Getting to Narita quickly from Mt. Fuji

Posted July 28th, 2008 by WA climber

I expect to hike down to the Kawaguchiko 5th Station about 9:30 in the morning, and need to depart quickly to catch a flight at Narita. The first bus does not leave for Shinjuku Station until 11:00 a.m. Does anyone know of a way to get from the 5th Station to Shinjuku Station without having to wait for the 11:00 a.m. bus?

Thanks ahead of time for your help with this.

WA Climber

grin - 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours 3 min ago

A highway bus from Kawaguchiko 5th station is scheduled to arrive at Shinjuku station at 1:20 PM.

You can also take the Tozan bus (a shuttle bus) to Kawaguchiko (train) station, and take trains to Shinjuku station.

Tozan bus:
- Leave Kawaguchiko 5th Station at 9:35 AM
- Arrive at Kawaguchiko (train) station at 10:25 AM

Train:
- Leave Kawaguchiko (train) station at 10:44 AM (Fujikyu Line)
- Change train at Takao station to JR Line or Keio Line
- Arrive at Shinjuku station at around 1:20 PM, depending on the connection at Takao station.

With this method you don't have to wait 1 and 1/2 hours at the 5th station, but the arrival time is almost same as the highway bus method.

If you want to arrive at Shinjuku station as early as possible, another option is to descend from Subashiri trail instead of Kawaguchiko trail.

Tozan bus (Shuttle bus):
- Leave Subashiri 5th Station at 9:30 AM
- Arrive at Gotemba (train) station at 10:25 AM

Train:
- Leave Gotemba (train) station at 10:54 AM (Asagiri Express*)
- Arrive at Shinjuku station at 12:30 PM

* There will be an extra charge for an express train

Hope it helps.

WA climber - 4 weeks 1 day 3 hours 27 min ago

Thanks for your very complete answer. With this information I believe I can climb Mt. Fuji and not miss my connection.

I could not find a schedule for the Tozan bus descending from the 5th Station. You referenced a bus leaving at 9:30. Is there a bus that leaves earlier in the morning, if I happen to descend more quickly than expected?

Again, many thanks for your complete information.

junior - 4 weeks 4 hours 9 min 10 sec ago

Hi WA climber!

Mount Fuji Guide has posted the summer schedules for Tozan bus yesterday.
http://mountfujiguide.com/category/blog-tags/mt-fuji-news

The first bus from Kawaguchiko 5th Station and from Subashiri 5th Station are both at 8:30 AM.
The one from Subashiri 5th Station, however, doesn't provide good connection at Gotemba station. You'd eventually take the same express train as when you take the Tozan bus at 9:30.

So suppose you descend to Kawaguchiko 5th Station and take the first bus at 8:30. You'd then arrive at Kawaguchiko station at 9:20 AM. One option is to take a train at 9:28, change train at Otsuki station to JR Chuo Line, and arrive at Shinjuku station at 11:58 AM. If you want to minimize the traveling time (on the train) in exchange for an express fee, you can take a train at 9:54 instead of 9:28, change train at Otsuki station to Azusa Express, and arrive at Shinjuku station at 12:06 PM.

FYI, here's an online timetable searching site in English.
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

Have you checked about JR Rail Pass?
http://mountfujiguide.com/bookmark/Transportation/Japan_Rail_Pass
This is a great deal available only for foreign tourists.

Thanks,
junior