Fuji Things to Do

Kind locals will brand your stick at several elevations, using old methods to burn your wood with iron and coals...worth everything, and it will save your life on the way down.
A keepsake like no other, when you start to fatigue, will keep you steady as a mountain goat.

On clear days, cone shaped Mount Fuji can be seen beautifully from the sightseeing boats. Lake Ashi is abundant in trout, black bass and other kinds of fish, many people enjoy fishing there. You can get great views of the lake by the ropeway from Mt Komamagate.

Hakone is the closest resort to Tokyo. Therefore it is very popular tourist's destination for Japanese and foreign visitors who are staying in Tokyo.

The major attractions of the Hakone area are good views of Mt.Fuji, hotsprings, Lake Ashi-no-ko (Ashi) and the Tori Gate of the Hakone Shrine which stands at the foot of Mt. Komagatake.

If the pirate ship is a bit much for you, you can take one of these cute little peddle boats and putter around the lake.

There are plenty of rowing boats, and pedal boats for rent, or even have someone drive you around in a motor boats.

Lake Ashi-no-ko lies in the heart of Hakone National Park. 20km in circumference it fills the crater of the extinct volcano Mt. Hakone which erupted over 2000 years ago. Lake Ashi's steep shores, encircled by volcanic mountains, are densely covered by forests.

Mt Komagatake - An all around view of the Hakone mountains, Lake Ashi and Mt.Fuji can be seen from the top of this 1,357m high mountain. Mt. Komagatake erupted on March 05, 1996, after the 54 years dormancy and again on October 25, 1999.

The view on a clear day is truly wonderful.

Fuji Five Lakes - created out of the eruptions and formed after the ash and lava clogged the streams and dams. To
the north of Mount Fuji, forming a gentle arc, are the Fuji Go-ko, Fuji Five Lakes.

From east to west, they are Lakes Yamanaka-ko, Kawaguchi-ko, Sai-ko, Shoji-ko, and Motosu-ko. The Five Lake area is a year-round vacation spot offering fishing, hunting, camping, trekking, and spas, especially popular with day-trippers from Tokyo.

Each lake has its own claim to fame: Yamanaka-ko is the largest; Kawaguchi-ko offers the best reflection of Fuji; Sai-ko has the best fishing and offers nearby Jukai, the Sea of Trees; Shoji-ko, the smallest, is the most picturesque; and Motosu-ko, with dazzling blue waters, is the deepest..