MT. Fuji as a day trip from Tokyo
 

We just arrived! And my 13 yo hasn't stopped asking if we are going to Fuji, although we haven't caught a glimpse yet....

What are the best day trip options?
I'm not sure what to look for and with what company.

We have our jr passes.

We area all active and in good shape.

Thanks!!

My younger son and I used JTB - Sunrise tours for our day trip to Mt. Fuji. We took a long bus ride there and back, and we only really glimpsed at Mt. Fuji from the gift shop. My older son took the same tour a few years later, but he came back on the bullet train, which is a faster option.

We also made a stop on a lake, where we took a cruise, and then we took a cable car ride. I thought it was too much schlepping on the bus, but I'm not sure if there are better options. I believe that Sunrise is some sort of quasi-official tour company. Every hotel uses them.

Checking japan-guide would be the fastest way to get information.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html

The standard places are Fuji Five Lakes
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html
and Hakone
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html

I think Five Lakes offers the better, and more dependable, views.

The private railways offer inclusive deals. You'll need to do some research to get value out of a JR pass and you may still need a tour to get around at the destination.

In May, we took a bus straight from the Tokyo Station area to Lake Kawaguchiko; we had amazing views of Mt Fuji from there, When we spent the night in Hakone two years earlier, we didn't see it at all.

No guarantees on seeing Fuji! We spend two nights at Hakone when we were in the area. It was lovely and we had spectacular views from the cable car, the ropeway and even from our room.

Winter is the best time for seeing Fuji so I would deduce summer is the worst. Rather than book a tour, I'd check the weather forecast and if sunny, strike out on your own. It is not hard at all.

After looking at the bus tours and reading reviews....I don't think we would be happy spending $500 for the 4 of us.

Last year there was a Fuji round trip pass from jr east for 5600 yen pp. but it's not available anymore.
Wondering how to do something similar.

This was the link....

https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/fuji/

That's the trouble with bus tours--they really add up for a group. Have you checked with your hotel about getting a driver for the day? Tell the concierge that you don't need a guide, just a driver, and see what happens. You may get a better price if you explain that you're willing to cram into the equivalent of a Toyota Camry, rather than a van.

A lot less if you do it yourself, take the bus and walk around the area. This link shows the cost from Shinjuku.

http://highway-buses.jp/fuji/

I'm not exactly sure of what you want to do. Do you want to climb Mt Fuji, travel up to the 5th station on the mountain or just see it? The summer is the worst time for viewing. Sometimes you can see the mountain from Hakone in the morning. Easy to train, bus, boat to and from Shinjuku.

Don't want to climb ...
Thought 5th station would be cool to visit for the kids.

I think you've received the best answers you're going to get for this time of the year. Check the weather forecast and then set out early in the morning via Shinjuku station. You can buy a Hakone day pass at Shinjuku. It's easy.

I don't remember the cost but we did a day trip from our hotel which was the Hyatt Regency and it was arranged through the hotel concierge. We did a lot more than see Mount Fuji and this included a ride on the tram and a ride on lake boat. The excavation was well organized and on the way back we took a bullet train to a central station and then transferred to a local train to our stop for our hotel. Our guide was very good and we were able to see Mount Fuji which she said was lucky because many times it's covered with fog. I don't know call Ed being terribly expensive and it was a lot of fun and it took about the entire day but then again there were only two of us

Meant "excursion" :). Voice recognition failure again! :S-.

A trip to Hakone is the best for a day trip. You do a circuit - train, tram, chairlift, pirate ship, bus - that is fun even if Fuji doesn't appear. The day we did it, a typhoon was approaching and Fuji was invisible, but we enjoyed the outdoor museum and the closer views as we traveled on the various forms of transportation.

On the train to odawara now....
Wondering is I should buy the hall economy free pass once I get there...

Bought the pass...it's the only way to really do the loop....but it was all jammed packed with people. Not relaxing....
The ropes at got a little better as they limit the number of people on each gondola. The boat was pretty packed, but nice.

oops, too late to advise going on a weekday

how was your view of Fuji-san?

We had a few stunning views!!!
We had seen the peak from
Tokyo before we headed out figuring it would be a good day!
We had a dreamy view while riding up of the peak floating over the clouds! Fantastic!

Also got a nice view of the peak just before docking in Moto Hakone on the pirate boat with the tori gate to the right and Fuji high up to the left!
Impossible to capture on an iPhone, but embedded in my memory!

We learned that the rope way had just reopened this week after being closed for a year! The crowds were def higher for this reason too! We were able to briefly stop at Owakudani, walk to the viewing platform and see the volcanic activity steaming below.

Btw... We used the JR pass to get to Odawara and then bought the 4000 yen pp free zone passes. Much Cheaper than the 13,000 yen bus tours! But definitely more of a challenge on our own!

Our guide told us that from Owakudani you can get eggs cooked in that sulphur steam. Some one bought some and they smelled well like sulphur but he said the taste was ok, like a hard boiled egg. I passed!

Glad you are having fun. we were impressed by Japan, especially the cleanliness and by how friendly and polite the people were.

Yes! We heard that they turn black when cooked in the sulphur and people eat them! We totally weren't into eating one either!

Glad you went, MBM. It's nice to see the beauty of Japan. So now tell us about what you've been eating. Japanese food is my absolute favorite!

Tell me your favorites!!!
The best so far was breakfast at Tsukiji!
I had some Delish soba too!!

Sushi and sashimi are always good bets, especially since fish is dirt cheap in Japan. I buy sushi trays at grocery stores in Japan. I always find some unusual fish that we don't have here.

For something different, try okonomiyaki pancakes, especially the seafood ones. They're really from the region around Hiroshima, but you can find them in Tokyo. There are even some places where they give you the batter, and you make them yourselves at your table. The children will think it's great fun.

Osaka-style okonomiyaki: oishii kata desu!

I am going to have to find out the name of the place that the Westin Osaka concierge recommended to me.

Thank you all for your tips and ideas in this topic, it will help me ;)