At the top of my list for my first holiday in Japan was to see Mt Fuji. It’s undoubtedly the most famous mountain in Japan and is prominent in the imagery of Japan due to its portrayal in many pieces of art. One of my knitting project bags made of a Japanese fabric even had Mt Fuji on it alongside some geisha. I was pretty stoked my Mt Fuji project bag got to see its true form!
Bus to Mt Fuji
So for day 3 in Japan, I booked a bus to Mt Fuji. By some miracle, I made it to the bus without getting lost this time. I was pretty amazed that the buses arrived on the 4th floor of the terminal at Shinjuku! The bus was really comfortable, though I was surprised that almost everyone on the bus used the curtains. I love the sun and am the kind of person that deliberately moves into the sun, so this was a bit strange to me.
I expected the bus to take around two and half hours to reach Kawaguchiko station, but I vaguely remember it took much longer than that. Due to being on holiday, I wasn’t really paying attention to which day it was. It happened to be a Saturday, so there was a lot of traffic in the end. When I got off the bus and looked around, I was slightly concerned. There was no big amazing Mt Fuji anywhere in sight.
Did I take the wrong bus? Was I in a completely different area? These thoughts raced through my mind. They were short-lived though, seeing all the souvenirs in the shape of Mt Fuji assured me I was in the right place. I made my way to the hotel I was staying at to ditch my luggage. I had planned to stay 2 nights in the area because the next day I planned to go to Fuji Q Highland!
Fuji Five Lakes Sightseeing Bus Tour
Since I had no plans for the day I arrived in the area, I decided to look at some sightseeing pamphlets. On one of them was an afternoon bus tour of the area. It looked good so I booked my ticket online. It said to print it out, but that if you couldn’t, it was fine to use an e-ticket. So an e-ticket it was!
Don’t be fooled into thinking Japan is high-tech. Sometimes it is, but other times it’s not. This was one of those times. Our tour guide was this lovely middle-aged lady, who spoke no English. At that time, I also spoke no Japanese. I showed her my e-ticket and she ran into the station in a panic unsure of what to do. I was seriously concerned I wouldn’t be allowed onto the bus. After what felt like 10 minutes (it was probably only 5 minutes though), I was allowed on board by the bus driver. The tour lady came back and she began her introductions!
She gave me a headset that had automated multilingual guidance, so whenever we would pass by or stop at a sight, I could learn about the site in English. There was also a pen-type device and a map. You’d point the pen at spots on the map, and it would tell you about that spot. These were really useful, but what made it even more special was the tour lady. Upon realising that I was travelling by myself, she literally took me by the hand and personally showed me around everywhere. Words can’t express how amazing she was! The tour itself was quite amazing as well, even though Mt Fuji didn’t make an appearance.
Lake Yamanaka Swan Lake Cruise Ship
Our tour started off by driving by Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖) as we made our way to Lake Yamanaka (山中湖). Once there, we headed towards the Swan Lake cruise ship. It has a super cute design, but what impressed me even more was the sheer amount of Koi fish in the water as we walked along the pier! One kid was feeding them and they went wild! Most of these ones were the common grey colour, but there were a few bright red and orange ones too. I’d always had a liking for koi fish, despite having never seen one in person. That liking continues to this day! I can literally watch them for hours.
Oshino Hakkai
After the lakes, we went to a place known as Oshino Hakkai (忍野八海). It’s a set of eight magnificent ponds that are part of the Mt Fuji UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The water in these ponds was absolutely enchanting. It was by far the clearest blue water I’d ever seen. I also ate a really juicy peach there, it was so delicious!
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen-Jinja Shrine
Our last stop before returning was Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen-Jinja Shrine (北口本宮冨士浅間神社). This shrine was other-worldly. We passed under a giant Torii Gate and the path was lined by the largest trees I’ve ever laid eyes on. It is said that these trees are about 1,000 years old. Back in the past, this is where pilgrims would start their journey up Mt Fuji.
After the last stop, the bus took us back to the station. The tour was really amazing and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the area. I took the afternoon course, but they also have a morning course that visits some different areas such as the wind cave! The Bus Tour company is called Fujikyuko Bus and you can check out the course I took here.
Fuji Q Highland
I absolutely love rollercoasters! The bigger, the better, but in Australia they aren’t many big ones. When planning my Japan trip I discovered this theme park called Fuji Q Highland, which was known for having some of the biggest and fastest rollercoasters in Japan.
I’d heard that the lines could be jam-packed for the rides, so I got there nice and early and bought some priority tickets for the top 4 rollercoasters in the park: Do-dodonpa, Takabisha, Eejenaika and Fujiyama. It was expensive, but the experience was amazing and it was so much fun!
Do-dodonpa
My favourite rollercoaster was the super fast Do-dodonpa, the sheer speed of it was exhilarating. It reached a top speed of 180km/h. I wanted to go on this one a second time, but when I checked the line wait time, it would be 3 hours and I decided to enjoy the rest of the park instead.
Fujiyama
I also really enjoyed Fujiyama, which had an amazing view of Mt Fuji, which had finally come out to play that day. I don’t think words can express how I felt when looking at Mt Fuji. It was unreal.
Takabisha
I enjoyed the experience of Takabisha, which drops you down from an angle of 121 degrees. But I don’t think I’d ever go on that one again. The pause just before the fall where it lets you hang briefly was more terrifying than fun.
Eejenaika
Out of the big 4, my least favourite was the Eejenaika. This one is so intense you have to remove all your accessories and such, including your shoes. The seats themselves rotate in addition to the standard rollercoaster course. This was my least favourite as due to all the rotations and the speed, I got off that ride with bruises. It was just too rough.
Mt Fuji View
After getting my fix on the big rollercoasters, I was delighted to find there was an orchestra playing. I enjoyed lunch in the park and began going on all the smaller rides and other attractions, such as the Ferris wheel. Mt Fuji had come out in all its glory, so I enjoyed viewing it from the Ferris Wheel! I was having so much fun I ended up staying at the park all day. As the sun began to set, I thought I’d enjoy looking at Mt Fuji from the observation point in the park. It did not disappoint! I think I may have enjoyed Mt Fuji at sunset even more than during the day! Once it became dark, you could see the lights on the trail up Mt Fuji, where all the huts are located for the hikers.
Back to Tokyo
After my amazing day at Fuji Q Highland, I went back to my hotel for the night. The next day I was taking the bus back to Tokyo, so I could then catch a bullet train to Kyoto! I got up nice and early in the morning to get my bus. Despite it only being around 27°, the humidity made it feel much hotter and I was a sweaty mess by the time the bus arrived. Luckily it was much cooler onboard!
That was my Mt Fuji adventure! In the next blog, I’ll tell you all about Kyoto! If you haven’t read the first part of my Japan trip, check it out here. Which activity would you prefer in this area, the sightseeing bus or Fuji Q Highland? Let me know in the comments!
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