Walking around the whole of the lake....with a dog!
Lake Kawaguchi is an amazing spot for tourists from Tokyo. Allow at least one night stay to make it all worthwhile. (See my next post for hotel recommendations.)
Travel:
Express trains run from Shinjuku straight through to Kawaguchiko, but they are rare.
There is also the super rapid train through to Otsuki (it's white with green and yellow on it). You can use your Passmo/Suica card, but you must also buy a ¥930 express ticket. It's worth it to make the journey smoother.
From Shinjuku take the CHUO Line through to Otsuki, then change to the Fujikyu Line to Kawaguchiko, around ¥2500.
The Highway bus takes around 2 hours, traffic dependent. ¥1700 one way. (but no dogs allowed)
Most of the lake has designated pathways to follow for the walkers around the lake. Some areas do not, but the roads are never usually so busy that it is really dangerous. 
And best of all...for our pup, there were parts of the lake were you could just wander in freely. He loved it!
Dotted around the lake are various activities and sights to see. there are two hot springs in the area, 
along with craft workshops. And it wouldn't be Japan without lots of shrines & tori gates too.
There was a sign for a camp site, I think there are a few in the region - that would be fun to try -
Lake Kawaguchi is an amazing spot for tourists from Tokyo. Allow at least one night stay to make it all worthwhile. (See my next post for hotel recommendations.)
Travel:
Express trains run from Shinjuku straight through to Kawaguchiko, but they are rare.There is also the super rapid train through to Otsuki (it's white with green and yellow on it). You can use your Passmo/Suica card, but you must also buy a ¥930 express ticket. It's worth it to make the journey smoother.
From Shinjuku take the CHUO Line through to Otsuki, then change to the Fujikyu Line to Kawaguchiko, around ¥2500.
The Highway bus takes around 2 hours, traffic dependent. ¥1700 one way. (but no dogs allowed)
So we took our dog along for the weekend, and it is a very doable thing, even without a car!
You need a good few hours to walk around the lake itself and from the east to the west side there is surprisingly little to see. There were a few very old and desolate hotels, a result of the bubble era and now, like many others in Japan, left to rot. There were a few other hotels that offered a view of Fuji and there were a few restaurants that caught our eye too. 
The views were constantly breathtaking and it was hard to not keep stopping for a shot!
This Magma villa looked of interest - it's a spa place....Fancy it?!
There were a few old buildings on the way around that took you straight back in time.
And best of all...for our pup, there were parts of the lake were you could just wander in freely. He loved it!
along with craft workshops. And it wouldn't be Japan without lots of shrines & tori gates too.
There was a sign for a camp site, I think there are a few in the region - that would be fun to try -
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| Camp site signs. |
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| Breathtaking Mount Fuji |
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