Mount Fuji Panorama and Hidden Gems Day Tour from Tokyo

Chureito Pagoda and Honcho Street in Fujiyoshida

The five-storey Chureito Pagoda stands on a wooded hillside in Arakurayama Sengen Park above the town of Fujiyoshida. Built in the 1960s as a peace memorial, it frames Mount Fuji so perfectly that the view has become one of the most photographed images of Japan, especially in early April when cherry trees bloom around it and in autumn when the maples turn red.

The climb from the shrine at the bottom is nearly 400 steps, with a gentler sloped path as an alternative, and the viewing deck is the reward. Below, Honcho Street in old Shimoyoshida is a retro shopping street where the mountain rises at the far end of the road. Course A gives about 1 hour 40 minutes here, so you can enjoy both without rushing.

Lake Kawaguchi and Oishi Park

Lake Kawaguchi is the most visited of the Fuji Five Lakes, and its north shore offers some of the best views of the mountain reflected in calm water. Oishi Park stretches along that shore with seasonal flower beds: lavender in early summer and fluffy kochia bushes that turn bright red in autumn, all with Mount Fuji as a backdrop across the lake.

On the way the tour stops in Fujikawaguchiko at a famous street corner where Mount Fuji appears to rise straight above a small convenience store, a quirky shot that went viral online. This Lake Kawaguchi tour stop lasts about 40 minutes, enough for a lakeside stroll, photos and a soft-serve ice cream.

Shiraito Falls: a curtain of white threads

Shiraito Falls lies on the south-western side of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture. Its name means white threads, and the scene explains why: hundreds of fine streams of spring water, filtered through the volcanic rock of Fuji, pour from a wide, curved cliff covered in moss and ferns into a clear pool. The falls are part of the Mount Fuji UNESCO World Heritage site.

This is one of the hidden gems of Course A and the lunch stop of the day, with about 50 minutes to walk down to the viewing area, feel the cool mist and pick up a simple meal from the stalls near the entrance. Is Shiraito Falls worth visiting? On a hot day it is the freshest place around Fuji, and many visitors find it the most peaceful stop of the tour.

Obuchi Sasaba tea fields

Obuchi Sasaba is a stretch of tea plantations on the gentle southern slopes below Mount Fuji, in Fuji city, Shizuoka. Neat rows of rounded green tea bushes roll over the hills towards the mountain, creating a very different Fuji view from the lakes: rural, quiet and bright green, with the snow-capped cone rising in the distance.

Shizuoka is Japan's best-known green tea region, and spring, when the first leaves are picked, is especially lovely. Few group tours come here, which is why Course A calls it an exclusive stop. You have about 40 minutes for photos along the paths before the coach heads back towards Tokyo, completing the full circle around the mountain.

Course B: Oshino Hakkai and Lake Yamanaka

Choose Course B if you prefer an easier pace and the classic spots. Instead of the falls and tea fields, it visits Oshino Hakkai, a village of eight clear spring ponds fed by Fuji's snowmelt after years of filtering through volcanic rock, surrounded by old thatched houses and small food stalls, part of the UNESCO site.

It then ends at Lake Yamanaka, the largest and highest of the five lakes, with a relaxing walk on Hirano Beach and wide views of the mountain over the water. In the autumn foliage weeks Course B swaps Oishi Park for the maple corridor on Lake Kawaguchi. Both routes leave from Tokyo Station or Shinjuku and return in the evening.