3 days from tokyo to fuji | east coast japan

While I gave the rest of the Japan trip plenty of time to visit the Hakuba mountains and Kyoto, I left the last few days for Fuji and Tokyo with barely enough time to spare. It was still possible to see the sights though!

Let’s begin in Fuji, then explore the Izu Peninsula, and lastly, Tokyo

Day 1: Fuji

It was so hard to choose where I wanted to stay but landed on Lake Kawaguchi because it seemed most accessible by train and bus. Google maps is honestly fairly helpful and last minute booking is usually pretty okay as long as you budget time and have the cash to pay. Optionally you can buy certain tickets online but sometimes I find that to be more of a hassle. From Kyoto, we took the shinkansen (fast train) to Mishima and then hopped on the sightseeing express bus to Kawaguchi Station. It gets busy so try to book in advance. From the station, we took another local town bus to our lodging at Gasthof Melange. It’s owned by a Japanese man and it’s just so cute!

If you’re coming from Tokyo, it’s a bit shorter than from Kyoto but similar idea of taking a train to take a bus to get closer to where you want to be. You could also consider renting a car here to minimize wait time for trains and busses.

I loved that staying by Lake Kawaguchi meant being walking distance to so many things, including great views of Fuji and the lake itself. Sunrise along the lake was absolutely gorgeous with the gingko trees. And the maple corridor wasn’t quite fully red when we went, but that would’ve been a great fall evening hike.

One of the highlights was seeing the iconic Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Park. It is just 2 short train stops away from the Kwaguchi station and then a short but steep walk to the top. It’s best at sunrise or sunset, so we got there a bit later than ideal and it was starting to get quite busy. Though the pagoda is most famous here, don’t forget to stop to look at the shrine and walk further for the observatory views. The Chureito Pagoda is great for fall colors or cherry blossom season in the spring.

If you still have time to spare, go check out the Fuji ropeway. It’s a busy gondola that takes you to Mount Kachikachi for more easy access sweeping views. Plus another ticket and wait if you want the instagrammable swing photo op. I honestly took so few photos here I had none worth sharing here!

Food we ate:

Non hei (yakitori restaurant run by a husband and wife team)
Fujisan Shokupan (bakery and pudding next to the Kawaguchi station)
Houto Labo Kawaguchi (soup noodles local to the area)

Day 2: Izu Peninsula

Alright, let’s pack it in and head to Itō, a cute coastal town. Again, getting out of the Fuji area is a bit rough with a bus and a train or two. The Ito train line itself is worth a tour since it has such great seating and views of the ocean. The seats face the views! There’s some other trains in Japan that do the same, but this one was particularly awesome. We stayed at Yokikan but ventured out further to the Jogasaki Coast. It’s just a few stops along the Ito train line and a walk through town to get to the coast. It was fun getting some fresh squeeze orange juice along the way as it was the start of winter citrus season. Once at the park, choose from a few different paths to walk along. It’s a free park and so beautiful to explore. The Kadowaki Suspension Bridge is probably the best highlight here other than the insanely blue waters. And there’s an old lighthouse you can walk up for a higher vantage point.

Yokikan is one of those nicer ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) that you can stay at. If you opt for breakfast and dinner, they’ll serve it to you in your rooms. The staff will arrange the tables and your beds as well. This is in an onsen (hot spring spa) location and one of our main attending staff said that he grew up in the area and still lives here because of the amazing onsens. Yokikan specifically has a cute outdoor onsen that you take a moving elevator/cableway up to. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the onsen as they practice naked public bathing so I have none to share.

Day 3: Tokyo

Are you exhausted reading this itinerary yet? Let’s get to it! Take the train back to Tokyo (should be much easier than getting in/out of Fuji area). And let’s do some light exploring. As someone who is more into quiet and peaceful areas rather than bustling crowds, I didn’t see the need to spend too much time in Tokyo, though you could definitely make a full trip out of only visiting the city with all the foods and sights to see.

If you can swing it, check out the modern Toyosu Market. You’re no longer allowed to be on the floor where they sell the giant tuna, but you can view it from above. There are lottery tickets for floor-visitation but you still have to stand behind a fence. You’ll want to get there around 5/6am for the best views and some days it is closed, so be sure to check out their latest hours. Afterwards, you might be groggy from waking up so early but you can get some breakfast of fresh sashimi to wake up again.

If you time it right, you can also check out Team Labs nearby for a fun activity but we didn’t opt for any museum this trip.

For later in the day, head over to Tokyo Station for a cute old-timey train station exterior and then walk around the grounds of the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately you generally can’t go inside since the current emperor resides there. There are guided tours 2x a day that you can apply for and opens the first of the month prior to the month you want to visit. If you’re familiar with the permit system of National Parks and other recreation sites, it’s quite similar but more formal. There’s still plenty of exterior you can still walk around and enjoy though!

Next, head over to the Azabudai Hills to a great view of Tokyo Tower and the rest of the city at Azabudai Hills 33F Observation Deck. It’s technically free to enter but you have to purchase something to qualify going there. Though it’s easy to just buy a pastry!