Mt. Fuji · Diamond Fuji · 2026–2027

Diamond Fuji 2026–2027: The Complete Calendar Guide to Where and When to See It

On any given month somewhere in Japan, the sun touches the summit of Mt. Fuji at sunset or sunrise. Here’s the calendar of where and when each spot lights up.

Diamond Fuji — the moment the sun edge meets the summit. The whole event lasts about 30 seconds. The radial sunburst is real, captured at 1/4000s.

Diamond Fuji (Daiya Fuji) is the moment when the sun rises or sets exactly on the summit of Mt. Fuji, creating the appearance of a diamond perched on the peak. The geometry only works at specific places on specific dates — every viewing spot in Japan has its own narrow window. For Yamanashi and Tokyo it runs from mid-October to late February. For Chiba City the sunset windows are tighter — about ten days each in late October and again in mid-to-late February. For the southern Boso peninsula the geometry shifts entirely: Diamond Fuji is a spring and summer event there, late April to late May and mid-July to mid-August. This guide is the calendar you need to plan a trip around it.

Quick Facts

The Annual Window

Diamond Fuji is not a year-round phenomenon. It only happens when the sun’s daily arc — which moves north and south across the sky over the course of a year — lines up with the summit of Mt. Fuji as seen from a specific viewing point. Because Mt. Fuji’s summit is at a fixed position, and the sun’s arc is fixed by latitude, each viewing spot has exactly two windows of about 2 days each per year. The one most people care about is the autumn-to-winter sunset window, when the sun sinks toward the summit from the east-side viewing spots.

The implication: Diamond Fuji travel planning is the opposite of cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms have a hard 10-day national window. Diamond Fuji has a soft 4-month window — but you have to match a specific date to a specific viewing point. Show up at the wrong spot on the right day and you see a regular sunset.

How It Works (Briefly)

The sun rises in the east, peaks at solar noon, and sets in the west. The exact azimuth (compass direction) of sunrise and sunset shifts about 47° over the course of a year — north in summer, south in winter. Mt. Fuji is a fixed point. To see Diamond Fuji from a given spot:

• Stand directly east of Mt. Fuji’s summit → the sun sets behind the summit (sunset Diamond)
• Stand directly west of the summit → the sun rises behind it (sunrise Diamond)
• The exact compass alignment only happens twice a year for any one spot

The further east you are from Mt. Fuji and the closer to its latitude, the later in winter the sunset Diamond happens — usually around the February window. Locations significantly south of Fuji’s latitude (the Boso peninsula tip) instead see it in spring and summer entirely. The closer you are (Lake Yamanaka, Tanzawa), the longer the window. Lake Yamanaka has 4+ months of viewing because its 9 different shoreline spots each have slightly different angles to the summit.

Spot-by-Spot Viewing Windows

Lake Yamanaka has the longest combined window because the sun’s setting azimuth crosses each of its 9 lakeshore spots at slightly different dates. Mt. Takao has the shortest — about 10 days centered on the winter solstice. Chiba Bay has two short windows: October sunset (incoming sun moving south) and February sunset (outgoing sun moving north).

A wider frame from a similar moment. The crowd is part of the experience — most spots get a small group of locals at the right window.

The Same Phenomenon, Six Different Settings

Diamond Fuji looks different from each region because the foreground changes everything. Same sun, same summit, same 30 seconds — but the photographs read like different events depending on where you stand. Six versions, briefly:

By Region

If You Can Only Go Once: 5 Spots

Photography Setup

Practical Considerations

Combine With

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts