel to the land of the rising sun. And an ideal destination is the Kawaguchiko Lake.
The 5 lakes of Fuji
This is one area consisting of five mountain lakes and the most accessible from Tokyo and for the tourist services and facilities it has is the Kawaguchiko Lake. A trip by train and by bus is enough to be in the mountain village, a thermal spa, in addition, that you have to take advantage of.
The experience of an onsen is also recommended when one travels to Japan and there is nothing better than doing it here, with mountains and forests around. The best views of the Fujisan, as they call it, are from the north coast but it is not there where the hotels, restaurants and shops are concentrated but on the east side. The other coasts are ideal to walk a bit and see the gigantic mountain, as long as its top is not covered with clouds.
The lake it is the second largest lake of the five lakes in the area and is the lowest, only 800 meters above sea level. That is why it is a good destination when summer hits Tokyo since the temperatures here are more temperate. Of course, in winter you have to bundle up.
Without a doubt it is the most popular lake and the one with a more developed tourism industry. You can make base here and sign up for walks around the circle to have a more complete postcard.
How to get to Lake Kawaguchiko
To get to this area from Tokyo you can take a bus or go by train and combiner. I prefer the trains and more when you already have payment Japan Rail Pass. You should take the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku Station to Otsuki Station. If you take the local train it takes almost two hours, if you take the limited express only 70 minutes. From Otsuki you take the Fujikyu Railway to Kawaguchiko Station. The trip takes about an hour.
You can use the JRP to link Shinjuku with Otsuki nothing more. A pass that covers all this transfer is the JR Tokyo Wide Pass. Do you like the bus? Then you can take one from Shin juku, they leave two per hour and it takes two hours at a price of 1750 yen. They are operated by Fujikyu and Keio companies. From Tokyo Fujikyu and JR Kanto Bus also have two services per hour at a similar price.
One option, if you like passes, is the Fuji Hakone Pass which is exclusive for foreigners: it allows unlimited use of buses, trains, boats, cableways and funiculars in the area of Hakone and the Five Lakes of Fuji. It lasts three consecutive days and includes a Tokyo-Hakone ticket on the Odakyu trains and a one-way ticket only between Tokyo and the Five Lakes.
From Shinjuku it costs 8000 yen (about $ 80), and from Odawara it is cheaper, 5650 yen. It is very complete, if you are going to move a lot.
The Fujisan area has two major stations: Fujisan and Kawaguchiko, and buses leave from both that provide access to the entire region. There is a nice detail: there are retro buses that are special for tourists. The Kawaguchiko Line that runs along the east and north coasts and the Saiko that runs along the south coast and reaches Lake Saiko. You can buy an unlimited pass for both lines that lasts 48 hours and costs 1200 yen.
Obviously regular buses also run and if you want to reach more remote lakes you must take them. Finally, if you dare to drive on the other side, you can rent a car and thank god you can always rent a bike.
What to see in Lake Kawaguchiko
Besides of Mount Fuji If we are lucky? Well there is museums, boating on the lake, thermal baths and a nice climb up the mountain by funicular. The Kachi Kachi funicular climb almost to the top of Mount Tenjo and you can see the lake and the Fujisan. If you go hiking from here you can walk to Mount Mitsutoge, what's more. It costs 800 yen round trip.
Several onsen here. My advice is that if you can stay in a ryokan (traditional Japanese accommodation), with its own onsen, but if you can't then you can enjoy a thermal bath in a public onsen or a hotel that opens its own. Among the latter is the Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, on the south coast, although it does not have views of the mountain. Another is the Mifujien Hotel, on the northeast coast. Its bathrooms are separated by gender but it does have views of the Fujisan.
Outside hotels is the Tensui Kawaguchiko, a public onsen in the middle of the forest, near the Kubota Itchiku Museum. It has three outdoor swimming pools, indoor baths and a sauna for women and men. Of course, nothing of the Fujisan among the trees. If you want a postcard with hot water, your boy / girl next door and the Fujisan in front you have to look. This gender separation of the bathrooms is a problem, that's why I told you that you will stay in a ryokan with its own onsen.
Finally, on the route of the red bus there is two hot spring towns, Funatsu-Hama and Azagawa. Each has hotels and public onsen that you can enjoy. Speaking of museums, the Kubota Itchiku is very beautiful and also its surroundings with gardens, forests and waterfalls. Itchiku Kubota was a specialist in old-fashioned fabric dyeing and the display is beautiful.
There is also a tea house inside the museum, with views of Mount Fuji. If you go in autumn, the area becomes an ocher, red and gold oasis and if you go between April and the end of May you will see all the colorful flowers and even fields of lavender and blueberries.
As you see, Lake Kawaguchiko is worth a visit if you are in Tokyo. Three days are enough to soak up mountainous landscapes and who knows, if the Fujisan is seen you will have that great memory forever.