Three Yamanashi nights: add Kofu?
For art/ruins too, stay one Kofu night then two lake nights. Visit art on day one, ruins on day two, then take north-side K1 to Kawaguchiko. Follow with north-shore walks and gems.
For more lake time without moving hotels, stay three Kawaguchiko nights with separate viewpoint, Oishi and center/Appare days. A Kofu day trip travels differently from a Kofu overnight before moving; compare the return guide below.
Choose a 4 days / 3 nights itinerary
Kofu art and ruins, Kawaguchiko north shore and gems
Visit Kofu art and castle ruins before moving to Kawaguchiko for two nights. Choose this for north-shore walks and gems too. Move cities on day two by the north-side K1 bus.
Kofu art and ruins, Kawaguchiko north shore and gems →4 days / 3 nights BViewpoint, north shore, Fuji exhibitions, cruise and gems
Stay three nights at one Kawaguchiko hotel, giving separate days to the viewpoint, north shore, and World Heritage exhibitions/cruise. Choose this for more lake time instead of travelling to Kofu.
Viewpoint, north shore, Fuji exhibitions, cruise and gems →Kofu art and ruins, Kawaguchiko north shore and gems
Visit Kofu art and castle ruins before moving to Kawaguchiko for two nights. Choose this for north-shore walks and gems too. Move cities on day two by the north-side K1 bus.
Day 1: Kofu Station south stand 1 → art museum → Kofu Station
- Kofu Station south bus stand 1 → Prefectural art museum
Arrive in Kofu for morning art and head to south bus terminal stand 1. Take a designated museum-stopping route, such as route 35 to Nirasaki via Okusa. Read station departure/museum arrival in the official two-way timetable, checking weekday, weekend/holiday and specific-period symbols (○/●/×). Change dates for closures including Mondays, or the next day when Monday is a public holiday, and days after public holidays. If arriving late, adjust art/meal time or change the visiting day.
Hotel locationLuggage-storage FAQYamanashi Kotsu: art-museum two-way timetable and faresYamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: facility and visitor informationYamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: access
- Art museum → Sightseeing and rest
Arrive in Kofu in the morning for the art-museum bus. Exhibition hours are 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:30. Closed Mondays, or the next day when Monday is a public holiday, and days after public holidays. Check exhibitions/closures before choosing dates. Adult collections cost 520 yen; special exhibitions have separate fees.
Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: facility and visitor informationYamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: accessHotel locationLuggage-storage FAQ
- Art museum → Station and same hotel
After exhibitions and lunch, take a Kofu Station-bound bus from the museum stop. Read museum departure and station arrival together in the official timetable; choose one you can catch after walking to the stop. Alight south of the station and return to the same nearby hotel.
Yamanashi Kotsu: art-museum two-way timetable and faresYamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: facility and visitor informationHotel locationLuggage-storage FAQPrefectural art museum: date-specific exhibitions and closure calendar
Check date-specific exhibitions and temporary closures. The south art-museum bus stand differs from north-side K1.
Day 2: castle ruins → Kofu Station north bus → Kawaguchiko hotel
- Kofu Station south exit → Maizuru Castle Park
Start from Kofu Station’s south exit for Maizuru Castle Park, about three minutes on foot according to tourism guidance. See stone walls and restored gates in the morning. The park is always open and free; Inari Turret/Kurogane Gate open 09:00–16:30, last admission 16:00, closing Mondays except public holidays, days after public holidays and over New Year. Check building closures and temporary notices for your date. If stairs would be difficult or rain heavy, explore lower ruins and reduce keep-base climbing.
Kofu ruins visiting information and south-exit accessMaizuru Castle Park: free visits and building hoursHotel locationLuggage-storage FAQ
- Maizuru Castle Park → Kofu Station north K1 → Kawaguchiko Station
After the ruins, have lunch near Kofu Station and head to north-exit stand K1, distinct from the south art-museum bus area. Choose a Fujisan Station-bound K1 stopping at Kawaguchiko and alight there. Check date-specific services, stops and temporary changes in the official two-way timetable.
- Kawaguchiko Station → Hotel and dinner
After alighting, go to your booked Kawaguchiko hotel. Do not add viewpoint or north-shore buses on the moving day; have dinner near the station and rest.
After the ruins, head to north-side K1. Choose a date-specific service stopping at Kawaguchiko in the official timetable and check north-exit destination signs.
Day 3: Red Line → Oishi Park → Kawaguchiko Station
- Red Line → Oishi Park
Go to Kawaguchiko Station stand 1. Read station departure/terminus arrival in the Natural Living Center-bound Red Line table for your date and choose both directions. Check timetable revision dates and temporary changes too. Walk the park beside the stop, look across the water towards Mt. Fuji, and have north-shore lunch/rest. Flowering and Fuji visibility depend on season and weather.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableYamanashi tourism: Oishi Park
- Oishi Park → Return to station and hotel
Park walks are free; Natural Living Center shopping/activities cost extra. Return from the station-bound center stop. Match center departure/station arrival columns and choose a bus after walks, lunch and reaching the stop. Traffic may delay hotel arrival. Return to your same Kawaguchiko hotel to rest.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableYamanashi tourism: Oishi Park
Oishi Park is on the north shore. Check the return Red Line stop and same-day services; compare a day pass against that day’s actual rides.
Day 4: Kawaguchiko Station → Gem Museum → Kawaguchiko Station
- Kawaguchiko Station → Red Line to Gem Museum
Take the Natural Living Center-bound Red Line from Kawaguchiko Station stand 1. Match station departure/stop-6 museum arrival columns in your date’s official timetable and choose a return first. Follow the facility map and signs to the actual exhibition entrance; allow walking after the bus separately.
Hotel location and storage informationStorage conditionsFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsGem Museum fees and hours
- Facility entrance → Mineral and gem exhibitions
See minerals and gems in the morning. Distinguish a shop visit from paid exhibitions at 600 yen per adult. March–October hours are 09:00–17:30, with last admission at 17:00; November–February hours are 09:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. Check Wednesday exceptions, date-specific opening and temporary changes before visiting.
Gem Museum fees and hoursGem Museum English visitor informationFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare table
- Gem Museum after sightseeing → Kawaguchiko Station-bound return stop
After visiting, follow the facility map and signs to the station-bound stop, distinct from the outward Natural Living Center direction. Allow walking separately. Choose a return after lunch and the walk to the stop.
Gem Museum fees and hoursFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directions
- Station-bound stop → Red Line boarding and Kawaguchiko Station arrival
From stop 6, take the station-bound Red Line and alight at Kawaguchiko Station. Read museum departure/station arrival together for your date, then head to your onward boarding area. Choose an afternoon departure allowing exhibitions, lunch, bus waits/travel and departure preparations. Omit final-day displays for a morning departure.
Check museum closures and a station-bound return. Allow exhibitions, lunch and the walk to the stop before returning to the station.
Included: Prefectural art collections 520 yen + ordinary Kofu Station–museum buses 340 × 2 = 1,200; Kofu Station north → Kawaguchiko K1 adult one-way 1,670; Maizuru Castle Park free; Adult bus day pass 1,500 yen for the north-shore park day only (Kawaguchiko/Saiko/Motosuko sightseeing buses); Oishi Park walks free; Gem Museum 600 + ordinary station–museum Red Line tickets 180 × 2 = 960.
Extra costs and conditions: Three hotel nights, meals, luggage storage, return travel outside the prefecture, activities and shopping are excluded, as are special art exhibitions and extra paid hotel–station travel.
Partial total for one adult at standard admission rates, including listed local transport, checked 8 October 2026. Excludes accommodation, meals and travel outside the prefecture. The bus day pass is used only on the north-shore park day; other returns use ordinary tickets. For more rides, compare ordinary fares with one-/two-day passes using actual journeys. Recheck date-specific fares, opening and services.
Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: facility and visitor informationYamanashi Kotsu: art-museum two-way timetable and faresRoute fare tables, page 2Kofu ruins visiting information and south-exit accessFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsYamanashi tourism: Oishi ParkGem Museum fees and hoursFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare table
Viewpoint, north shore, Fuji exhibitions, cruise and gems
Stay three nights at one Kawaguchiko hotel, giving separate days to the viewpoint, north shore, and World Heritage exhibitions/cruise. Choose this for more lake time instead of travelling to Kofu.
Day 1: Kawaguchiko Station → ropeway viewpoint → Kawaguchiko hotel
- Kawaguchiko Station → Ropeway Lakeside Station
Arrive around noon, have lunch and head to ropeway Lakeside Station. Official guidance gives about 15 minutes on foot from Kawaguchiko Station; allow queuing separately.
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: visiting informationMt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: accessHotel location and storage informationStorage conditions
- Ropeway Lakeside Station → Ropeway viewpoint
Ride in the afternoon for mountain-top views. Check seasonal last upward/downward departures and allow a timely descent. Clouds may hide Mt. Fuji and strong winds may suspend services. If suspended, rest by the lake and return to your hotel. Recheck operations before choosing mountain views another day.
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: visiting informationMt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: access
- Ropeway viewpoint → Station and same hotel
After descending, rest by the lake and return towards the station for dinner.
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: visiting informationMt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: accessRopeway: revised fares, shortened hours and inspection suspensions
Strong winds or inspections can suspend the ropeway. Check last upward/downward services and suspension notices for your date.
Day 2: Red Line → Oishi Park → Kawaguchiko Station
- Red Line → Oishi Park
Go to Kawaguchiko Station stand 1. Read station departure/terminus arrival in the Natural Living Center-bound Red Line table for your date and choose both directions. Check timetable revision dates and temporary changes too. Walk the park beside the stop, look across the water towards Mt. Fuji, and have north-shore lunch/rest. Flowering and Fuji visibility depend on season and weather.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableYamanashi tourism: Oishi Park
- Oishi Park → Return to station and hotel
Park walks are free; Natural Living Center shopping/activities cost extra. Return from the station-bound center stop. Match center departure/station arrival columns and choose a bus after walks, lunch and reaching the stop. Traffic may delay hotel arrival. Return to the station and the same hotel for your second night.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableYamanashi tourism: Oishi Park
Oishi Park is on the north shore. Check the return Red Line stop and same-day services; compare a day pass against that day’s actual rides.
Day 3: Blue Line → World Heritage Center → station → Appare → hotel
- Kawaguchiko Station stand 1 → Blue Line to World Heritage Center
From the same station stand 1, take the Motosuko-bound Blue Line. Match station departure/World Heritage Center arrival rows in the same timetable column and choose a return. This differs from the park-bound Red Line. Number 65 identifies the center stop, not boarding stand 65. Official guidance gives about one minute on foot from the stop to Yamanashi Prefectural Fujisan World Heritage Center.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsWorld Heritage Center: Blue Line stop and walk
- Facility entrance → North and South Hall exhibitions
In the morning, see North Hall nature and South Hall culture displays, learning through exhibitions about the mountain viewed outside yesterday. Both halls are free. Normal hours are 09:00–17:00; in July–August, the center opens 08:30–18:00; in December–February, it opens 09:00–16:30. Facility guidance gives last admission 15 minutes before closing, while its official FAQ gives a different 16:30 deadline. Confirm late-afternoon admission with the facility first. South Hall closes the fourth Tuesday monthly, or next day when Tuesday is a public holiday. North Hall is listed open year-round; check temporary notices. Individual visits need no reservation; guided visits/programmes have separate conditions.
World Heritage Center: free displays, seasonal hours and South Hall closuresWorld Heritage Center: admission, reservations and guided-visit FAQ
- World Heritage Center stop → Blue Line to Kawaguchiko Station
After visiting, head to the station-bound Blue Line stop. Read center departure/station arrival together in your date’s timetable and choose a bus after sightseeing. Ordinary adult fares between station and center are 180 yen each way, checked in the official fare table; recheck for your date. Add walking/waiting to ride time before planning the afternoon pier visit.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare table
- Kawaguchiko Station → Funatsu pier and Appare circular cruise
Return to the station from the center, have lunch/rest, then head to Funatsu pier. The operator gives about 10 minutes on foot to ticket office/pier, opposite the prefectural free Funatsu car park. This is a different entrance from ropeway Lakeside Station across Route 137. Check regular/summer/winter service periods and suspension notices before choosing an afternoon Appare. Allow center return, lunch, pier walk and ticket queues before departure. The approximately 20-minute circuit returns to the same pier. Crowding, capacity and weather may prevent your chosen sailing; check boarding availability there. If Appare is suspended after morning center sightseeing, omit the cruise and return to your station-area hotel.
Appare ticket office and pier accessFuji Five Lakes boat operator: Appare fares and hours
- Appare disembarkation → Kawaguchiko Station and same hotel
After disembarking, walk to the station and same hotel for the third night. Ensoleille’s Oishi Park connection changes the same-pier return and is excluded from this circular route.
Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableFuji Five Lakes boat operator: Appare fares and hoursAppare ticket office and pier accessFuji Five Lakes boat operator: Kawaguchiko cruises
Check South Hall closing days and the Blue Line return. Boat services vary with weather; check pier guidance first.
Day 4: Kawaguchiko Station → Gem Museum → Kawaguchiko Station
- Kawaguchiko Station → Red Line to Gem Museum
Take the Natural Living Center-bound Red Line from Kawaguchiko Station stand 1. Match station departure/stop-6 museum arrival columns in your date’s official timetable and choose a return first. Follow the facility map and signs to the actual exhibition entrance; allow walking after the bus separately.
Hotel location and storage informationStorage conditionsFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsGem Museum fees and hours
- Facility entrance → Mineral and gem exhibitions
See minerals and gems in the morning. Distinguish a shop visit from paid exhibitions at 600 yen per adult. March–October hours are 09:00–17:30, with last admission at 17:00; November–February hours are 09:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. Check Wednesday exceptions, date-specific opening and temporary changes before visiting.
Gem Museum fees and hoursGem Museum English visitor informationFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare table
- Gem Museum after sightseeing → Kawaguchiko Station-bound return stop
After visiting, follow the facility map and signs to the station-bound stop, distinct from the outward Natural Living Center direction. Allow walking separately. Choose a return after lunch and the walk to the stop.
Gem Museum fees and hoursFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directions
- Station-bound stop → Red Line boarding and Kawaguchiko Station arrival
From stop 6, take the station-bound Red Line and alight at Kawaguchiko Station. Read museum departure/station arrival together for your date, then head to your onward boarding area. Choose an afternoon departure allowing exhibitions, lunch, bus waits/travel and departure preparations. Omit final-day displays for a morning departure.
Check museum closures and a station-bound return. Allow exhibitions, lunch and the walk to the stop before returning to the station.
Included: Adult ropeway return 1,000 yen through October 2026; Adult bus day pass 1,500 yen for the north-shore park day only (Kawaguchiko/Saiko/Motosuko sightseeing buses); Oishi Park walks free; Both heritage-center halls free + ordinary station–center Blue Line tickets 180 × 2 + adult Appare circuit 1,000 = 1,360; Gem Museum 600 + ordinary station–museum Red Line tickets 180 × 2 = 960.
Extra costs and conditions: Three hotel nights, meals, luggage storage, return travel outside the prefecture, activities and shopping are excluded. Extra paid hotel–station travel is excluded. Walk to ropeway and Appare pier; ropeway-access bus/taxis, Ensoleille tickets and separate center programmes are excluded.
Partial total for one adult at standard admission rates, including listed local transport, checked 8 October 2026. Excludes accommodation, meals and travel outside the prefecture. With the ropeway return revised to 1,200 yen from 1 November 2026, the same other items total 5,020. The bus day pass is used only on the north-shore park day; other returns use ordinary tickets. For more rides, compare ordinary fares with one-/two-day passes using actual journeys. Recheck date-specific fares, opening and services.
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: visiting informationRopeway: revised fares, shortened hours and inspection suspensionsFujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directionsYamanashi tourism: Oishi ParkWorld Heritage Center: free displays, seasonal hours and South Hall closuresFujikyu sightseeing-bus fare tableFuji Five Lakes boat operator: Appare fares and hoursGem Museum fees and hours
Frequently asked questions
Can I take a Kofu day trip from my Kawaguchiko hotel?
Match a morning Kofu-bound K1 with an afternoon lake-bound return. Check both directions and sightseeing time for your date. The four-day art/ruins route instead stays a Kofu night, visits ruins the next day and moves to the lake. Compare sightseeing scope, transport and accommodation separately from a same-hotel day return.
Official sources and check dates
- Hotel location and storage information ·
- Storage conditions ·
- Hotel location ·
- Luggage-storage FAQ ·
- Yamanashi tourism: Oishi Park ·
- Fujikyu Bus: Kawaguchiko timetable in both directions ·
- Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: visiting information ·
- Ropeway: revised fares, shortened hours and inspection suspensions ·
- Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway: access ·
- Fuji Five Lakes boat operator: Appare fares and hours ·
- Appare ticket office and pier access ·
- Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: facility and visitor information ·
- Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art: access ·
- Gem Museum fees and hours ·
- Gem Museum English visitor information ·
- Fujikyu sightseeing-bus fare table ·
- Kofu ruins visiting information and south-exit access ·
- World Heritage Center: free displays, seasonal hours and South Hall closures ·
- World Heritage Center: admission, reservations and guided-visit FAQ ·
- World Heritage Center: Blue Line stop and walk ·
- Yamanashi Kotsu: art-museum two-way timetable and fares ·
- Current routes and timetable links ·
- K1/K2 timetable ·
- Route fare tables, page 2 ·
- Fuji Five Lakes boat operator: Kawaguchiko cruises ·
- Maizuru Castle Park: free visits and building hours ·
- Prefectural art museum: date-specific exhibitions and closure calendar ·
- JR East: Tokyo Wide Pass coverage, price and validity ·
- JR East: pass eligibility, collection and seats ·