Oishi Park — The Kawaguchiko Flower Park with a Different Bloom Every Month
A free lakeside park on Lake Kawaguchiko where shibazakura, nemophila, lavender, and kochia each take turns in front of Mt. Fuji through the year.
Tag Yamanashi
The Kawaguchiko Walking Trail’s Hidden Shidare-Zakura Row: A 300-Meter Stretch Nobody Writes About
There is a stretch of the Kawaguchiko walking trail — maybe 300 meters long, on the northeast shore where the Misaka-michi road meets the lake — where the path passes under a row of weeping cherries that bloom a week…
Lake Saiko 2026: The Quiet Fuji Lake, Four Campgrounds, and the Fish That Came Back From Extinction
Lake Saiko is the quiet middle child of Japan’s Fuji Five Lakes. It’s the fourth one west of Tokyo, sitting between its busier neighbors — Kawaguchiko to the east (all hotels and sightseeing boats) and the smaller, wilder Shoji and…
Hana no Miyako Koen 2026: Yamanakako’s Flower Park When the Sakura and Tulips Actually Overlap
Hana no Miyako Koen (花の都公園) sits just north of Lake Yamanaka at around 1,000 meters elevation, and it’s one of the few places in the Fuji Five Lakes where the cherry blossoms and the tulips are in bloom at the…
Lake Motosu: Chasing the Fuji on the 1,000 Yen Bill
Lake Motosu (本栖湖) is the westernmost, deepest, and most pristine of the Fuji Five Lakes — and the lake on the back of the Japanese 1,000 yen bill. The exact viewpoint is the Nakanokura Pass Observation Deck (中ノ倉峠展望台), reached by…
Fuji Shibazakura Festival: A Sea of Pink at the Foot of Mt. Fuji
At Fuji Motosuko Resort (Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi), the Fuji Shibazakura Festival—one of the largest in the Kanto region—will start on Saturday, April 11, 2026, featuring around 500,000 moss phlox plants in full color. A breathtaking carpet of pink moss phlox…
Kawaguchiko Ohashi: The Bridge with a Million-Dollar Mt. Fuji View
Imagine standing in the crisp mountain air, the vast expanse of Lake Kawaguchiko shimmering before you, and the iconic, snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji commanding the horizon. For many travelers planning a trip to the Fuji Five Lakes region, finding…
Beyond the Pagoda: A Guide to Arakurayama Sengen Shrine, The True Heart of a Famous View
When you see the iconic image of a five-storied pagoda with Mount Fuji soaring in the background, you’re looking at Arakurayama Sengen Park. But many visitors take their photo and leave, missing the profound history and spiritual heart of the…
Chureito Pagoda Access: The Complete 2026 Guide to Train, Bus & Tours
Chureito Pagoda (忠霊塔) sits on Arakurayama in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi — a five-storied 1963 peace memorial reached by climbing the 398 Sakuya-hime stairs. The view: Mt. Fuji framed by the pagoda’s tiered eaves, and during peak cherry blossom in mid-April, an…
Nishiura Fujiyoshida: A Journey Through Time in a Retro Showa District
Nestled at the base of Mt. Fuji, the city of Fujiyoshida is known for its deep connection to the textile industry. But beyond the hum of weaving machines lies a district that tells a different story—a story of post-war revelry,…