10 Locations to Shoot Amazing Photos of Mount Fuji
Japan’s Mount Fuji, affectionately known as Fujisan, is an active volcano located around 100 kilometres to the southwest of Tokyo. It’s the country’s tallest peak at 3,776 metres and is instantly recognisable in photos worldwide thanks to its almost perfectly symmetrical shape. If you’re into photography like me, you’ll want to come away with some breathtaking images to show off your Mount Fuji visit to your family and friends!
While it is possible to see the mountain on a clear day from Tokyo, I would recommend spending a few days in the “Five Lakes” region surrounding the mountain. Remember that being a high mountain, Mount Fuji can be covered by cloud quite often so don’t anticipate that you’ll have great views of it immediately when you visit, if you’re patient you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of Japan’s highest peak in time.
It may be possible to get to certain locations on this list by public transport but I would strongly suggest renting a car to make it much more convenient and easier to get to the locations listed below. If you arrive into Japan via Tokyo catch a world famous Shinkansen bullet train down to Shin-Fuji station where there’s car rental offices such as Times Car Rental which was the company I used when visiting. Japan can be very popular with tourists so always book ahead if you can!
If you base yourself at one of the many hotels near Lake Kawaguchiko you’ll be able to drive to most of these locations within an hour or less with the exception of Lake Ashi which is a bit further away. Without further ado, here are 10 amazing locations to photograph Mount Fuji from.
#1 Obuchi Sasaba Tea Plantation
I’ve put this location as the first one on the list because if you’re arriving into the Five Lakes area from Shin-Fuji the Obuchi Sasaba tea plantation is only a short drive away, approximately 25 minutes by car. When you arrive there’s a carpark to your left and then it’s a very short walk to the plantation. You’ll (hopefully) see a striking snow capped Mount Fuji in the background, depending on the time of year of course. Please keep in mind that this is private land so be respectful of the plantation and the locals working there. Also worth having a look at is the Imamiya tea plantation which is a short drive away from this one.
At the Obuchi Sasaba tea plantation you can use the many rows of tea leaves to make nice lead in lines in your composition towards Mount Fuji. Some nice puffy clouds can really help add some atmosphere, almost making it look like the volcano is erupting!
#2 Lake Tanuki
Lake Tanuki is a great place to photograph Mount Fuji at both sunrise and sunset. The above image was photographed at sunrise from the north west side of the lake. There’s a couple of quaint little piers where you’ll often find local fisherman casting a line early in the morning.
Further around to the south side of Lake Tanuki, specifically in the south west corner, there is great little spot near a hotel. At sunset, if it’s clear, the whole mountain will turn an amazing shade of pink as the sun makes its way down to near the horizon.
#3 Chureito Pagoda
This is one of the most popular and famous viewing points of Mount Fuji and with good reason. The reds of the Chureito Pagoda can make a stunning contrast to the blues of the sky. It really helps to incorporate Japanese culture and tradition into the image and adds a strong focal point to an already stunning view of Japan’s highest peak.
If you have a telephoto lens packed you can frame a really nice tight shot of Mount Fuji like below. This photo below was captured shortly after sunrise when there was some nice light on the snow capped peak and surrounding clouds.
Parking at the Chureito Pagoda is at the very bottom of the hill, then you can make your way up by foot to the top either on the road or up the many stairs. You might be short of breath by the time you reach the top but it’s well worth the hike up! There’s also a couple of nice photographic opportunities on the way up, or down.
#4 Lake Kawaguchiko
Lake Kawaguchiko, or Lake Kawaguchi, is the most accessible of all the “Five Lakes”. It has probably the most tourist attractions within close proximity compared to the other lakes and the views of Mount Fuji from its shores are fantastic. The foliage that lines the shores can produce brilliant colour in both autumn in November and cherry blossom season in April. The best visibility of the mountain is often in the mornings and the mountain looks magnificent especially from the northern shores where this particular photo was taken underneath some spectacular autumn trees. It’ll be hard to miss this spot because if you’re driving past you’ll probably see a lot of other likeminded tourists pulled over on the side of the road interested in the same thing!
There’s loads of accommodation options in this area but peak seasons in autumn and cherry blossom season can be very busy so book ahead if you can to avoid missing out.
Mount Fuji at night can also look quite breathtaking, the photo below was captured under moon light well after dark with a long exposure shot.
#5 Iyashi no Sato Ancient Village
Iyashi no Sato is a fantastic quaint little village located not far from Lake Saiko. It features traditional thatched roofed houses giving a very authentic Japanese feel. It’s located on the site of a former farming village that was sadly destroyed by a typhoon in 1966 but was later reconstructed as an open air museum and popular tourist destination. On a clear day Mount Fuji can easily be seen towering over the traditional houses offering great photo opportunities.
There is a small admission fee to gain entry to the village but it is a small price to pay for such an amazing cultural experience. If you’re into your arts and crafts, many of the houses specialise in educating visitors about traditional craft like pottery, incense and weaving.
#6 Lake Shoji
Lake Shoji is the smallest of the “Five Lakes” in terms of surface area but offers magnificent views towards Mount Fuji. This image of two small boats at sunset with Mount Fuji towering behind is one of my favourites from my Japan travels. Lake Shoji being a little further away from built up areas means you’re also more likely to run into less numbers of tourists on its shores. A brilliant spot to enjoy a Fuji sunset from!
If it’s a calm evening you’ll hopefully see some amazing reflections of Mount Fuji in the lake as well. During this occasion it was so quiet at the lake you could’ve heard a pin drop. It would make a pretty good stone skimming lake too under the right conditions!
#7 Lake Saiko
Lake Saiko, or Saiko Lake, is located only a few minutes drive from Lake Kawaguchiko and is one of the less developed lakes in terms of the number of surrounding establishments on its shores so there’s brilliant photo opportunities without buildings being littered throughout them. To give you an idea of the size of Mount Fuji look at the above image and the local Japanese man fishing in his boat. It really gives you an amazing sense of scale. Photographing Lake Saiko is great in the early morning as the mist starts to rise from its surface after sunrise. There’ll also most likely be some little boats on the shore to help add some foreground interest to your photos.
#8 Diamond Fuji
Now this one isn’t an exact location but is possible from a number of locations depending on your luck and with a little planning. The photo above was captured on the #139 road between Lake Tanuki and Lake Motosu on the 16th of November at around 9:30am. Use a sunrise and sunset photography app like The Photographer’s Ephemeris to calculate where you’ll need to be to photograph this naturally occurring phenomenon. The advantage of this location is that the sunrise will light up the brush in front of you a nice golden colour adding an extra dimension to your image. Be organised and efficient when shooting your photos as the sun won’t sit still above Mount Fuji like this for long! Using a smaller aperture will hopefully also give you a starburst effect. This article is a great reference for other possible locations to shoot a Diamond Fuji from. Good luck!
#9 Lake Ashi
Now this one is a bit further away from the other locations on this list but Lake Ashi, also referred to as Hakone Lake or Ashinoko Lake, is a fantastic tourist spot in the Hakone area and has amazing views of Mount Fuji from the south eastern corner as demonstrated in the image above.
The shrine you can see is the Hakone Shrine which is well worth a visit if you’re in the area. The Hakone area being a popular tourist area with local and international visitors can get very busy, especially on the weekends, so I would recommend visiting the Hakone Shrine early in the morning to avoid disappointment.
#10 Shin-Fuji Station
Okay so this last location isn’t the most naturally spectacular location on the list but it does give you an almost too easy opportunity to photograph a world famous Shinkansen bullet train with Mount Fuji as a backdrop! Cool huh? This image above was photographed with my cell phone whilst waiting for a Shinkansen to arrive so apologies if it’s not up to the standard of my other examples!
If you wanted a great photo, much better than this one, there would be some locations further away from the station that would be perfect to capture a Shinkansen bullet train with less obstructions and a clearer view of Mount Fuji. Make sure you’re using a quick shutter speed though as the Shinkansen bullet trains travel at speeds of up to 320 km/h!
If you’ve visited Mount Fuji and have additional locations that are great that I haven’t covered on this list please let me know in the comments below!
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