Fujiyoshida's yabusame festival, Sept 18–19, 2026: horses run from 1 p.m. on the 19th, and between the runs a hereditary diviner reads the hoofprints — the districts' forecast through next spring. Access, times and my 2025 procession photos.
The 2026 festival runs 7-29 November with the illumination ending at 21:00, half an hour earlier than last year, and the town car park charged for the first time. Neither change exists in English.
From September 19, 2026 one Fujikyuko Line set wears a livery marking 35 years as a sister railway to the line that climbs to Zermatt. It runs as an ordinary local — here is how to catch it, and how to use the line.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.…
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.
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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Nearly every image on Hidden Japan Gems was photographed by me on a Sony α7 across five years of walking Japan; a few licensed photos fill the gaps. Please don't re-use my photos without permission — reach out if you'd like to.
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