Exploring Kawaguchico – Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (Sept. 7, 2025)
Good morning. We’re now at the Nagoya train station and this is the Shinkansen. See, we’re not going to ride that. We’re going to ride a different train. It’s 6:11. So, we slept here in Aagoya last night and we’re going to Kawaguchko. We have to ride a bullet train from here to Shizuka and then ride a bus for our Mount Guji climb. Okay, we’re at the bottom place. People are there on the other side taking pictures. This is Fuji. Just stop. Mount Fuji and there’s used biking to Mount Fuji. Okay. On the left side. Nice. Okay. This is our bike. A Japanese ebike. Okay, We’re here at the cha pagod. This is the stairs. So many stairs. That’s the road. I want to eat the stairs. Up the stairs. the dragon flies. Look at the view. We’re up here at the start. Just going inside trails that we see. Yeah, maybe it just goes around. do not enter. There’s the pagoda and now 3G behind because there’s so many trees covering. Yeah. Okay. So, this is Mount Araura hiking box up there. this fence area. Okay. Turtle rock is farther there. Let’s see. Okay, we’re still climbing now. It’s steeper. We haven’t reached Delta Rock yet. And there’s two or three more points before reaching the summit. Okay, almost near the summit. The guy I met going down said it’s around 5 minutes more to reach the summit. Okay, it’s a tiring hike. It’s all uphill. Okay, we’re here at the summit. 5 more minutes to the second summit. Let’s see. Nothing to see here. Okay. I think that in front of us is the second summit. I think we’re already on the second summit, but there’s still a trail. Okay, let’s see. Cuz there’s nothing to see here. They said they see it’s cloudy and there should be an opening. It said 5 minutes. It’s just 3 minutes from the first summit. Okay, maybe this is it. It’s another ascent. Oh yes, this is it. Okay, I think this is the second summit. Nice. Wow. 10 second summit. gone. Okay, that should make the clouds go away. Okay, the gong didn’t seem to work cuz uh there’s still cloud cover on the summit of uh Fuji. So, can’t wait for it to go away. Okay, we’re going down now back to the viewpoint of Fuji where Yuse is waiting for me. Look at this. This is a nice one, too. Nice view. Okay, going down Lake Kawad. Okay, make that nice. Hey. Hey. Hey. small cafe here that’s highly rated in Googles. So, we’re going to try it. Yay. And we’re here somewhere in Kawaguchi. Yeah. Hopefully there we can go up back to the street. These are inner roads. use. Okay. There’s a tunnel, but to the left. Yeah. Yes. Yes. We’re using ebikes. Huh? No, I’m saying we’re using ebikes. Ebikes the best. turn right up. Yeah. Not yet. Still a few mile a few a few kilometers but almost there. Oh yes. They have a inflatable gym or play. Nice flowers. It’s a museum. Coffee cake. Soft served ice cream. Kawaguchi Museum. Look, there’s a bridge.
From Nagoya, we took the bullet train to Shizuoka, then transferred to a bus bound for Kawaguchiko. All along the bus journey, Mount Fuji’s iconic silhouette constantly emerged and disappeared from the landscape.
Arriving around 8:45 AM, we immediately set out to find the best vantage points of Mt. Fuji before checking into our hotel. After an early lunch around 11:00 AM, we rented Japanese e-bikes — our chosen transport for the rest of the day. Cycling to Arakurayama Sengen Park in the nearby town of Fujiyoshida, we were determined to capture that iconic shot of the five-story Chureito Pagoda framed perfectly against Mount Fuji. While exploring the park, I spotted a trail and spontaneously decided to hike up Mt. Arakura’s summit. The path was quite steep, but the view from the second summit offered a spectacular view of Fujiyoshida and Nishikatsura on one side, and Mount Fuji on the other. Unfortunately, a massive cloud had settled in, completely obscuring the mountain’s upper half. I met and chatted with a group of German youth while we waited for the clouds to break, but after ten minutes with no luck, I decided to head back down.
Back on our bikes, we began a 20 km loop around Lake Kawaguchiko, passing parks, museums, campsites, and cafes. The northeastern side of the lake offered the most magnificent, unobstructed views of Mt. Fuji. We stopped at a highly-rated coffee shop called “cafe” for a snack. I enjoyed an apple juice and dark chocolate cake, while Yus had coffee and cheesecake. The food was good, and the view of Mt. Fuji from our table while we sipped and nibbled was the perfect added bonus to the treat.
Though there were many more spots to visit, the afternoon was waning, and we had to return the e-bikes by 6:00 PM. After dropping them off, we checked into our room. Our plans for a nice dinner were foiled when we discovered the local restaurants closed early at 7:00 PM, forcing us to grab a microwave dinner at a 7/11 and eat in the hotel. We finished the day by finding a nearby laundrymat before finally going to bed.
Kawaguchiko offers incredible opportunities for activities like biking, boating, camping, hiking, or just chilling at the park or cafes. It’s a fantastic spot, and I would certainly spend more time there on a return visit.
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