The Mt Fuji 5th Station

What is the Mt Fuji 5th Station?

A stopping point halfway up Fuji, at the end of the Fuji Subaru Line toll road. Lodges, shops, restaurants, coin lockers and Komitake Shrine sit at 2,305 m.

Fuji has four 5th stations, one at the top of each road: Fujinomiya, Subashiri, Gotemba and the Subaru Line on the north side. Day tours from Tokyo use the Subaru Line one. japan-guide lists parking, coin lockers, a few restaurants and shops, and Komitake Shrine, with a lookout over Fujiyoshida and Lake Yamanaka.

Expect a busy street of wooden lodges and souvenir counters, and coaches lined up in the car park. The summit looks close and isn't: it is another 1,471 m up, five to seven hours on foot. Most visitors walk a few minutes along the trail, take photos, buy something stamped with Fuji and get back on the bus.

How long do tours spend at the 5th Station?

About 30 minutes on every group tour that goes there. Japan Panoramic Tours adds a 40-minute stop lower on the mountain.

The listed stop times:

Half an hour inside an 11-hour day, most of it on the coach. Guests feel it. One wrote: “The drive to the 5th station was nice, but the weather did not cooperate (of course) and our actual time there was very short.” On a clear day it is enough for photos, the shrine and a hot drink. Go to the toilets first; the queue eats minutes.

How cold is it at the Mt Fuji 5th Station?

Much colder than Tokyo. Air cools about 6.5 degrees per 1,000 m of height, so 2,305 m up it is typically 13 to 15 degrees colder, with wind on top.

A warm October day in Shinjuku can be close to freezing at the 5th Station by late autumn. Even in July and August it is cool and often damp. Pack a fleece or a light down jacket, a windproof layer and something for rain, whatever the forecast says for Tokyo. One guest's advice after the flagship: “need to pack a waterproof & something warm, bring water & snacks.”

Altitude: 2,305 m is below the height where most people feel unwell, and you are there for half an hour. Walk slowly anyway. The group tour listings say they are not recommended for pregnant travellers or people with heart problems or other serious conditions.

Is the 5th Station open in winter?

Often not. From about December to early April snow and ice close the upper Subaru Line, and tours stop lower on the mountain or swap in a museum.

japan-guide describes the road as open almost year round, snow conditions permitting, with partial closures in heavy snow. In practice, tours treat it as a spring-to-autumn stop. JTB's listing gives late April to November; other operators say they will drive to “the highest accessible point” or visit the Fujisan World Heritage Center or the 1st to 4th Station instead.

JTB's winter substitutes: the Fujisan Museum, Oishi Park at Lake Kawaguchi, the Fujisan World Heritage Center, the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum or Oshino Hakkai. None of them refunds anything. Booking for December to March? Pick a tour for the lakes and Hakone rather than paying for a stop that won't happen. The winter 2026-27 post tracks this season.

Can you climb Mt Fuji on a day tour?

No. Day tours stop at the 5th Station. Climbing is a summer-only overnight trip with its own rules: in 2026 the trails opened 1 July and closed 10 September, with a 4,000 yen fee.

The official Mt Fuji climbing site gave the 2026 season as 1 July to 10 September on the Yoshida and Subashiri trails, and 10 July to 10 September on Fujinomiya and Gotemba. Every climber pays 4,000 yen, and the Yoshida Trail gate closes from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. to anyone without a mountain hut booking. That rules out the old overnight dash to the summit.

During the season the Subaru Line is closed to private cars, 3 July to 10 September in 2026; shuttle buses run up from the base instead. The private Fuji or Hakone tour says it drives all the way to the 5th Station in hiking season. If you want to climb, plan a two-day trip with a hut booking, not a tour.

Which Mt Fuji tours skip the 5th Station?

Gogoday's budget tour, the Local Guide Stars Hakone day and Xplor Japan's private tour. They show Fuji from the lakes or a park instead.

• Gogoday budget tour ($78): Lake Yamanaka for 15 minutes and Oshino Hakkai for 40.
• Local Guide Stars ($83): Fuji Bussharito Heiwa Park in Gotemba, 30 minutes. A guest: “we could luckily have a good view of Mt. Fuji, from the Peace Park”.
• Xplor Japan private ($314 per group): Chureito Pagoda, Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, Oshino Hakkai, Lake Yamanaka and Lake Kawaguchi.
• Private Fuji or Hakone: the Fuji lakes route skips it; the Fuji and Hakone route includes it in hiking season.

Skipping it isn't a loss for everyone. The classic Fuji shape is a view from below, and these tours spend longer at each stop.

No 5th Station, more time where it counts: 80 minutes at Lake Ashi, Owakudani and Hakone Shrine.

★ 4.9 · 10 hours · from $83

Explore the Hakone cruise and ropeway day → Tour details

Is the 5th Station worth it on a day tour?

From late April to November on a clear forecast, yes: it is the only way to stand on Fuji without hiking. In winter, or with cloud forecast, pick a lakes route.

It works when you get a clear day. “Mt Fuji 5th Station was so good to visit on a beautiful fine day as were the other activities,” wrote a guest on the bus version. On a grey day it is a car park in the fog, two hours from Tokyo. The low reviews tell that story.

Our view: if your dates fall between May and October, book the 5th Station on the bullet train tour and check the forecast before the 24-hour cancellation cut-off. From December to March, book a Hakone-first day or a private car on the lakes route. The odds by month are in will I see Mt Fuji.

Will tour buses still reach the 5th Station in future?

For now, yes. Yamanashi dropped a light-rail plan in 2025 and is studying a rubber-tyred tram or bus on the Subaru Line that would bar private cars and tour coaches. No date is set.

The idea is to cut traffic and emissions on the mountain. If it goes ahead, tours would transfer to the new vehicle at the base, and the stop would get longer or pricier. It is under study, nothing more, and doesn't affect bookings in 2026 or 2027.

Frequently asked questions