Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Bus 2026: Book on the Right Site
From 1 October 2026 the Shinjuku-Kawaguchiko highway bus runs 55 services a day each way, and 32 of them move to a different booking site. Times, fares, and how not to pay twice.
fuji five lakes
Yoshida Fire Festival 2026: The Night Fujiyoshida Sets Its Main Street on Fire (Aug 26–27)
My home town's biggest night: 2 km of three-metre torches under Mt Fuji, Aug 26–27, 2026. Times, road closures, 26 extra trains and where to stand — from a Fujiyoshida local.
Rainbow Flower Festival 2026: 80,000 Autumn Blooms Under Mt Fuji (Aug 29 – Oct 12)
The shibazakura fields' quieter autumn act: 80,000 zinnias under Mt Fuji at Fuji Motosuko Resort, Aug 29–Oct 12, 2026. Tickets, dogs, Peter Rabbit's birthday, and how to dodge Silver Week.
Mount Fuji Day Trip or Overnight? A Local’s Decision Guide
The honest math of a Mt. Fuji day trip from Tokyo: earliest arrivals, seasonal visibility data, what one night actually buys, and how a Fujiyoshida local would decide.
Kawaguchiko vs Fujiyoshida: Where Should You Stay for Mt. Fuji?
Thirteen minutes apart, two different trips: the lake resort or the working town under Mt. Fuji. A Fujiyoshida local breaks down the photographs, evenings, sunrise access, prices and trains.
Kadoya Tofu, Oshino: Morning-Fresh Tofu Near Mt. Fuji
Go early. That’s the whole secret to Kadoya Tofu (角屋豆富店), a family tofu maker in Oshino that calls itself the “Tofu Station.” Get there in the morning and there’s still-warm tofu — and, when I visited, a little counter where…
Hakkai Tofu, Oshino: Fresh Mt. Fuji Spring-Water Tofu
Most people come to Oshino for the eight famously clear spring ponds of Oshino Hakkai. I come for the tofu. A few minutes from the ponds, an old family tofu maker called Hakkai Tofu (八海とうふ / Asano Shokuhin) turns Mt.…
Japanese Road Signs: A Visual Guide for Foreign Drivers Near Mt. Fuji
Renting a car near Mt. Fuji makes the Fuji lakes and quiet back-roads far easier to explore. But the roads here are catching a lot of visitors out: foreign cyclists keep riding onto the expressway because a maps app told…
Fuji Five Lakes Fireworks 2026: Four Lakes, Four Nights (Aug 2–5) — and the Quiet Ones Nobody Plans For
Four consecutive fireworks nights across the Fuji Five Lakes, 2–5 August 2026 — Saiko, Motosu, Shoji, then the 10,000-shell Kojosai. Times, the bus trap nobody mentions, and which quiet night to pick.
Kawaguchiko Kojosai Fireworks (Aug 5, 2026): Viewing Spots, Road Closures & the ¥10M Crowdfunding Behind It
Lake Kawaguchi's century-old Kojosai fires ~10,000 shells on 5 August 2026 — the finale of four straight lake-fireworks nights. Launch sites, viewing areas, 17:00 road closures, and the town's ¥10M crowdfunding to keep the tradition alive.
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