This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/herodotus67 on 2025-07-14 09:05:09+00:00.
This is Part 2 in my series of Japan travels, you can find the previous parts at the end of this post.
Mt. Fuji
So I decided while in Tokyo that I’d attempt hiking Mt. Fuji, as someone who has done his fair share of mountain / volcano hikes. I bought some gear at L-Breath Shinjuku Shop since I hadn’t thought to bring camping gear on my trip (I also later bought some gear from Montbell in Funiyoshida since I needed to go there anyway to repair my backpack - they were very helpful BTW).
The gear totalled ~£250 for a 1 person tent, roll mat, cooking essentials including camping stove. That sounds quite steep, but I’ll be using it on the rest of my trip and figured I’d save on hostels / hotels anyway by camping.
I booked a bus from Tokyo Station Yaesu South Exit to Kawaguchiko station using this website which I’ve talked about before (hit the translate button) https://secure.j-bus.co.jp/hon.
I then camped at Kawaguchi-machi New bridge campground by lake Kawaguchi. I called up to reserve beforehand using the hostel phone and they spoke perfect English. I expect you could just turn up though and pay cash, as long as it’s not too late in the day. The camp was pretty awesome, I was the only person there the first night, and the owners (a couple I believe) were very friendly.
As for the hike itself, I made my reservation for the Yoshida trail the day before using this website https://www.asoview.com/channel/tickets/r0Gpg8xllI/ and it encourages you to download the Mt. Fuji app for GPS tracking while on the trails https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mt-fuji-gps-trail-map/id1572964303.
I caught the 6:40 bus from Kawaguchiko station to Fuji Subaru 5th Station (this is the same as the Yoshida Trail 5th Station). You can find the bus timetable here https://www.japan-guide.com/bus/fuji_season.html. I would recommend getting to the bus station ~20 minutes before departure because the queue grows quickly and you’ll either be standing or have to wait for the next bus in an hour if it’s too full. Also, as I’ll explain later, if you’re planning on doing the hike in one day like I did, I would STRONGLY recommend getting the earliest bus possible to give yourself the best chance of not hiking at night in dangerous conditions!
Once I got to the 5th station of the Yoshida trail (where most people start, and I would suggest starting from here because trust me it gets hard), I displayed my QR code for the reservation and was on my way. They didn’t check for proper gear like the website suggests they would, but you absolutely need it.
More than anything, you need to be prepared for all weather. Even in summer which is the best time for hiking it (July-September), you need clothes to keep you warm (hats, gloves, raincoat, trousers) even if you don’t end up needing them. It can get cold as you pass through the cloud cover, though when I went in July the wind was very welcome during the intense sweaty climb that I’ll now describe.
I’ll preface this by saying I’ve hiked Acatenango volcano in Guatemala, which many have described as the hardest thing they’ve ever done and I’d say Fuji was similarly hard, maybe marginally better. In my experience, volcanoes are always much harder than mountains because they are steep ascents the whole way. You definitely need to have decent fitness to do it in a day up and down, otherwise opt to do it over 2 days by booking one of the mountain huts in advance (I believe these get booked out quickly).
The way up is physically exhausting, but the way down is what will get you. You will make a choice between sliding down gravelly slopes, or contending with those ascending and clambering down the rock face that you scrambled up earlier. Pick your poison.
There are also a number of stations where you can rest along the way and purchase things like water, snacks, stamps etc.
Overall it’s an incredible experience, but the famous saying “a wise man climbs Mount Fuji once, but only a fool climbs it twice” definitely holds true. It’s a one and done in my books.
The Northern Japanese Alps
I spontaneously decided to go North to Matsumoto, where on the bus I started reading about Kamikochi and the Northern Japanese Alps. Google Maps isn’t much help in getting there, other than indicating that the buses from Matsumoto to Kamikochi must be reserved in advance. You can do this from the Matsumoto Bus Terminal.
You have two main options where both include buses, because Kamikochi BANS CARS to preserve its natural beauty; take a direct bus from Matsumoto Bus Terminal (National Park Liner) that departs twice per day at 5:30AM and 10:30AM, or a Kamikochi Line train from Matsumoto to Shin-Shimashima + a bus to Kamikochi. Both buses can be reserved here https://japanbusonline.com/en/CourseSearch/11600350001
There are more niche ways of doing it, like renting a car and parking near Kamikochi, at either Akandana car park and catching a non-reserved bus https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/route_bus/kamikochi-line-en/#timetable or Sawando car park https://visit-nagano.alpico.co.jp/timetable/kamikochi-sawando.
I ended up doing the former option because I wanted a car to see more of the Alps over a few days. You can also apparently get taxis in and out of Kamikochi to the car parks nearby, which I imagine people do when the bus lines are too long when departing, or if they miss the last bus which is usually ~5:30PM.
Despite the hassle of getting there. Kamikochi and more specifically the trails around it are so worth it. The Kappa-bashi bridge is cool but crowded with tourists. I suggest if you have time doing the walk to the Myōjin pond which is ~3.5km one way. The trail tells you to bring a bear bell, and many do.
As a side note about car rentals for the Alps, if you’re East of them in Matsumoto they book up in advance, if you’re West of them in somewhere like Kanazawa they’re easy to book the day before. As I’m doing a lot of this trip on a whim I of course didn’t have a booking in Matsumoto, but managed to finesse a car by waiting until closing time at Nissan rent-a-car for cancellations/no-shows and it worked.
For the rest of the Alps, I had an amazing experience in Hirayu no Mori in Hirayu Onsen, which I thought might be touristy because it’s quite well known, but no it was very traditional. Only about 700 yen too for unlimited time in the onsen, and the restaurant food was great too with it hidden in the forest so it had amazing views.
The Alps make for some pretty incredible driving. The towns are bubbling with hot water and springs. I see why people love skiing here with the skiing + onsen combo. The countryside is green and tranquil. I’d just advise to avoid some of the mountain passes because they’re a bit sketchy driving, especially at night, so just take the expressway.
You can visit the Shinhotaka Ropeway for the best views of the Alps, even without taking the cable car itself, and stop off somewhere by the Gamada river along the way for some swimming like I did.
Since this trip to the Alps was last minute, I randomly decided to stay in Takayama because it wasn’t far from the mountains and my god I’m glad I did. I had an amazing AirBnB host who was also into climbing, skiing etc and it’s a beautifully preserved Edo town. Almost every street, not just a district, is lined with the old wooden houses if that’s the side of Japan you’re looking for. Some cool forest temples too like Sakurayama Hachimangu shrine.
One thing I didn’t do was Nagano, I only passed through on the train, but it was one of the most idyllic looking cities I’ve ever seen, surrounded by countryside on all sides. The photos I took from the train as we overlooked the city almost look like anime it’s that pretty. Google doesn’t do it justice.
The final two cities I explored were Matsumoto and Kanazawa. You could probably do each city in a day, they have nice attractions you can find on Google Maps.
I’ll had some last few tips and things I’ve noticed, like I shared in my last post. You definitely need cash if you’re driving, some roadside places for food don’t accept card. It’s also best to bring hand sanitizer, as I’ve had a few times now in public bathrooms where there’s no soap, only water, for some reason. The traditional wooden houses in some of the places I mentioned like Kanazawa and Takayama are ofc not soundproofed, which creates these beautiful moments in the evenings where you hear the laughter and muffled conversation of those inside, it’s something special you have to witness. And more of a practical one; if you’re using Airalo for your eSIM, which I suggest you do, you won’t be able to make phone calls. If you need to (like I did to call up the campground), ask the hostel if you can use their phone or try looking up the place you want to call on social media (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) to make a free internet call which is worth a shot as a last resort.
Stay tuned for part 3 which will be Kyoto, Shikoku and Kyushu!
Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/K3F56IUpZX
Part 1.5: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/PTkGeN5GsX