Kawaguchiko

Kawaguchiko (Lake Kawaguchi) is one of the Fuji Five Lakes along the northern foothill of Fujisan (Mt. Fuji). The access to this lake is by the town of the same name. Kawaguchiko Town is about 3 hours by train from Tokyo, with transfers at Takao and Otsuki.

On a clear day, the northern face of Fujisan can be observed very clearly from here once you have alighted from the train. When you have come out of the train station, it is slightly hidden behind the station.

If Fujisan is covered by clouds, you do not have to be disappointed, as Lake Kawaguchi offers the view just as spectacular. There are some other activities on the lake that visitors can play with too.

To get the best view of both Fujisan and Lake Kawaguchi, take the cable car up the hill.

A return ticket is ¥700 at the time of writing. Though not very cheap, but I can say that it is well worth the price.

There is no other place around Kawaguchiko Town that you can get such spectacular view of Lake Kawaguchi.

A glance at the ruby-blue water of Lake Kawaguchi will certainly wash away all the worries troubling you.

If you would like to indulge yourself further, you can always dip yourself in one of the onsen (hot springs) at the hotels scattering around the shore of Lake Kawaguchi.

After getting down from the observation platform of the hill, you can take the retro-style bus to the lavender fields around the shore of the lake.

You should not miss the chance to taste the lavender-flavoured ice cream here as it is one of the local delicacies. This was my first time eating ice cream with such flavour. It was quite refreshing.

Other than lavender fields, there are also blueberry farms around here. I saw the blueberry trees for the first time in my life here at Kawaguchiko.

The farm owner was very kind that he plucked some riped blueberries for me. In fact the fresh blueberries have a very refreshing taste, very unlike those blueberry paste or bread spread.