Fujiyoshida

Fuji's sacred trailhead with the pagoda view

Fujiyoshida is a city in Yamanashi Prefecture on the north side of Mount Fuji and was long the starting point for pilgrims climbing the mountain. Visitors can walk the approach to Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine among old cedars, climb 398 steps to the red Chureito Pagoda for a view of Fuji or ride the roller coasters at Fuji-Q Highland. Climbers use the Yoshida Trail during the summer season. The city is usually quieter than Kawaguchiko and a short train ride away from it, so it works well as a base for the Fuji Five Lakes.

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City in Japan

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Safety: 8.3

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	7
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	10

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3/5

English is moderately available at hotels, major attractions and tourist info centres. Many signs and menus are bilingual, but smaller shops and restaurants may have limited English – translation apps help.

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Last update: 20 Oct 2026

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Fujiyoshida Summary

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Excellent for Mount Fuji views and hiking. Visit historic shrines, walk traditional streets, photograph the volcano from viewpoints and start climbing routes to Fuji’s summit.

Place score

8.1

Best at:

Theme parks

Spotless

Cherry blossoms

Mountains

Natural sites

Personal score

Suited for

👶 8

Families

🧓 6

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 ≈ JP¥210
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 transport.
Obon (August)	A time to honour ancestors, many businesses close, and transport 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 transport 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 colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour 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 grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Fujiyoshida, Japan

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Jan

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Feb

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Mar

🌦️

Apr

🌦️

May

🌦️

Jun

⛈️

Jul

🌦️

Aug

🌦️

Sep

⛈️

Oct

🌤️

Nov

☀️

Dec

High season:	April - May, July - Aug., Oct. - Nov.
Shoulder season:	Jan. - Feb., Sep., Dec.
Crowdedness:	8 (Very crowded)

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

Climate details

Yoshida Trail up Mt. Fuji open for climbing 1 July to 10 September, reservation and fee required

Cherry blossoms usually peak mid April, Chureito Pagoda viewpoint extremely crowded

Yoshida Fire Festival on 26 and 27 August

Don't miss

🗻 Photograph Mount Fuji framed by the red Chureito Pagoda
🎢 Visit Fuji-Q Highland and ride its record-breaking roller coasters
♨️ Relax in an onsen while admiring views of Mount Fuji
⛩️ Explore the sacred Arakurayama Sengen Shrine and climb its steps
🚶🏻 Walk the cedar-lined path to Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine
🍜 Taste local udon noodles at a traditional Fujiyoshida eatery

You've been here?

Why travel to Fujiyoshida?

Chureito Pagoda is a red five-storey pagoda built in 1963 as a peace memorial, on a hillside in Arakurayama Sengen Park. From the viewing platform you get the classic view of Mount Fuji above the town. Reaching it takes 398 stone steps and entry is free. Cherry blossoms come in early April and autumn is popular too, while winter has the clearest air and the fewest people. Go early on a clear day since haze and cloud often hide Fuji by the afternoon. Fujiyoshida is also where the Fuji pilgrimage began. Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine is among old cedars at the foot of the Yoshida Trail. Followers began their climb from its gate in the Edo period. Today climbers start higher up at the 5th Station at about 2,300 m during the season from early July to 10 September. The Yoshida Fire Festival on 26 and 27 August marks the end of that season, with tall torches lit along a stretch of road in Kamiyoshida. Fuji-Q Highland, the roller coaster park, is also in the city and makes a full day of its own. Most visitors give Fujiyoshida half a day to a night. It combines well with Kawaguchiko, which is a short train or bus ride away. A night here is usually quieter than one on the lakeshore. If the pagoda photo is all you're after, a morning visit works from Tokyo.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Yamanashi Prefectural Fujisan World Heritage Center
2 Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Shrine
3 Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine
4 Mount Fuji Radar Dome Museum
5 Mt.Fuji 7th Station Medical Relief Station

🎡Places for activities

1 Fuji-Q Highland
2 Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre
3 Fujiyama Onsen

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Lake Kawaguchi
2 Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
3 Mt. Fuji
4 Oshino Hakkai
5 Lake Yamanaka
6 Tenku no torii
7 Mt Fuji 5th station
8 Arakurayama Sengen Park

🛍️Shopping

1 Yoshida Udon

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Men'kyokaiden
Men'kyokaiden serves Yoshida udon with exceptionally firm, hand-kneaded noodles in miso-and-soy broth, often topped with cabbage and sweet-savoury horse meat. It is at 849-1 Kamiyoshida, around 10 minutes on foot from Mt. Fuji Station.
2 Shirasu Udon
Shirasu Udon makes Yoshida udon using the region’s robust, chewy noodles, with choices such as meat udon and chilled dipping noodles. It is in the Kamiyoshida area of Fujiyoshida, near the streets leading towards Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
3 Miyaki Udon
Miyaki Udon serves traditional Yoshida udon in a casual local setting, with the typical thick noodles, cabbage and spice seasoning called suridane. It is in Shimoyoshida, close to Shimoyoshida Station and Arakura Sengen Shrine’s Chureito Pagoda.
4 Shirakusa Udon
Shirakusa Udon serves handmade Yoshida udon, including bowls topped with sweetly simmered horse meat, cabbage and fried tofu. It is in Kami-Yoshida, north of Mt. Fuji Station and near the route to Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
5 Udon no Eki
Udon no Eki serves Yoshida udon with a variety of toppings and spicy suridane condiment. It is near Mt. Fuji Station in central Fujiyoshida, convenient for travellers arriving by train or heading towards the city’s shrine district.
6 Yoshida no Udon Togawa
Togawa serves thick, chewy Yoshida udon with generous meat and vegetable toppings in a simple station-side setting. It is in the Q-STA building at 2-5-1 Kamiyoshida, directly connected to Mt. Fuji Station.
7 Michi-no-Eki Fujiyoshida Snack Corner
The snack corner serves classic meat Yoshida udon with simmered horse meat, cabbage and strong local noodles; it also sells the spicy condiment Goman-zoku. It is at 3-7-3 Araya, Fujiyoshida, beside the Fujisan Radar Dome Museum and the road towards Lake Yamanaka.
8 Hoto Fudou Higashi-Koiji Branch
Hoto Fudou serves hōtō, Yamanashi’s broad wheat noodles stewed with pumpkin and vegetables in a rich miso soup. It is at 2458 Funatsu in neighbouring Fujikawaguchiko, roughly 15 minutes by car from central Fujiyoshida.
9 Fujisan Beer / Fujiyama Beer
Fujiyama Beer brews craft beer using Mt. Fuji spring water, with styles such as pilsner, weizen and dunkel. Its brewery restaurant is along National Route 138 between Fujiyoshida and Lake Yamanaka, near the Fuji Five Lakes approach roads.
10 Matsuya Honten
Matsuya Honten serves traditional Japanese sweets and seasonal desserts in central Fujiyoshida. It is near the historic Fujisan Yoshida Sengen Shrine area, on the old pilgrimage-town streets leading towards the Mt. Fuji climbing route.

🎈Events

Shibazakura Festival (April-June)
Cherry Blossom Festival (Spring)
Winter Illumination Events
Fujiyoshida Cultural Festival
Kawaguchiko Fireworks Festival
Yoshida Fire Festival (August)
Chureito Pagoda Cherry Blossom Festival (April)
Autumn Foliage Festival (October-November)
Fujiyoshida Summer Festival
Fuji Mountain Climbing Season Opening (July)
Fuji-Q Highland Halloween (October)
Textile Industry Festival

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Climb Chureito's 398 steps early, before haze hides Fuji.
Get off at Shimoyoshida for Chureito, about a 10-minute walk to the shrine where the steps begin.
The JR Pass doesn't cover the Fujikyuko Line from Otsuki, so budget extra for the last stretch.
Yoshida Trail huts can be fully booked in peak weeks, so reserve a bed well ahead.

How to travel to Fujiyoshida

Tokyo is the usual starting point and the trip takes about two hours by train or bus. The Fuji Excursion limited express runs directly from Shinjuku and stops at Shimoyoshida and Fujisan stations in just under two hours with reserved seating. Without a reservation you can take the JR Chuo Line to Otsuki and change to the Fujikyuko Line for Fujisan Station. Highway buses run from Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal to Fujisan Station. Traffic can add time at weekends. Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) airports are usually reached by changing at Shinjuku. By car it's about 100 km from central Tokyo to Fujiyoshida IC on the expressway, usually around two hours but longer in holiday traffic. Fujiyoshida is next to Kawaguchiko, so many buses and trains continue on there.

Access summary

From Haneda (HND): Direct or connecting highway bus, roughly 2.5–3 hours.
From central Tokyo (Shinjuku): Express buses or trains via Otsuki, about 2–2.5 hours.
From Narita (NRT): Airport bus into Tokyo, then Fujiyoshida bus/train, around 3.5 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Fujiyoshida

Fujiyoshida has a mix of business hotels, guesthouses and inns, mostly around Fujisan Station and Shimoyoshida Station. It's a quieter and often cheaper base than the Kawaguchiko lakeshore, which makes it a good fit if you care more about the pagoda and the trail than about a lake view. Staying near Shimoyoshida Station makes an early Chureito visit easy. Rooms fill up around cherry blossom time in early April, during the climbing season and around the late-August Fire Festival. If you want a lake view or a big ryokan with Fuji-facing baths, Kawaguchiko is a short train ride away and has more of them. The Fuji-Q Highland area has resort hotels aimed at theme park visitors.

Hotel recommendations

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

HOTEL MYSTAYS Fuji Onsen Resort

8.8

Highland Resort Hotel and Spa

9.2

Fuji Kawaguchiko Onsen Konansou

9.3

Hotel Kaneyamaen

9.2

Fuji Kawaguchiko Onsen Hotel New Century

9.2

Toyoko Inn Fuji Kawaguchiko Ohashi

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Fujiyoshida

The main stops are spread out along the Fujikyuko Line. It goes from Shimoyoshida Station for Chureito Pagoda to Fujisan Station for the shrine and Fujikyu-Highland Station for the theme park, with Kawaguchiko Station at the end of the line. The train is the easiest way between them. Buses cover the rest. Without a car you can see the pagoda, the shrine and Kawaguchiko by train and bus.

Trains:
Shimoyoshida Station is the one for Chureito Pagoda, with a walk of around 10 minutes to the start of the climb. Fujisan Station is the closest to Fuji Sengen Shrine and the main hub for buses, while Fujikyu-Highland Station serves the theme park.

Buses:
Local buses from Fujisan Station run to Kawaguchiko. In July and August a bus goes to the Umagaeshi trailhead. Buses to the 5th Station leave from Fujisan Station and Kawaguchiko Station.

Car:
Private cars can't drive up the Fuji Subaru Line from 1 April to 30 November, so you park at Fujisan Car Park and take a bus or taxi. A car mainly helps for lakes beyond Kawaguchiko.

Food in Fujiyoshida

Food in Fujiyoshida is regional Yamanashi cooking built around thick wheat noodles, mostly in small family-run shops. Bowls are generally inexpensive. Convenience stores and supermarkets cover breakfast and snacks. Some udon shops serve mainly at lunchtime, so it's best to eat early.

Yoshida udon:
Yoshida udon is the local dish and the reason many people eat lunch here. The wheat noodles are firm and chewy and can surprise first-time eaters. The broth is light and made from dried sardines and bonito flakes with soy sauce or miso. Common toppings are boiled cabbage and sweet-savoury simmered horse meat. A sesame and chilli paste called suridane is stirred in at the table. Vegetarians should know the broth uses fish.

Houtou:
Houtou is the miso noodle stew of Yamanashi, with wide flat noodles simmered with vegetables. It's also on menus around here and suits a cold day.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

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-43 %

Daily expenses in Fujiyoshida are around 43% 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.

-20 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to JPY) is 20% better than in recent years. That means travelling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling 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	£60	£131	£326
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£38	£90	£188
🍝 Food per day	£17	£33	£101
🚕 Transportation per day	£5	£8	£38

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£12.50
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£5.50
🍟 Fast food combo	£3.70
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£7
☕ Cappuccino	£2.20
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£2.40

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.30
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£23
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£30
🤧 Cold medication	£7
💇 Basic haircut	£11

Safety information overview

General safety

Crime is low and the city is safe for travellers at any hour. The risks are on the mountain where weather changes fast and climbing outside the official season is dangerous. The 398 Chureito steps get slippery when wet or icy.

Health & Medical

Healthcare is good and the city has hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, though English is limited outside larger facilities. Altitude sickness and cold are the main concern for climbers, since the 5th Station is already at about 2,300 metres. Travel insurance is sensible.

Accessibility

Chureito Pagoda is reached by 398 stone steps with no step-free route, so it's tough for wheelchair users and anyone with limited stamina. Sights are spread along the Fujikyuko Line and need trains or buses between them. Some small stations may lack lifts.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink like in the rest of Japan. The area is known for clean groundwater filtered through volcanic rock. Vending machines and convenience stores sell bottled water. Don't drink from streams or springs unless a sign says it's drinking water.