Fuji-san 富士山 + Hakone
We spent our first long weekend trip roadtripping around the Fuji Five Lakes area and Hakone. We based ourselves at a hotel in Gotemba and drove from there. This was an easy weekend trip with kids and we lucked out with absolutely beautiful early fall weather and perfect views of Mount Fuji (which is only visible on average 70-80 days a year).
Friday
We left Yokosuka around 7:30am to get on the road to the Fuji Safari Park. We decided to head straight there so we could get there as close to opening as possible. We weren’t able to buy tickets ahead of time specifically for the Jungle Bus (versus same-day tickets) because they were sold out, but when I logged into the MySAFARI portal on Friday morning there were plenty of general admission tickets available. In retrospect, we probably could have purchased the general admission tickets ahead of time, but we had been looking specifically at the Jungle Bus + Admission Tickets.
Once we got to the park, we parked the car and headed to the information center to buy the Jungle Bus tickets. You can either drive your own car through the safari, or ride the bus, which itself looks like an animal (ours ended up looking like a tiger). The bus is not included in the price of your safari admission.
While we waited for our ride (I think I booked it around 10:40am and we had to be at the bus stop at 11:35am) there was a zoo portion of the park that we were able to walk around.
On the Jungle Bus ride, there is a tour guide (all in Japanese) and you are given food to feed bears, lions, and camels through the sides of the bus. We fed the bears and lions using tongs and the camels using little buckets that we dumped food into and then flipped so they could eat out of them.
I would definitely recommend the bus ride, even not understanding Japanese, because it gets you up close and personal with the animals and gives your kids a chance to interact with them.
After we got off the bus, we had lunch. There is an actual restaurant that offers really cute kids meals, with food shaped like animals, but we opted to eat at the food stalls outside because the weather was beautiful and there were views of Fuji over the restaurant and shop. After eating, we walked around the rest of the zoo that we didn’t have time to see before the bus ride and grabbed some souvenirs from the store (tip: I saw a lot of the same souvenirs at this shop that we also saw at stores closer to Fuji, like the ceramic tea cups with Fuji painted on them that I bought, that were ¥1,500 cheaper at the safari store)
After shopping, we decided to drive our car through the safari before heading out. The views were actually a lot better in our van because the windows weren’t covered in bars. Even though we couldn’t get as close to the animals, it was a cool way to see the Fuji views and the animals. If you have the time, I definitely recommend doing both the self-drive and the Jungle Bus.
We had some time to kill before heading to dinner and the hotel, so we went to Mount Fuji Children’s World. To be totally honest, we couldn’t figure out how to buy tickets or if we were even supposed to buy tickets, but the gate was open so we walked in. We played at this playground parked here. I’m sure we missed a lot of the park, but this was a nice break and let the kids run out some energy. There were a lot of trails and plenty of green space.
With other kids, or kids small enough to be carrier in a carrier, this nearby observation platform would also be a great pitstop on a clear day for view of Mount Fuji. It was a steep climb up a staircase so be prepared for that.
Next we headed to Gotemba Premium Outlets for shopping and dinner. We were specifically going to take the kids to the Pokemon Store and the Lego Store, which were on the Eastern side of the shopping center. If we were to do it again, I would map specifically to the shops we were most interested in because we ended up parking on the opposite side and had a bit of a walk. Not a huge deal, but if you have tired impatient kids it might cause more of an issue.
We stayed at Hotel Edit x Seven Gotemba. It was perfect for a bigger group (or a bigger family) because we were able to stay in one room with two adults and four kids. Our balcony had a perfect view of Fuji and the kids loved the bunk beds.
Saturday
We started the day by heading to Lake Kawaguchiko to see the Tenku no Torii (Torii in the Sky), which gives incredible views of a torii, a traditional Japanese gate that marks the transition from the everyday world into the sacred Shinto space, that frames Mount Fuji and overlooks the lake. You park here and walk up. The walk wasn’t bad, but it is uphill on a narrow road. The drive up (and down) definitely requires taking it slow and steady because it’s a road that feels like it should be one way, but somehow two cars fit.
After safely making it back down the road, we headed to the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. We found free parking here and it was an easy walk across the road to the ropeway. We bought tickets at a kiosk (which we were able to put in English). We accidentally bought tickets for our kids under 6 because the kiosk only said “child.” When we got up to the attendant taking tickets, he asked for our pre-school and kindergartener kid's’ ages and told us we could go to the info desk after we came back down the mountain and get a refund. Honestly, I wasn’t worried about ¥500.
The ride to the top was short but the views were beautiful looking at Mount Fuji at at the lake. Once we got to the top, there were obviously incredible views which was fun for the adults. In terms of kid activities, there was a souvenir shop, a snack stand with ice cream, a shrine where you can break little clay dishes for good luck, and swings where you can swing overlooking Mount Fuji. You do have to wait in line (which seems like one of the main activities in Japan) and tickets were ¥500 but I definitely think it was worth it.
There are plenty of restaurants along the lake at the bottom of the railway, but we opted for a quick meal. We had kebabs (one of my favorites) here. The food was fine but definitely on the pricy side because of the convenient location right in the middle of town and directly next to the lake. Was it the best meal I’ve ever had? No. But it was quick and easy with hungry kids.
They rent paddle boats on the lake near this pier. My son was excited because one looks like cat bus from Totoro, which was adorable. At the piers along this parking lot, they have paddle boats, speed boats, and different sight seeing boats available.
Next we headed to the Chureito Pagoda, which we absolutely had to bribe to kids into and told them this was the mom activity for the day. The pagoda observation deck is in Arakurayama Sengen Park and is reached via 398 stone steps. We parked here for ¥1,200 but passed several other lots a little further away that may have been cheaper. We were basically at the base of the stairs going up. The views at the top are absolutely stunning but you are definitely fighting for photos. It was incredibly crowded. I do want to go back and see it during cherry blossom season, even knowing it will be even more crowded. It’s worth seeing in multiple seasons, in my opinion.
After this, we knew we needed to do something for the kids. We debated between heading to Oishi Park for some green space and a small playground on the lake or going to the Mount Fuji 5th Station Subaru Line, which would be about a 50 minute drive. We opted for the longer drive to let them decompress and rest a bit. Once we reached the 5th Station, the highlights (as with much of the weekend) were definitely the views and then mailing postcards directly from the mountain. There is a post office in one of the main stores as soon as you walk out of the parking lot where you can purchase, address, and mail postcards wherever you want in the world. The coolest ones were the branded, wooden ones. We mailed ourselves one of these as a keepsake. There were shops, restaurants, shrines, and pony rides. The climbing season had ended when we were there but the road to the 5th Station was still open to private cars with no issue and no snow chains required because of the weather conditions, but you should always check before you go. You do pay a ¥2.800 round trip to drive up the mountain.
After leaving the mountain, we headed back to the hotel and got Coco’s Curry delivered via Uber Eats as “room service” (a favorite of the kids). It was the perfect way to wind down after a fantastic but long day.
Sunday
Let’s be honest, one of the best parts of Japan is a konbini (convenience store). Whether you prefer 7-Eleven, Lawson’s, or Family Mart, you can’t go wrong with a konbini breakfast. Especially on a road trip with kids, it is an elite way to start to day.
Our plan was to spend Sunday in Hakone. We knew we wanted to see the famous torii on the water at the Hakone Shrine, so we headed there first. Because we got there early in the day, we were able to get free parking right at the shrine. We immediately walked down to get in line for the Heiwa-no-Torii, the torii on the water, so we could get a photo. Do not underestimate how long people will stand in line for something here. We probably waited 40 minutes and that was short. We got our photos, enjoyed the views, and walked through the bamboo forest along the water to head to the Hakone pirate ship cruise.
We started at the Motohakone-ko Pier and rode the ship to Togendai (one stop). We bought round trip tickets that included the and upgraded to first class, which in my opinion is totally worth it. This way, you aren’t packed in like sardines and you are able to sit down comfortably in nice seats with great views out of the windows. You can also go up top to the viewing deck, which also wasn’t crowded. I was told at the first port that we would have to upgrade at each port because there isn’t guaranteed availability. Basically, your first class purchase doesn’t apply round trip. There was some confusion on the ride from Togendai to Hakonemachi-ko because we didn’t realize we weren’t going straight back to Motohakone-ko. We got off and ran to the ticket counter to upgrade and then turned around to get back on the boat for the quick 10 minute ride over to our port of origin (and where we needed to get in order to have a short walk back to the shrine parking). They seemed confused why I was asking to upgrade and when we got back on the boat it seemed like people who had been on with us before hadn’t gotten off and had stayed on and in first class. So maybe we didn’t have to get off and we didn’t have to upgrade again. I was going off of the guy who in the morning had told me you had to upgrade at each port and for every leg of the ride, but either I misunderstood or everyone else got a free upgrade. Either way, it only cost me like $10.
Back to after we got off in Togendai — our tickets from the pirate ship included the rope way. We followed signs (very easy) and got on the cable car. We took it two stop and got off at Owakundani. This stop is popular for seeing the sulphur vents and eating the black eggs, or kura-tomago, which are boiled eggs that have black shells. They are cooked in in the sulfur- and iron-rich volcanic hot springs that Owakundani is known for and this is what gives them their distinct coloring. It is said that if you eat one of the eggs, you will add five to seven years to your life. They taste just like regular hard boiled eggs but it was a fun experience as a bag of four was only ¥500. While in Owakundani, we also shopped (a souvenir shop loves to see me coming), had lunch, and tried the egg soft serve, which I loved.
On the note of souvenirs: we saw these bears at shops all around the area. The kids have now made it their mission to collect as many as they can, which seems like a fun challenge and keepsake of their time living in Japan. It is giving Beanie Baby vibes, which is also fun for me as a 90s kid and mom.
The views from Owakundani were incredible of Fujisan, Lake Ashi, the volcanic activity, and the surrounding mountains. If you can get here on a clear day, it’s absolutely worth it.
Heading back down the mountain, the line for the cable car was a lot longer than for the way up. We probably waited about 45 minutes or so. It moved pretty steadily but there were a lot of people. We saw signs that said something about priority boarding or a fast lane, but hadn’t seen how to purchase or add that to our tickets.
Back down in Togendai, we lined up for the pirate ship, had our slight confusion about which port we were headed to, and eventually made our way back to Motohakone-ko and eventually back to the car. After that, we were all tired and ready to drive back to Yokosuka. It probably took about two hours with traffic, so not terrible. We drove by too quickly and in the wrong lane to get off and stop, but we noticed this rest area about halfway through our drive that would have been a good stopping point to stretch our legs, grab food at the konbini (Family Mart), and go to the restroom before getting back on the road.