Gotemba

Mt. Fuji foothills, outlets and lava caves

Gotemba is a city at the eastern foot of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, close to Hakone, with views of the mountain from the center on clear days. The Gotemba Premium Outlets mall brings many day visitors from Tokyo. The city also has the Gotemba Trail up Fuji, the Komakado Kazaana lava caves and the Seikoen lava garden. Lake Higashiyama has hiking and camping. The city is spread out and buses are infrequent, so a car or taxi helps beyond the station and the outlets. It suits a day trip from Tokyo or a stop on the way to Hakone.

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City in Japan

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$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

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Safety: 8.2

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	7
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	9

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3/5

English is spoken at major hotels, outlets, and tourist centers. Some local shops and restaurants may have limited English, but signage is good at main attractions. Translation apps are helpful elsewhere.

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Last update: Oct 19, 2026

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Gotemba Summary

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Great for Mount Fuji views and shopping. Photograph Fuji panoramas, explore outlet malls, visit nearby hot springs and enjoy hiking and golf in the surrounding countryside.

Place score

7.3

Best at:

Outlets

Spotless

Volcanoes

Golf

Mountains

Personal score

Suited for

👶 8

Families

🧓 7

Seniors

🛡️ 8

Travel Beginners

👩 7

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Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) $1 ≈ ¥158
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transportation.
Obon (August)	A time to honor ancestors, many businesses close, and transportation can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transportation is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colors of the months:
The color shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the color is shows the travel season: full color means high season, soft color means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The gray info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Gotemba, Japan

🌤️

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

⛈️

May

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Jun

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Jul

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Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

☀️

Dec

High season:	April - May, July - Aug., Nov.
Shoulder season:	Jan., March, Sep. - Oct., Dec.
Crowdedness:	7 (Many tourists)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Mt. Fuji climbing season runs early July to early September, trails closed and dangerous otherwise

Typhoon season August to October, can disrupt trains and outdoor plans

Outlet mall very crowded on weekends, Golden Week and during New Year sales

Don't miss

🛍️ Shop luxury brands at Gotemba Premium Outlets
♨️ Relax in hot springs at Gotemba Kogen Toki no Sumika
🕉️ Visit Fuji Buddha Relic Pagoda Peace Park
🌸 Stroll beneath cherry blossoms in Chichibunomiya Park
🕳️ Explore Komakado Kazaana lava cave
🥾 Hike part of the Gotemba Trail on Mt. Fuji

You've been here?

Why travel to Gotemba?

Mt. Fuji is the backdrop and the reason many people stay longer than a shopping trip. The Gotemba Trail is one of the climbing routes up the mountain and the least crowded of them. It starts at the New 5th Station, lower than the other trailheads, so the climb is long. The ascent takes about eight hours and the descent about four. It suits experienced hikers. Without climbing, you can see the mountain from the city center, from Lake Higashiyama and from the Tomei Expressway. The Komakado Kazaana caves are lava tunnels near Fuji with low passages. Seikoen Lava Garden has forest paths and a shrine. The Gotemba Peace Pagoda is a city landmark and Chichibunomiya Memorial Park was a former imperial summer home. The Gotemba Premium Outlets is the other big draw, with about 300 stores and restaurants, a food court, a hotel and a public hot spring bath. The Gotemba Kogen brewery makes beer with Fuji spring water. Gotemba works as a day trip from Tokyo and as a stop between Tokyo and Hakone. Add a night if you plan to climb Fuji or explore the lava caves and lake.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Yamanashi Prefectural Fujisan World Heritage Center
2 Sengen Shrine

🎡Places for activities

1 National Natural Monument Komakado Kazaana Cave
2 Kirin fuji gotenba distillery

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Mt. Fuji
2 Lake Yamanaka

🛍️Shopping

1 Gotemba Premium Outlets

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Sobakatsutei
Sobakatsutei serves Gotemba mikuriya soba, a local buckwheat noodle dish bound with yam or wild yam. It is operated by Katsumata Seimen, a noodle maker, in Higashitanaka near Gotemba Premium Outlets.
2 Toraya Kobo
Opened in 2007, Toraya Kobo makes seasonal wagashi such as dorayaki, daifuku and manju on site. The café and workshop stand in Higashiyama beside the former Kishi Residence, behind a gate built in 1927 for a former villa.
3 Gotemba Kogen Beer Grand Table
Grand Table is the main beer hall for Gotemba Kogen Beer, which brews craft beer with Mount Fuji spring water. Located in the Koyama resort area, it pairs its beers with German-style dishes, pizza and grilled meats.
4 Meitetsu Saikan
Meitetsu Saikan has served Chinese cuisine in Gotemba since 1969. It stands close to Gotemba Interchange and about an eight-minute walk from the Otome Exit of Gotemba Station, offering dim sum, noodles and banquet-style dishes.
5 Kintaro Soba Gotemba Honten
Kintaro Soba makes hand-cut soba in a traditional Japanese setting in Ninooka, near Gotemba Premium Outlets. Its menu includes cold and hot buckwheat noodles, seasonal sashimi and sake, with noodle-making visible during daytime preparation.
6 Uokei
Uokei is a Japanese seafood restaurant serving fish sourced through Numazu Fish Market, alongside rice bowls, sushi and tempura. It is located in Gotemba and is known for substantial local-fish tendon, topped with fried seasonal seafood.
7 Mikuriya Yatai
Mikuriya Yatai is a food stall that opened in July 2025 serving certified Gotemba mikuriya soba and oden. The soba follows the local standard of using yam or wild yam, noodles made locally, and Gotemba water.
8 Sawayaka Gotemba Interchange Branch
Sawayaka is a Shizuoka-born hamburger-steak chain, included because it began in the prefecture. Its Gotemba Interchange branch serves charcoal-grilled beef hamburg steaks and sits in Higashitanaka, close to the Tomei Gotemba Interchange.
9 Fru Full Gotemba
Fru Full Gotemba is a local fruit-parlor-style café known for fruit parfaits, fresh fruit sandwiches and seasonal desserts. It is located near Gotemba Station, using fruit as the focus of its drinks, cakes and light meals.
10 Mugibatake
Mugibatake is a buffet restaurant in the Gotemba Kogen Beer complex in Koyama. It serves a mix of Japanese and Chinese dishes, desserts and grilled meats prepared at an open cooking counter, alongside the brewery’s beers.

🎈Events

Gotemba Matsuri (summer festival)
Gotemba Premium Outlets Fireworks (summer)
Chichibunomiya Memorial Park Cherry Blossom Festival
Fujisan Juku-no-Mori seasonal events
Lake Yamanaka Fireworks
Autumn foliage festivals
Fuji climbing season (July–September)
Local sake festivals

Explore on map

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Knowledge before you go

Some direct Tokyo buses require advance reservations, so book ahead.
A free shuttle links the outlets with Gotemba Station and Tomei-Gotemba interchange, so you can skip a taxi.
The Gotemba Trail starts lower than other routes, so expect about eight hours up and four down.
The Komakado Kazaana lava caves have low ceilings, so taller visitors may need to crouch in places.

How to travel to Gotemba

Gotemba is reached by train or bus from Tokyo. The Odakyu Mt. Fuji limited express runs from Shinjuku to Gotemba in about 100 minutes, with departures only a few times a day. The JR route goes from Tokyo or Shinjuku to Kozu and then the JR Gotemba Line to Gotemba, taking about 150 minutes. Highway buses run directly from Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Shibuya and other stations in about 80 to 120 minutes. Some require advance reservations. Buses toward Hakone or Shizuoka also stop at the Tomei-Gotemba interchange, where a free shuttle runs to the outlets. From Hakone, the Odakyu line W bus runs to Gotemba Station in 25 to 40 minutes about once every one to two hours. Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) are reached via Tokyo. Some highway buses also serve the airports less often. By car, Gotemba is on the Tomei Expressway.

Access summary

From Tokyo Haneda (HND): Direct highway bus to Gotemba Station, about 2 hours.
From Tokyo/Shinjuku: Odakyu or JR highway buses, typically 1.5–2 hours.
From Tokyo Station: Shinkansen to Mishima, JR Gotemba Line, around 1.5–2 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Gotemba

Most visitors treat Gotemba as a day trip, so lodging is limited. Hotels are mostly around Gotemba Station and the outlets, where the mall has its own hotel and hot spring bath. Staying near the station suits an early start for the Fuji bus, while the outlets hotel suits a shopping weekend. Lake Higashiyama has camping for hikers who want to be outdoors. A few mountain huts are along the Gotemba Trail for climbers who want to split the ascent. Hakone, a short bus ride away, has a much larger choice of ryokan with hot spring baths and works as an alternative base. Book early for summer climbing weekends, autumn leaf season and long holidays.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Hakone Ashinoko Hanaori ORIX HOTELS & RESORTS

9.1

HOTEL CLAD

9.1

Dormy Inn Express Fujisan Gotemba Hot Springs

9.0

The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko

8.8

Mount View Hakone Ryokan

9.0

Hakone Hotel

8.8

Mars Garden Wood Gotemba Hotel

9.1

Rakuten STAY FUJIMI TERRACE Hakone Ashinoko

9.1

Rembrandt Premium FujiGotemba

8.6

Susukinohara Ichinoyu

8.8

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Gotemba

Gotemba is spread out and best covered by car, taxi or a tour.

Outlet shuttle:
The Gotemba Premium Outlets and the center are served by a free shuttle between the mall and Gotemba Station, which also stops at the Tomei-Gotemba interchange. The city center around the station is fairly compact on foot.

Buses:
For Mt. Fuji, a climbing bus runs from Gotemba Station to the Gotemba New 5th Station during the climbing season. Check the official season dates and timetables before you go. Buses to Hakone are infrequent, so plan your return.

By car:
A rental car makes the most difference for the lava caves, Seikoen and the lake. Traffic can slow on the roads to Hakone and the outlets on weekends and holidays.

Food in Gotemba

Gotemba is known for castella sponge cake, premium green tea, wasabi and Gotemba ham, with Mt. Fuji spring water and the highlands behind many local products. The outlets food court covers quick meals and the station area has cafes and casual restaurants. Many local places close early in the evening so lunch is the easier meal to plan.

Castella and green tea:
Castella is a sponge cake and one of the things the city is best known for. Premium green tea is another local product that makes a good souvenir.

Ham and wasabi:
The local ham and meat feature on many menus, while wasabi is another regional product. Vegetarians should ask before ordering.

Beer and whiskey:
Beer and whiskey made with Fuji spring water are also local products. The Gotemba Kogen brewery is a good place to try them.

Convenience stores near the station cover quick meals and trail lunches.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when traveling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customize this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-44 %

Daily expenses in Gotemba are around 44% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-17 %

Your exchange rate (USD to JPY) is 17% better than in recent years. That means traveling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when traveling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	$70	$144	$361
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	$40	$90	$180
🍝 Food per day	$23	$43	$131
🚕 Transportation per day	$7	$10	$50

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	$16
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	$6.50
🍟 Fast food combo	$5
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	$9.50
☕ Cappuccino	$2.90
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l / 16 oz	$3

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	$1.80
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	$31
⛽ Gas, 1 l / ¼ gal	$1.10

Other

🎞️ Movie ticket	$12
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	$41
🤧 Cold medication	$10
💇 Basic haircut	$13

Safety information overview

General safety

Gotemba is very safe for travelers, with low crime around the station and the outlets. The main risks are natural. Mt. Fuji weather changes fast and the Gotemba Trail is long and exposed. The area is volcanic and can see typhoon rain in late summer.

Health & Medical

Health risks are low in town and the city has clinics and hospitals. English-speaking care is limited, so carry travel insurance. Climbers face altitude and cold on Mt. Fuji. Summers in the valley are hot and humid.

Accessibility

The outlet mall is mostly flat and the free shuttle helps. The wider city is spread out, so a car or taxi is useful. The lava caves are narrow with low ceilings and the Gotemba Trail is volcanic gravel, not suited to wheelchairs.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Gotemba. The area is known for Mt. Fuji spring water. Convenience stores and vending machines sell bottled drinks in town and at the outlets. A refillable bottle is useful for Fuji trails.