Compared Japan's size to other countries, it is surprising to find out that this place is one where you can find all kinds of places to go to that offer different types of fun and entertainment. There are locations found in Japan whose attractions focus on relics of their history. There are also some locations that focus on showcasing the pop culture of Japan. If you want to see attractions that focus on rest and relaxation, you should definitely consider going to the area of Lake Kawaguchi.
General Information about Japan’s Lake Kawaguchi and the Weather to Expect There
Lake Kawaguchi or “Kawaguchiko” is found in the southern Yamanashi Prefecture, which also happens to be located on the border of Minobu and Fujikawaguchiko. This lake is actually part of the collective known as the Fuji Five Lakes. This collective includes the five lakes that surround Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi is the second largest lake in terms of area and is also the lake with the longest shoreline of the 5 lakes that make up this group.
Despite the fact that it is located at the lowest elevation, the altitude it is situated in is still around 800 meters, so that this place is pretty cool all year round. The warmest temperatures come in the months of July and August when they reach around 28 to 30 degrees Celsius. Contrary to this, the coolest temperatures come during the month of January when they reach lows of around 3 to 8 degrees Celsius. The months of March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October are when rainfall can happen frequently but no month records as much rainfall as the month of June so you should avoid this month if you don’t want to be bothered by the rainy weather.
Initially, this lake had no outlet and this caused a lot of flooding to happen in the settlements by the shores. To fix this problem, they constructed a canal that connected Kawaguchiko to a tributary of the Sagami River. This canal finished construction in the year of 1914 and it proves effective up to this very day because the frequency of the floods in the former victimized areas went from frequent to none after the creation of this canal connection.
The attractions found in this area maximizes the natural beauties of this location which is why the majority of the attractions here focus on establishments that offer the services resorts and hotels do. In addition to these attractions, you can also find locations where you can enjoy unique activities like windsurfing and camping which should surely be fun considering the fact that you can enjoy views of Mount Fuji as you do these activities.
The Travel Guide and Map around Japan’s Kawaguchiko Attractions
Getting around the area of Kawaguchiko is pretty easy once you’re there because everything is really near each other. You can hit up multiple attractions in this area in a matter of minutes if you wanted to just by riding the bus around. With this being said, what is important to know is how to get to Kawaguchiko. There are two ways you can go there and these options are taking the train or bus. If you opt to take the train, you’ll be happy to know that the Kawaguchiko station is the terminal station of the Fujikyu Railway from Otsuki. Any of the JR passes covers the trip to this area so be sure to utilize it if you do get one or have one. If you opt to take the bus, on the other hand, you can either take a local bus or a highway bus. Either way, you should end up in the bus terminal of Kawaguchiko that offer rides to and from areas like Tokyo, Gotemba, and Kofu. This bus terminal also happens to be right in front of the Kawaguchiko Station.
From the Kawaguchiko Station, you will be able to move around to the attractions with the use of the two retro bus lines that provide both locals and tourists with bus rides whose routes will take you around the Lake Kawaguchi as well as Lake Saiko, which is the lake right beside Kawaguchiko. There are two lines they operate on. There is the Kawaguchiko Line that provides transportation services along the northeastern and eastern shores. To move around the southern shore of Kawaguchiko as well as around Lake Saiko, you can take the Saiko Line because it is the line that provides services for the said areas. You may also want to opt for the various tours called Hakone Tours which take you around the areas surrounding Mt. Fuji but it isn’t necessary since you can handpick the attractions you want to see to save time and make your trip more personal.
The first places you should travel to in this area is the Kachi Kachi Ropeway. This ropeway ascends 400 meters above the lake to give you an unobstructed view of Mt. Fuji and the beautiful city that surrounds it through an observation deck that is more than 1000 meters above sea level. This place isn’t just for sightseeing on the observation deck because there is also a hiking trail you can enjoy on the way down from the deck which leads to a scenic forested mountain slope. There is also another trail that leads to another observation point that is 300 meters uphill to a shrine located at the summit of Mt. Tenjo. Its operating hours start from 9 AM to 5 PM during the months of March through November. Through the months of December to February, their operating hours change as they open at 9:30 AM until 4:40 PM. You should prepare 800 yen for a roundtrip ticket on the ropeway but if you opt to take the hiking trail on the way down, you need only 450 yen for a one-way admission ticket.
There are also a number of unique museums you can enjoy here like the Kubota Itchiku Museum, Kawaguchiko Museum of Art, Kawaguchiko Music Forest, and the Yamanashi Gem Museum. Each of these museums has something exclusive that they offer their guests. A perfect example of such exclusive artworks you get to enjoy in these museums is the main attraction of The Kubota Itchiku Museum. This museum is where you can see the unfinished masterpiece of Kubota Itchiku called “Symphony of Light” that is a picture of Mt. Fuji made using only different kinds of kimono. In addition to the art you can enjoy here, simply going above the museum would lead you to the Tensui Kawaguchiko which is a well-known public bathhouse in Kawaguchiko. Admission to this bathhouse is 1000 yen and it is worth the price because they have various facilities you can make use of like their three large outdoor baths, indoor baths, as well as a sauna for each gender.
The Kawaguchi Music Forest offers all kinds of historical musical instruments so it is an ideal attraction of the music nuts out there. The same logic applies for the Yamanashi Gem Museum because it is where you can see all kind of ores and crystals collected from Japan so if you enjoy learning about this particular thing, the Yamanashi Gem Museum might be the place that you’ll never forget in the Kawaguchiko area.
The Hotels You Can Find in Japan’s Kawaguchiko Area That Provides the Best Accommodation
There are a lot of hotels and establishments that offer accommodation in this area of Japan. There are the likes of the Hotel Yumedono, Shuhoukaku Kogetsu, and Fuji-View Hotel. You can also find the Fuji Royal Hotel here and amongst all the hotels that have been mentioned, this one is probably the best in terms of services. It has a wide selection of room types to fit the want and need of the different customers that come its way. On top of this, you may also enjoy the onsen which utilizes Mt. Fuji because it can be seen clearly from there. Booking one night in this hotel would cost around 30,000 yen per person and considering the fact that this hotel is walking distance away from the Kawaguchiko Station as well as the fact that the payment includes a free breakfast, it seems worth every penny.
If you happen to be on a tighter budget, do not worry because there is an establishment that is located right in front of the Kawaguchiko Station that can easily make this accommodation problem go away. This place is called the Kawaguchiko Station Inn and it is the perfect place to stay if you want to save and be very near the transportations systems which allow you to move around the area. It has 14 Japanese-style rooms and a huge dormitory room with 7 beds. Because it is practically in the same area as the Royal Hotel, guests here can also enjoy the gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji every day of their stay. A night in this establishment would cost 4200 yen if you are booking a room for yourself. Booking a room for two people would cost 4000 yen each. Booking a room for three people would cost 3800 each and booking a room for four people would cost each of you 3600 yen. The rooms here are also very clean so it isn’t hard to stay in this establishment at all.
Kawaguchiko has a lot more to offer aside from the attractions mentioned and discussed above. Since it has quite a diverse selection of attractions which satisfy the different things people want on a trip to this area, going here multiple times is common among locals and foreigners. The majority of their attractions are all open all year round so all you need to do is pick what kind of climate you want to experience when you finally go to this amazing area of Japan. It might not be a place that is massively promoted like the Tokyo and Osaka areas but it surely is a place that is worth the time to wander around in if you want to bask in the beautiful nature of Japan.