Mt. Fuji Tour from Tokyo with Lake Ashi Cruise and Hakone Ropeway Ride
Overall Rating
4.31
Long day in foggy rainy Mt Fuji
Reviewed by: Bob L, 2019/12/02The guide was very good and informative. However, Mt Fuji was completely fogged in (even it was hard to see the shops at the 5th station in the fog), and it was rainy, foggy for all of the other sites. The lunch was great, though, and it was a nice day to get out of the city into the countryside. Because pretty much all of the sites were not visible I would have hoped that this tour be rescheduled (the following day was clear).
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/10/07 |
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My Fuji day tour
Reviewed by: Michael Hill, 2019/08/07Unfortunately the traffic heading to My Fuji was very bad which meant the rest of the day was a crush to keep the schedule. Weather was also against us. My Fuji and the cable car was a white out.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/03 |
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Rather rushed itinerary and poor tour guide
Reviewed by: UKWMtraveller, 2019/06/01I chose this tour for the convenience of being picked up from my hotel in Tokyo. The seating in the coach was a little tight but no different from other coaches I've been on in Japan. Unfortunately, our guide repeated herself incessantly throughout the journey and this was exceedingly irritating. I'm sorry to say that I resorted to listening to music through my earphones in preference to hearing what our guide was saying. I booked the lunch option and was pleasantly surprised at the food quality. The place where we stopped catered specifically for large groups and was well set up for these.
My main issue was with the very short amount of time allocated at each stop. The day was cloudy, but with occasional clear spots, providing sporadic opportunities to photograph Mt Fuji. However, with only 15 to 30 minutes at each of the viewing stations, it was frustrating to have to return to the coach so quickly without having enough time to wait for a break in the clouds to take a decent photo of Mt Fuji. That said the views on and around lake Ashi were fabulous and the cable car journey to the top of Mt Komagatake was worthwhile, with some very nice scenery at the summit.
On the way back to Tokyo we chose not to return on the coach (even though we had booked it) and took the bullet train instead. This turned out to be an excellent choice because we were back in Tokyo Central Station within 35 minutes of boarding the train, rather than the three hours or so on the coach.
In fairness to the tour operator, I would say that the short time available at the viewing stations was not their fault, because I suspect that time restrictions applied to the large coaches at each stopping point. In hindsight, I think that I should have booked a more bespoke tour catering for fewer people. Being in a smaller vehicle/group might have provided the flexibility to make brief stops during our journey to take opportunistic photos of Mt Fuji when there were breaks in the clouds.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/30 |
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Rooms for improvement
Reviewed by: Eve Wong, 2019/05/27Difficult to locate the tour provider at pickup pt, no counter or signage board. The cruise is rather boring, would rather pay more if snacks and drinks can be provided during the cruise since it's a long day tour.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/24 |
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Rushed
Reviewed by: Heather, 2019/05/20While the trip was good, everything went smoothly and the tour guide was very informative and helpful, it was disappointing to learn we have very little time at each stop. We felt very rushed, including for lunch. I suggest the tour return later, or you are upfront with customers that in order to fit in all of the activities the actual time at each stop is very limited.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/17 |
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To be honest, it was mostly a bus ride
Reviewed by: Renee, 2019/04/26We did get to see Mt Fuji which was why we went on this tour. Because of this, I rated it fair rather than poor... The boat and sky tram filled in time out of the bus... neither was interesting or exciting. Our tour guide was very bland...he certainly did not make this an enjoyable day. For a couple to go on this excursion at a cost of $250 to 300USD... spend your money elsewhere.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/24 |
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Mountain Fuji and the lake
Reviewed by: Elena, 2019/04/19Honestly, I expected something completely different. The way was very long, the tour guide was not that excited about the information he presented and most of the facts I knew from the internet tourist sites beforehand. We clearly expected more insight into the history of the place: beautiful legends and folk tales or anecdotes from a local guide.
5-station was closed that day. As for sky gondola and the boat cruise, well, probably on a sunny day, but not on a windy April day. The sky was grey and it was freezing. Smoking valley was just a viewing spot to take a photo and taste a black ice-cream. Sorry to say, but I wouldn’t recommend this trip. I would go for another tour provider.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/17 |
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A nice trip out but more time on coach than sites
Reviewed by: SunSeeker8005, 2018/11/05A day day trip out from Tokyo to try and see more of the country but be warned - the time on the coach is considerable. I knew of course there would be around 2hrs to Mt Fuji but there is then over an hour to lunch, another hour to the next site and so on. We were a little unlucky with the weather but the submit was visible at station 4 - a shame to then have to stop at station 5 with no visibility
Guide was very sweet and tried hard. It was a good day out if you have time but I would not rush to book this trip again.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/02 |
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Lovely guide, but disappointing tour overall
Reviewed by: Erin, 2018/04/17Our family had the disadvantage of traveling in from Tokyo Bay, so our travel either side of this tour was already extended, and that could not be helped by the tour company. However our pick-up was late from the hotel that we had arrived at just before the scheduled pick-up time that had required us to wake our sleeping children which was rather frustrating. It was also raining and cold. We waited for the bus and then travelled about 10 minutes to waste more time transferring to another bus.
The tour company cannot be held accountable for the weather, but the gondolas were not running, the highest viewpoint we could access was No. 2 and for most of the day Mount Fuji was not visible. Our tour guide was lovely and informative and provided lots of information about points of interest other than those listed on the itinerary. The tour company chose a shrine to visit instead of riding the gondolas which was enjoyable.
The lunch was average, the hot pot was nice but the tempura was stone cold when we arrived.
The stopping points felt rushed and most of the day was spent on the bus. We opted for the bus ride home seeing as we were a family of 5 and our rail passes had expired the previous day. Once passengers transferring to the bullet train had been escorted to the station, our bus waited (or wasted) a considerable amount of time waiting for another bus to join us before beginning the long trip home.
Considering we were the last drop off and had to commute back to our hotel after drop off at the designated hotel, all of the delays and waiting around to transfer and join with other tour groups made the day feel wasted. We definitely regret choosing this activity for our last day in Japan.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/15 |
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Long day, not sure it’s worth the hassle
Reviewed by: Sylvette , 2018/03/21Overall, I suppose the tour delivered alexactly what it said it would. Out your guide, while quite a lovely lady, seemed unsure and somewhat disorganized. She often did not give clear instructions on what to do next.
The day was long, as were the gaps between the activities. I was finished at each location in about half the time, and had to meander for the remaining time. Then, having to drive for an hour to the next activity was quite boring.
The weather was not agreeable on this day, so this may have negatively colored my experience.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2018/03/18 |
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no problem but cloudy so no possiblility to view Mount Fuji
Reviewed by: Wang, 2017/08/19no problem but cloudy so no possiblility to view Mount Fuji. So a bit disappointed
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/27 |
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Mt Fuji/Hakone and cruise on Lake Ashi
Reviewed by: Laura L., 2017/05/11I have always wanted to see Mt. Fuji and this day tour did not disappoint on the visit. I enjoyed seeing the countryside and also the very impressive Bullet Train on the ride back to Tokyo.
I would skip at all costs the included lunch. It had been sitting out all prepared for some time when we arrived at the restaurant. The fried food was cold and the other parts of the meal were tasteless. It was not worth the money. My advice is pack a sack lunch and eat it outside where the view is pretty. Also, the cruise on Lake Ashi was fair. There were too many people crowding the railing of the boat and it was difficult to see the scenery if you are under 5 foot 5 inches! There were no available seats. This was a very long day trip and it would not be suitable for young children as they would be tired and bored. I am glad i saw Mt. Fuji and experienced the Bullet Train. I could have passed on the lunch and the cruise. My two companions were of the same opinion. One last comment, I felt rushed on this trip as we just made the last cable car ride and there was also a good deal of commotion getting everyone settled at the station where we caught the Bullet Train.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/21 |
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Too much time spent in the bus and not enough at sites
Reviewed by: Sonia, 2016/11/24Unfortunately with the traffic, touring by Coach was not a good idea as we spent most our time travelling. May be going by bullet train and meet at the station would have been better, Drivers and guide were very nice.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/11/17 |
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Definitely go to this tour when it is a clear sunny day!
Reviewed by: Stella C., 2016/09/21Definitely go to this tour when it is a nice sunny day! We went when it was foggy and cloudy so we did not see Mount Fuji at all. The lunch menu isnt that great as the tour brings you to one hotel restaurant. Average price per meal was at least 12,000 YEN. I would suggest to eat at the first pit stop restaurant that is attached to the convenient store. Me and my BF had a ramen bowl that was pretty good for only 500 YEN! We also ate at another restaurant at the Mount Fuji pit stop. That ramen bowl was pretty descent as well! About 700 YEN. Also when the tour is over, I would highly suggest riding the bullet train back since it only takes about 30-40 minutes to get back to Tokyo compared to the bus ride that takes about 2 and half hours. Overall, the tour was okay and I was disappointed that we did not see Mount Fuji and this tour lasted 8+ hours.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/09/12 |
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We missed the scenic view
Reviewed by: Andy, 2016/08/29It was raining and traffic was bad during our visit. We did not see Mt. Fuji and we had to skip the cable car ride. I think we should have skipped the 5th station so we could've taken the cable instead. Although the food was delicious, I had hoped the food they prepared for us was Japanese and not Western food. Make sure to check the weather before booking this trip.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/08/27 |
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Take care before booking, 2 attractions not available due to volcanic activity in the area
Reviewed by: Louise, 2015/08/12There is very little time on this tour at the actual attractions, we had less than 25 mins at Fuji 5th station the highlight of the tour, less if you include the walk to find the bus afterwards.
Lunch at a hotel takes up valuable time on the tour and the food is definitely not worth the cost, is pre-laid out ready so is therefore cold when we arrived (western menu soup, fries, chicken).
Heavy traffic due to a long public holiday delayed the tour by a couple of hours, of course traffic cannot be predicted but on a public holiday weekend it’s almost a guarantee. The tour should have departed early for example on this particular day to allow time at the attractions.
Due to Volcanic activity for the past few months there are some changes to the tour – we were offered that we could cancel once on the bus at the start of the tour – again this could have been pre-advised via email. There is a clause in the fine print that attractions may change – but again this volcanic activity is a pre-understood change to the schedule. Not something that arose on the day itself. So no Hakone Sky Gondola and no Owakudani Valley stop.
Our guide Hitomi was excellent, very organized and knowledgeable and really made the tour – even with the challenges of time a success.
Tip 1 - I would advise getting yourself to the starting point of the tour, we had 1 hour 15 mins wait from the pick-up point which would have been a quick taxi from our hotel.
Tip 2 – Definitely take the bullet train return taking 2 hours off the travel time.
Tip 3 – Order a la carte from the hotel not pre-set as this will be cold and is very expensive and poor quality.
Whole tour expensive for what you get to see
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2015/08/07 |
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