Myojinyama: Mount Fuji’s First Snow from Above Lake Yamanaka (2026)

Japan · Yamanashi · Lake Yamanaka · Myojinyama

By Nobu · I was on the summit from 13:24 to 14:05 on 30 October 2026 · facts checked the same day against the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Yamanakako tourism association, Yamanaka Suwa Shrine and Yamanakako village · all photos are mine

On 30 October 2026, the day the Japan Meteorological Agency listed Mount Fuji’s first snow of the season, I was on the summit of Myojinyama, a grassy 1,291 m top on the ridge path above Lake Yamanaka. From the top, Fuji stood across the lake with a white cap of new snow, and a heavy dark cloud hung above it.

I’m Nobu, and I live in Yamanakako village. Myojinyama is also called Teppogi-no-Atama; Yamanaka Suwa Shrine and the Yamanakako tourism association write it as Myojinyama (Teppogi-no-Atama). Below are my photos from the summit that afternoon, the small shrine at the top, how the tourism association times the walk from Panorama-dai and Mikuni Pass, where to park, and where to stay around the lake.

Jump to: First snow from the top · The view · The shrine at the summit · Getting up · Before you go · Where to stay · FAQ

Mount Fuji’s first snow, seen from the top

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s first-snowcap page gives 30 October 2026 as the date of Mount Fuji’s first snow this season.

I photographed the snow that morning at 9:57, from the northern foot of the mountain. In the afternoon I was on the summit of Myojinyama, and my first photo there was taken at 13:24. From the top, the white was clear on Fuji’s upper slopes. At 13:35 a thick dark mass of cloud sat just above the summit, with Lake Yamanaka below.

At 14:05 the cloud on the summit looked like a flat cap, with the snow showing below it. That is the photo at the top of this page. If you are checking whether Fuji will be out before you go, I keep a daily Mount Fuji visibility page, and my Mount Fuji snow and winter guide covers when the cap usually forms.

The view from the summit: Lake Yamanaka below you

From the top you see almost all of Lake Yamanaka at once: the whole curve of the shore, the forest running down to the water, and a long line of mountains far away on the horizon. The tourism association says the Southern Alps can be seen from here in good weather, so check the forecast if that is what you came for. The summit itself is open grass with a bare earth path, and on 30 October the grass was dry.

Swipe: the summit, 13:25–14:05

The shrine at the summit

Right at the top is a small stone shrine behind a stone fence, with a tall stone post in front of it. The post is carved 山中諏訪神社 奥宮: the okumiya, or inner shrine, of Yamanaka Suwa Shrine. The shrine’s own page confirms that its inner shrine stands on the summit of Myojinyama (Teppogi-no-Atama), and gives 1 September as the date of its annual festival.

Nearby are two more markers. A tall wooden post reads 地球戦没者慰霊之碑, literally a memorial to the war dead of the Earth. At the foot of the post, at the edge of my 13:25 photo, is a board in a metal frame headed 平和に寄す, “For peace”, with the name Takamatsu-no-miya Nobuhito and a short text about lasting peace for humanity.

Getting up: Panorama-dai, Mikuni Pass or the long ridge

Myojinyama sits on a ridge path. The Yamanakako tourism association’s course guide lists it from Panorama-dai over the summit to Mikuni Pass, then on over Mount Mikuni, Mount Naraki, Mount Obora and Mount Azamidaira to Kagosaka Pass. The times below are from that guide.

By bus. The association’s course guide says you can reach its start point, Kirara, by route bus or by the Fujikko-go tour bus, and lists the Mt. Mikuni Hiking Course Ent. bus stop about 5 minutes on, with Panorama-dai about 15 minutes beyond it. My Lake Yamanaka access guide covers the trains and buses from Tokyo.

By car. Panorama-dai is on prefectural road 730, the road over Mikuni Pass. Panorama-dai’s own car park has only 7 spaces and 1 accessible space, so the association’s Panorama-dai page asks drivers to use the Mikuni Pass car park or the one at Kirara and walk, and not to stop on the road. If you are driving, you can compare rental cars around Mount Fuji on DiscoverCars (paid link) or search Japanese rental companies on Rakuten Travel (paid link).

On Google Maps: Myojinyama summit (鉄砲木ノ頭)

Before you go

In autumn there is more to do around the lake: see my guide to the Yamanakako autumn leaves festival, and my list of hot springs near Mount Fuji.

Where to stay near Myojinyama

Three options in Yamanakako village, by what you want after the walk: a hot bath with a Fuji view, a room with its own sauna, or private glamping.

To compare more places around the lake and Kawaguchiko, see my Mount Fuji area hotels guide.

FAQ

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