Mt Fuji Day Trip from Tokyo by Train or Bus
Doing the Mt Fuji day trip yourself: the highway bus from Shinjuku (about 1 h 45 min, ¥2,200 or ¥2,000 online), the Fuji Excursion train (just under 2 h at its fastest, all seats reserved), and when a tour is simpler.
You can do a Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo on your own: the highway bus from Shinjuku reaches Kawaguchiko Station in about 1 hour 45 minutes for ¥2,200 (¥2,000 booked online), and the Fuji Excursion train runs direct from Shinjuku in just under 2 hours at its fastest, with every seat reserved. The ride is the easy part. The hard part is the day at the other end: the viewpoints around Lake Kawaguchi are spread out, and you link them by local bus. A guided coach day such as the classic Kawaguchiko tour, from US$49 a person in current promotion (usually US$82) (checked October 2026), costs more but strings the stops together for you.
The bus: Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko
Fujikyu and Keio highway buses leave Busta Shinjuku, the bus terminal at Shinjuku Station, through the day, several an hour at busy times, and take about 1 hour 45 minutes to Kawaguchiko Station. The adult fare is ¥2,200, or ¥2,000 if you book and pay online; children pay half. Seats are reserved and go on sale one month before the day. Buses also run from Tokyo Station and Akihabara (fares from ¥2,300 and ¥2,200 on the Ekitan timetable). Fujikyu warns that road conditions can cause long delays, so leave slack before anything timed at the other end.
The train: the Fuji Excursion
The Fuji Excursion is a limited express that runs from Shinjuku straight onto the Fujikyu line to Kawaguchiko, with no change. The fastest run takes just under 2 hours; there are four round trips a day, with one more on some days. All seats are reserved, and JR East sells them from 10:00 Japan time one month before the day, so buy the seat before you go. On JR East’s timetable valid from 14 March 2026, Fuji Excursion 3 leaves Shinjuku at 7:30 and reaches Kawaguchiko at 9:28.
The adult fare is about ¥4,200 one way, in two parts: JR’s Shinjuku to Otsuki fare and limited express charge (about ¥1,410 and ¥1,020 after the March 2026 fare revision, worked out from Ekitan’s ¥4,200 total), then Fujikyu’s ¥1,170 fare and the ¥600 Fuji Excursion charge from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko (Fujikyu’s own expresses charge ¥400).
Rail passes. JR East’s JR TOKYO Wide Pass (¥16,000 for an adult, three days) covers JR East lines and the Fujikyu Railway, so the Fuji Excursion runs on it; seats on Fujikyu’s own Fujisan Express and Fujisan View Express cost extra. If the direct train is full, the alternative is a JR limited express (Azusa or Kaiji) to Otsuki and a change to the Fujikyu line.
The bullet train is not the way to the lakes. The Shinkansen runs along the coast to the south of the mountain; it suits Hakone and the Shizuoka side, not Lake Kawaguchi.
The day at the other end
From Kawaguchiko Station, the lakeshore viewpoints, Oishi Park on the north shore, the Chureito Pagoda above Fujiyoshida (398 steps up) and the spring ponds of Oshino Hakkai are all in different directions. Each needs its own local bus or train leg and its own timetable, so check the last connection back to Kawaguchiko Station before you set out. This is where a tour earns its price: the coach goes from one stop to the next while you look out of the window.
Getting around Kawaguchiko without a tour
Fujikyu runs three sightseeing bus lines from Kawaguchiko Station: the Red Line round the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi, with Oishi Park; the Green Line to Lake Saiko, the Aokigahara forest and the Narusawa Ice Cave; and the Blue Line to Lakes Shoji and Motosu. A single ride starts at ¥180; the pass for all three is ¥1,500 for one day or ¥2,000 for two (children half), sold at the Kawaguchiko Station bus counter, on the buses (one-day pass) and online. Fujikyu’s two-day Mt Fuji & Fuji Five Lakes Passport (¥3,300) adds the local buses, the Fujikko-go bus round Fujiyoshida, Oshino and Lake Yamanaka, and the Fujikyu train between Kawaguchiko and Shimoyoshida, the station for the Chureito Pagoda.
Self-guided or a tour?
| On your own | Guided coach day | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Bus ¥2,200 (¥2,000 online) or the Fuji Excursion | Included, from Shinjuku |
| Moving between stops | Local buses and trains, your own timing | The coach |
| Stops in a day | Two or three, depending on connections | The itinerary on the listing |
| Freedom | Total: stay where the view is clear | Fixed timings at each stop |
| Price | The lowest | Kawaguchiko day: from US$49 in current promotion (usually US$82) |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways for the tour column.
Bus and train details from Fujikyu Bus, Fujikyu Railway and JR East; tour price from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026.
Go on your own if you are happy with two places and want to linger; take a tour if you want the classic set of viewpoints in one day without timetables. What a Mt Fuji day trip costs adds up both.
Check dates for the guided Kawaguchiko day →
Highway bus times, fares and booking rules from Fujikyu Bus’s Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko pages; the Tokyo Station and Akihabara fares from Ekitan’s timetable; the sightseeing bus lines, passes and the Passport from Fujikyu Bus’s sightseeing bus pages; seat sales and the JR TOKYO Wide Pass from JR East; the JR share of the fare derived from Ekitan’s total (as of 14 March 2026) less Fujikyu’s published fare; the Fuji Excursion’s running time, round trips, reserved seats and the Fujikyu fare from Fujikyu Railway; the 7:30 departure and the Otsuki alternatives from JR East’s Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko timetable (valid from 14 March 2026); the Chureito Pagoda steps from the Fujiyoshida tourist guide; all read in October 2026. Tour price from the GetYourGuide listing, read in US dollars on 29 October 2026.
Or Let Someone Else Drive
The guided Kawaguchiko day leaves Shinjuku in the morning and covers Nenba village, Lake Kawaguchi and Oishi Park, Oshino Hakkai and the Chureito Pagoda by coach, so there are no local buses to time. Check the listing for the current meeting point and cancellation window.
Check Tour Dates