Mount Fuji by car [Japan Road Trip #2]

Now that my parents have arrived safely in Japan, the whole family is together, and we can start our road trip by car.

This travel diary is part of a series on our road trip in Japan. If you missed the previous episodes, here are the links: the itinerary, diary #1

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Car rental

We left bright and early to pick up our car from Sixt. Initially, we thought about doing part of the trip by train and part by car, but after seeing the reasonable rental rates, we figured it was worth doing the whole thing by car.

We wanted to rent a car from Sixt near Tokyo Station (a 5-minute walk from our hotel), but there are two Tokyo Stations, and we booked the car at the wrong station (40 minutes away by public transport). Luckily, Uber now works in Japan, which lets us avoid paying exorbitant taxi prices and dragging our three suitcases and a ton of shopping bags through the metro during rush hour. 40€ (we got a huge car) and 25 minutes later, we’re at the Sixt office, tucked in the basement of a building full of suit-and-tie employees.

The process is smooth and we quickly get our car, a Nissan Page e-power, a hybrid car that’s a pleasure to drive and very popular in Japan. The trunk is small, but we knew that. It fits 3 suitcases max and 2 backpacks. My parents and the two of us have plenty of room to sit comfortably.

We remind you that you drive on the left in Japan. JB already has plenty of experience driving on the left in several countries (with varied scenery), so he’s totally at ease, even though we’ll have plenty of mountain roads ahead. However, we always choose an automatic car for left-hand driving, just in case (and even though you get used to everything, a gear shift on the left side…). While leaving Tokyo is a bit tricky, Japanese drivers are so kind that everything goes smoothly.

Paying tolls is a breeze with a card called ETC, which the Sixt employee rented to us. We’ll pay the tolls at the end of our trip. Expect to pay around 24 yen/km on expressways.

Day 1 of the road trip:

Mount Fuji

We had already visited it Mount Fuji during our first trip to Japan, on a cloudless day. Today, there’s a big threatening cloud, but we’re incredibly lucky because it clears from the summit just as we arrive. Mount Fuji is so massive that we can see it from miles away. This time, we’re not going to Chureito Pagoda since my dad’s feet are a bit sore.

When we visited last time, we didn’t have a car, and the bus doing the viewpoint circuit was packed. On foot, our view was somewhat limited, but with the car, this time we can take in Mount Fuji from all angles.

We first stop at the ropeway (Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway). There’s a huge free parking lot right across, and a long queue that, luckily, moves quickly. 20 minutes later, we’re on the ropeway (1000 yen roundtrip per person). At the top, there are several platforms for viewing Mount Fuji, and we’re incredibly lucky to have two cherry trees in full bloom at a prime spot.

It’s a huge surprise—we thought we arrived two weeks late for hanami, but a cold snap threw all predictions off, and here we are with an incredible view of the world’s most beautiful volcano.

There are paid swings in the Bali style.

Delighted with this extraordinary weather, we head back down, get in the car, and drive around the lake, hoping to snap Mount Fuji behind some cherry blossom branches. Unfortunately, the clouds roll in quickly, but the cherry trees in full bloom are stunning, especially with a variety of colors we hadn’t seen before.

I had planned to skip lunch and snack along the way, but JB, our only driver, is hungry, and you don’t leave a hungry driver to drive all day. We have lunch at New Akaike, 30 minutes from Mount Fuji. It’s a favored stop for another Korean tour agency, but we’re treated and served just as well as the groups. We order 4 different dishes, and they arrive faster than expected. Despite the pastries we’d eaten since morning, it’s so good that we finish our plates anyway. We also get the best seat, overlooking white cherry blossoms. Expect to pay 2000 yen per person.

I then visit the Fuji Shiba-sakura Festival , which I’d wanted to see last time, but it was too crowded and I couldn’t get on the bus. Unfortunately, the flowers here haven’t bloomed yet, and between the flyer and what we see, it’s the complete opposite. The sky is overcast, and we can’t even see Mount Fuji. Entry costs 1000 yen per person plus 500 yen for parking. I recommend checking recent photos before making the trip.

The flyer:

The reality (mid-April 2024).

On the bright side, some cherry trees are in full bloom, and that’s a treat!

It’s JB’s turn to work again: 1.5 hours on the expressway to Matsumoto , where we’ll stay tonight.

Every time, JB makes sure to choose a hotel with parking. This one doesn’t have any but has a partnership with the public parking lot across the street. The owner sells us a ticket valid for 24 hours (I think) for 1000 yen. To exit the parking lot, you need to insert the ticket we got at the entrance plus her ticket. We’ll learn later that normal rates would have cost us 5000 yen (!!) to leave a car for about 15 hours in a public parking lot.

We are relieved to discover there’s a restaurant on the ground floor (the hotel starts on the 1st floor, i.e., 2nd floor for the Japanese). The rooms are huge but only have twin beds with a traditional Japanese cover so weightless and warm that my parents will surely buy the same one.

This simple meal is more delicious than expected and cost us 4,080 yen for 4.

My parents have the energy to explore Matsumoto in the evening under the rain, while we go to bed as early as possible since a long drive awaits us tomorrow. To read more, click here

Part 2: Practical Tips

The detailed itinerary of our road trip is available here

• Car rental: 68,000 yen for 9 days, i.e., €413 + 300 yen for ETC card rental. We took the free insurance at Sixt but complemented with our own insurance.
• Mount Fuji ropeway: 1000 yen/person round trip
• Restaurant 30 minutes from Mount Fuji: New Akaike
• Fuji Shiba-sakura Festival 1000 yen/person + 500 yen parking
• Our hotel in Matsumoto: Guest House Ichiyama Shukuba (8640 yen/twin room, i.e., €52, Booking link)