Lake Saiko
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| Great Views of Mt Fuji | Buses are not frequent |
| Less tourists than Lake Kawaguchiko |
Lake Saiko (West Lake) is one of the less busy lakes around Mount Fuji and is popular more with locals due to the numerous camping sites, lake activities such as fishing and boating, and the hiking in the nearby forests and mountains. As a tourist, you will be picking your spots based on how much walking/cycling and travelling by bus you are willing to do, as access to this area is very limited compared to big brother Lake Kawaguchiko.
Saiko ‘Iyashi no sato NENBA’
Open air village museum with an entrance fee and great views of Mount Fuji towards the top end of the village. It is open all year round but times change depending on the season. English information is here. The official site is only in Japanese. Adults are ¥350, Children ¥150.
March to November: 9AM – 5PM
December to February: 9:30AM – 4:30PM
Getting to and from Lake Saiko
You have two choices without a car; bus or bike. Bikes can be hired from around Lake Kawaguchi (click the link to read about bike hire) and you can bike your way to Lake Saiko. Bare in mind that to “Iyashi no Sato” from the main tourist area of Lake Kawaguchiko is a 13km ride one-way (although almost totally flat apart from the section between the two lakes). Otherwise you can take the Green Line Fujikyuko bus there and back (every 30 minutes however note the last bus time!). The English page only shows the Free Pass (¥1500) as an option however you can pay on the bus for one ride (about ¥630 one-way for the 13km ride mentioned before).
Locations of all bus stops around Lake Saiko and Lake Kawaguchiko
For car hire see the Lake Kawaguchiko article.
Location for great views of Mount Fuji
If you don’t fancy paying for entrance to the ‘Iyashi no sato’ village there is a free option for viewing Mount Fuji close by. Heading west along the shore from this car park there are perfectly framed spots for viewing a snow peaked Mount Fuji to be enjoyed free of charge (the main picture of this article is from this spot). You may also bump into some wild monkeys.
Where can I not see Mount Fuji?
The red areas in the map below are where you can see Mount Fuji. The large lake is Lake Kawaguchi and the smaller lake to the left is Lake Saiko. Only the very far west of Lake Saiko has clear views. The remaining areas of the lake have views that are partially or fully obscured by mountains to the south. If you are planning a walk/bike around Lake Saiko, it is actually recommended to bus directly to ‘Iyashi no Sato’ and then walk back until Camping areas here then get a bus back to Lake Kawaguchiko.
Mount Fuji Caves
By all means go see the Mount Fuji Caves that are accessible along the Blue Line bus. “When Japan” has not been to these caves although the come highly recommended, especially during summer to escape the heat. Don’t forget to pop into the Forest Station, which is the standard souvenir stop in Japan found in most touristy areas visited by locals.
There is also a Bat Cave where you cannot see any bats as they roost further down the cave complex. There doesn’t seem to be an official homepage for this attraction however information can be found here.
