Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) is Japan's highest mountain and the focal point of the sprawling Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, the mountain is located to the west of Tokyo on the main island Honshu.

A perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji. The Japanese always refer to Mt. Fuji as Fuji-san, but the -san here simply means "mountain", and has nothing to do with the honorific san for people's names. "Fujiyama" is a misreading of the name, and is never used by the Japanese themselves — except in the set phrase Fujiyama geisha, a lament at how Japan is misunderstood in the West.

Mt. Fuji can be approached from all sides, but note that transport schedules are sharply cut outside the official climbing season in July and August. For up to date information, the city of Fujiyoshida maintains a Fuji access page listing current routes and schedules.

From Tokyo, the easiest and most popular option is to take a direct bus from Shinjuku to the trailhead at Kawaguchiko Fifth Station. The most economical approach is by Odakyu train from Shinjuku to Gotemba, although you will have to change trains and the price difference is rather minimal.

Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport near Shizuoka opened in June 2009. Despite the name, it's over 80 km away to the west of the mountain and not much closer to Mt. Fuji than Tokyo's airports. There is no direct access to Mt. Fuji by train, but you can get pretty close and change to a bus for the rest of the way, and doing it this way allows you to use any of the ascent or descent routes. From Tokyo, the two main staging points are Fujiyoshida and Gotemba, while visitors from western Japan can opt for Fujinomiya (Shin-Fuji) instead.

For merely seeing Mt. Fuji, it's better to maintain some distance. The most popular places for sightseeing tours of Fuji and surroundings are Hakone, to the east of Mt. Fuji towards Tokyo, and the Fuji Five Lakes, located just north of the mountain. Note, however, that Fuji is notoriously shy and is wreathed in clouds most of the time: it's entirely possible to drive around the mountain and never see it. Visibility tends to be the worst in the hot, muggy summer and the best in the winter, when the air is dry and clear. The Mt. Fuji Welcome Card is a free card that can get you discounts for various attractions and tours in the vicinity.