Places to seeWhere to go in Yamanashi
Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.
Yamanashi山梨県
Yamanashi is the Mt. Fuji side of Mt. Fuji.
Yamanashi is the Mt. Fuji side of Mt. Fuji.
Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.
The mountain stands on the border with Shizuoka, and the classic view — the whole cone, reflected in water, with nothing in front of it — is from this side, at the Five Lakes at its foot.
The one thing worth knowing before you plan around it: Fuji is often invisible. It makes its own cloud, and in summer it is hidden more often than not. Winter mornings are the clearest — December to February, before about nine o’clock, when the air is cold and dry and the snow is on it. If seeing the mountain matters to you, come then.
Getting in: No airport — about 1h 30m from Shinjuku (Tokyo) by limited express or bus
Pick the season first and the days will arrange themselves.
Cherry blossom with the mountain in mid-April, later than Tokyo. Grape vines come into leaf in May.
The mountain is hidden most days. The climbing season is July to early September, on the Shizuoka and Yamanashi trails.
Grape harvest, then autumn colour round the lakes in early November. The air begins to clear.
The best months to see it. Cold, dry mornings, snow on the cone, and the lakes still.
