JapanMt. Fuji

5 Attractions in Mt. Fuji the 5th Station – the hillside of Japan’s highest mountain

Talking about the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji hillside, let’s start with the weather there.

Look at this white board in Sky Palace Fuji, one of the information centers in the 5th Station.

Weather & Temperature in the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji Hillside

4 degrees in October! That’s how Mt. Fuji has got fall leaves and the first snow so early.

It’s autumn in Tokyo and Lake Kawaguchi, and it’s winter in the hillside of Mt. Fuji.

The 5th Station is a place for very casual sightseeing as well as hiking. You can go sightseeing there even in high heels, but make sure to take warm clothing. I was right to wear a coat.

Mt. Fuji 5th Station

Let’s go sightseeing now.

There is a small but beautiful shrine in the 5th Station.

1: Komitake Shrine

Torii Gate to Komitake Shrine

In Japan, there has been a culture to respect a mountain as a spiritual spot since old times.

It is said that Mt. Komitake was a mountain that existed before Mt. Fuji of today, and that a shrine was established as a place to pray more than 1000 years ago.

Komitake Shrine in the 5th Station

When you go inside and out from another gate on your right, there is an observation deck where you can see Lake Yamanaka, and the sunrise in the morning when you stay at a lodge in summer season.
The scenery is in the last post and Flickr of Tokyo Direct Diary.

I’ll write about interesting souvenirs in Mt. Fuji later in another post, but I show you one thing…

Folding Fan Written Oracle in Komitake Shrine

A written oracle of Komitake Shrine. Amazingly, its shape is a folding fan!
It’s all written in Japanese, but surely the purple letters say, “Mt. Fuji Komitake Shrine.” The short chain enables you to bind to your backpack.

I don’t see this on guidebooks, but I recommend it!

Written Oracle
200 yen (Give 200 yen into the donation box and get one from the box full of them individually.)

2: Mt. Fuji-Featured Meals at the Lodges

When you have lunch, there are some Mt. Fuji-featured menu. This is one of them, Ramen bowl (Chinese-originated noodle.) The black thing is dry seaweeds. It has a Mt. Fuji printing!

Fuji-san Ramen

There are also curry rice, other Japanese noodles, etc. I saw many people having Japanese Udon noodle bowls. It’s cold outside, so everyone wants a warm meal!

Fuji-san Ramen Bowl

Restaurant Miharashi kitchen 780 yen (For Muslims: It contains pork.)

3: Sending Post Cards

Mt. Fuji 5th Station Post Office helps you with sending Mt. Fuji post cards.

Mt. Fuji 5th Station Post Office and a classic postbox

To send postcards, buy your favorite ones and ask to send them at the counter.

The counter & postcards

Panoramic post cards are good, and if you like, wooden cards are fine, too. It costs several hundred yen to send your favorite card internationally.

4: Best Photo Spots

A photo spot

Outside of the post office, it’s one of the photo spots in the 5th Station.

The panel reads, “Mt. Fuji 5th Station, 19 October, 2305 meters high, -9 degrees at the peak, 1 degree at the 5th Station.” (Few problems to read it if you are Chinese or Korean…)

The red thing is an old Japanese postbox. There are some sculptures of old Japanese climbers as well, so tourists are excited to take photos here.

Of course, there are more photo spots around.

5: Pony Riding

The district around Mt. Fuji is a place for horse riding, and there are ponies in the 5th Station. They will take you to some places with great views and return.

Ponies in Mt. Fuji 5th Station
Pony-riding

What tender animals they are…

In summer, there is also a course that the ponies take you to the 7th Station.

Pony Riding
1000 yen -, around 8 minutes –

Thank you for reading and have a happy travel with Tokyo Direct Guide!




Mt. Fuji Travel Information

How to get to Mt. Fuji

  • By Train: The major way is to take JR Chuo Line Express from Shinjuku, change trains into Fujikyu Line at Otsuki Station and go to Mt. Fuji Station or Lake Kawaguchi (=Kawaguchiko) Station. It takes 2 hours from Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchi.
  • By Bus: There are some fast buses from Shinjuku, Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Haneda Airport, etc.
  • By Car: 98 km from Tokyo City

The ways to Mt. Fuji are quite complicated even for a Tokyo local, so it is a good idea to find a tour. There are also discount train tickets by JR and Fujikyu Railway.
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How to Get to the 5th Station

How high is Mt. Fuji?
The Peak: 3776 meters high above sea-level
The 5th Station: 2305 meters high above sea-level

Where is Mt. Fuji?
In Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture.
Yamanashi Prefecture is right west from Tokyo.

Links to Mt. Fuji Official Websites

  • Mt. Fuji Explorerhttp://mtfuji-jp.com/ (For anything about sightseeing. You can choose English, Korean and Chinese.)
  • Mt. Fuji Weather Forecasthttp://www.jma.go.jp/en/yoho/321/ (By Japan Meteorological Agency. “Tobu-Fujigoko” is Mt. Fuji.)
  • Japan Meteorological Agency’s Volcanic Warning Websitehttp://www.jma.go.jp/en/volcano/ (If you want to know the condition, Japan Meteorological Agency’s website shows Mt. Fuji and other volcanoes in Japan.)

Accommodation near Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchi

Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi are not places of world wide hotels such as Hilton, but there are some 5-star superb hotels of traditional Ryokan style. Most of them feature hot spring bathes (Onsen in Japanese) with the stunning views of Mt. Fuji.
I picked up some fabulous hotels with high ratings.



Booking.com

2 thoughts on “5 Attractions in Mt. Fuji the 5th Station – the hillside of Japan’s highest mountain

  • I can't believe the 5th station is over 2300 metres high! That's higher than Mt Kosciuszko – Australia's highest mountain!!! It looks cold, but the autumn leaves make it look warmer 😀

    Reply
    • Hi, Red!

      I talk about cities mostly, and sometimes "mild" nature, but the entire of Japan is mountainous lands with many volcanoes. It's pretty surprising, isn't it?

      Autumn leaves told me that it was still autumn, but I remember that it got colder and colder on the bus to the 5th Station. And at the moment I stepped out to the outside, I pulled on my gloves!

      I felt that we can't underestimate nature in any travel. Have a nice travel with preparations!

      Reply

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