Fuji Five Lakes, planned around your family

Fuji Five Lakes is a group of five lakes at the foot of Mount Fuji, about two hours from Tokyo. It suits a day trip or one night, and the right choice depends on who is travelling and how much cold and travel time they want.

What is Fuji Five Lakes?

The five lakes are Kawaguchi, Yamanaka, Sai, Shoji and Motosu. Lava flows from the volcano dammed the area and created them ¹.

Lake Kawaguchi has the most hotels, museums and transport links, so most first visits start there. The others are quieter and suit travellers with more time or a car.

Who gets the most from a Fuji visit?

First-timers who want a scenic break from Tokyo get the most from it. So do couples who like lakes and hot-spring baths, and families who want a calm day after busy city days.

If your group has little time or dislikes bus rides, the Hakone page shows a closer scenery option from Tokyo.

How long does it take to get there?

From Shinjuku, Kawaguchiko takes about 2 hours 10 minutes by train via Otsuki, about 1 hour 50 minutes by highway bus and about 1 hour 30 minutes by car ². Add time for walking to the station and waiting.

Door to door, a day trip means roughly four to five hours of travel. Our bus planning guide explains the options.

Day trip or overnight?

A day trip works for fit travellers and short city stays. An overnight stay gives you early light on the lake, a slower evening and less rushing for the last bus.

Use this table to compare.

Question	Day trip	One night
Travel load	Four to five hours on the road.	Same travel, split across two days.
Time at the lakes	Short.	Longer and calmer.
Fits	Fit adults, tight schedules.	Elders, children, photographers.
Baggage	Light day bag.	One overnight bag.

Our day trip or base guide and the Kawaguchiko stay guide go deeper.

What does it cost from Malaysia?

Transport from Tokyo is a small part of the budget, and hotels by the lake rise on weekends and in school holidays. We quote fares and rooms against your actual dates.

For a yen to ringgit view, Bank Negara Malaysia gave RM 2.603 per 100 yen on 19 October 2026 ³. Use the ringgit budget tool to test your own numbers.

What if Mount Fuji is hidden by cloud?

Cloud can hide the mountain on any day. A good Fuji plan therefore has indoor or lake-side stops that work in any weather, such as museums, a boat ride or a cafe. Read our Fuji view guide before you fix the date.

When is Hakone a better choice?

Hakone suits you better when time is short, when you prefer a loop of train, ship and ropeway, or when hot-spring baths matter most. Fuji Five Lakes suits you better when open lake scenery and a quieter pace matter more. The Hakone or Fuji extension guide compares them.

How should you prepare?

Preparation is light.

• Passport: Malaysians with a biometric passport can stay up to 90 days without a visa ⁴.
• Clothing: the area is very cold and snowy in winter and more comfortable in summer ⁵. Pack thermal layers for the cold months.
• Shoes: choose grippy soles for lake paths in winter.
• Timing: leave Tokyo early so you return before dark.

What should Malaysian travellers know?

Fuji is popular in Malaysian school holiday weeks, so book hotels early. Halal food is limited outside Tokyo, so we note options and snack plans in advance. Cold is the main surprise for tropical bodies, and a warm layer plan matters more than a fixed itinerary.