MT FUJI VIEWS THAT ARE STILL FUN FOR KIDS

I always get chills when I see Mt. Fuji and, you won’t have to ask when you see it, as it is just so much bigger than all of the surrounding mountains.

I always assumed that the locals who lived in a town next to the beautiful Fuji-san or were lucky enough to have a Fuji-facing window would become so blasé about the whole gorgeous snow-topped volcano thing. But they don’t ! Not only because it is so beautiful but viewing Mt. Fuji is so weather dependent.

We have the most success on a crisp winter day. The sky is clear and blue, there is lots of snow on top so the contrast makes it easy for children to spot (not to mention fantastic pictures….)

I’m sure that everyone who lives in Japan has their “secret” and successful Fuji-viewing spots…but these are ours….

WARNING: If you are in a car or on a bus …. I recommend arriving early and avoid being on the road on a Sunday afternoon or National Holiday after 3pm. Traffic is crazy – especially if it has been a beautiful day.

This adorable little farm is perched on the side of a hill and makes for a brilliant trip with kids and a wonderful view of Fuji on a clear day. Incase you find the 2 hours in each direction a bit much you could always hunt down accommodation in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, and make a lovely full day of it.

I have written in detail about a day out at Makaino Farm here.

Last year we had a crazy number visitors. Don’t get me wrong we loved every minute but it also means that I feel like I’ve tried and tested out our standard Hakone day-trip enough to talk about what works and doesn’t work for us. It’s a well-rehearsed day trip.

Firstly, I would select a lovely clear sunny day so that you are more likely to see Mount Fuji. In fact, Winter Sunny days have proven to be the best days for Fuij-san spotting. And if you see it at any point? Click away ! Take that picture as Mt. Fuji is a sneaky thing ..and can disappear again quickly.
That’s the reason that Japanese people get so excited over Mount Fuji, even if they live close to a good viewing spot. You never know when a lovely clear day will bring out Mt. Fuji in all it’s glory.

I’ve written in great detail about this trip to Lake Ashi, Hakone and the amazing views of Fuji from the Mt Komagatake ropeway here.

Once you’re at Hakone-en there are some touristy shops and an aquarium. It’s a bit run down so I don’t recommend eating lunch on this side of the lake if you can avoid it. There

Kawaguchiko (Lake Kawaguchi) is another beautiful spot to see Mt. Fuji. We’ve visited Oishi Park with the kiddies. It has a casual restaurant and an ice-cream shop and a beautiful garden called the “Living Center”. The garden and a path titled “Flower Street” looks completely different with every season. There were a lot of people out on boats and lots of newlyweds taking wedding pictures.
It takes 2 hours to get there from the centre of Tokyo by car.

If you are travelling by train take the Fujikyuko Line to Kawaguchiko Station (140 minutes) and from there take the Fujikyu Yamanashi Bus “Kawaguchiko Shuyu Retro Bus”. Ride the bus to the Kawaguchiko Shizen Seikatsukan stop.

OISHI PARK
山梨県南都留郡富士河口湖町大石
OISHI, MINAMITSURUGUN, FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO-MACHI, YAMANASHI PREFECTURE

https://www.thetokyochapter.com/sylvanian-family-best-fuji-view-biggest-bouncy-castles-ever/Next blue-skied sunny day – run run run towards Mt. Fuji to Grinpa Amusement Park.
It’s not a short trip (2 hours each way by car) – but we all had the most beautiful day out.
It is a few minutes drive away from the Fuji Safari Park and, if you’re coming by car, we have done both these spots in the same day.

PLEASE NOTE THAT GRIMPA OFTEN CLOSE FOR THE WINTER SEASON. Please check the Grinpa website here before making the journey. GRINPA CLOSED FOR 2023 IN OCTOBER AND WILL REOPEN IN SPRING 2024.

The kids loved all the rides and the play options while I just couldn’t stop taking photos of the kiddies playing with that amazing Mt. Fuji backdrop. It was truly breathtaking. And in Spring ? It’s so pretty for the flowers too.

I’ve written in detail about a day out at Grimpa here.

My most recent visit with the kids was to the Fuji Safari Park. It’s practically right next to Grinpa Amusement Park so I think it would be best to pair these two together. We have (when driving) and it was a really fun day – you’ll need to start early to get through everything though.
The Safari Park was so cute but we really didn’t need more than 3 hours in total so I think that I would prefer to smoosh the two together – Safari first maybe and then Grinpa ? (No reason why the other way wouldn’t work either though….)
The view from Fuji (even just from the carpark actually!) is sooo pretty on a lovely clear day.

I have written in detail (including more pictures) about Fuji Safari Park here.