Mount Fuji Classic Tour: Maple Corridor, Matcha Experience and Must-visit Gotemba Premium Outlets

By vivomigsgee in Travel January 3, 2020

If there’s one thing that initially pops up in my head that perfectly symbolizes Japan’s natural beauty, it would be Mount Fuji. Being the highest active stratovolcano in Japan, most notable for its exceptionally symmetrical cone, one can frequently see amazing art depiction or picturesque photographs of Mount Fuji as a backdrop or stand alone subject in various condition and from any angle ~ whether it is bare, snow-capped, under the cherry blossoms or autumn foliage framing, or just standing proud above a serene lake, a traditional village or a busy road.

It can’t be denied that most travelers would normally include a visit to Mount Fuji in their Japan trip itinerary whether as a sightseer, photographer, or a climber. Geographically, it is near Tokyo (as entry point) so a day trip to Mt. Fuji from Japan’s capital city is one of the popular and must-try activities in Japan all-year round. There are a lot of ways to experience Mount Fuji but personally, joining a group tour makes all the difference. I may have planned a “Do-It-Yourself” autumn trip in Japan but Mount Fuji tour is the only exception. It’s one of the destinations that is non-negotiable in the itinerary no matter what happens in the trip, thus, booking a day tour from Tokyo was the best thing I ever made.

If you don’t like to do things your way and would rather join a pre-organized, guided and hassle-free tour to Mt. Fuji, then Klook is the answer. Offering handpicked and legit services that are of great value (discounted rates, best price guaranteed) and a seamless booking, Klook your way to Japan’s highest mountain, Mt. Fujisan. You will find a lot of Mt. Fuji tour options in Klook, but the best one I recommend is the “classic” Mt. Fuji tour with the following itinerary: Fujisan World Heritage Center, Lake Kawaguchi (Matcha Experience), Oshino Hakkai and Gotemba Premium Outlets.

✅ Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center

After two hours of convenient land trip, the tour bus first stopped at Mt. Fujisan World Heritage Center North Hall. It is located at Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko – machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture. As Mt. Fuji belongs to Yamanashi Prefecture, it’s best to start with it’s history.

Opened in June 2016, Fujisan World Heritage Center North Hall is a fascinating visitor center wherein you’ll find exhibitions about Fujisan’s history and outstanding universal value to many people visiting the World Heritage site Fuji-san. Although the tour provides guided tours in English, this is a perfect place for getting an informative context to other tourist attractions that may not have as much information in English.

Tourist will be greeted with various interactive displays inside the museum, information boards about the effect of the eruptions to the people, fauna and flora, cool play area and a 10-minute film watching about Mount Fuji in art throughout the ages.

✅ Matcha Experience

Our next stop is a great one. This tour provides a unique activity that every visitor in Japan must try as a perfect pair to Mt. Fuji’s cool temperature ~ matcha experience.

You’ll be escorted to a small building near Lake Kawaguchiko and you’ll be taught how to craft a delicious frothy brew of matcha drink by properly mixing the green tea powder and water with the use of a chasen, a Japanese bamboo whisk.

Of course, you will have a chance to taste the refreshing and warm green tea that you made yourself and in the manner of drinking the way Japanese do it. You’ll learn something new in this activity I tell you.

✅ Lake Kawaguchi

Particularly breathtaking during the autumn colors around the first half of November, the best views of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed from Lake Kawaguchi. Lake Kawaguchi-ko is a hot spring resort town with various tourist attractions and views of the great Fujisan that is scattered around the lake’s eastern point, while the northern and western shores are mostly untouched.

Although Kawaguchiko is located right at the base of Mount Fuji, the mountain is not always visible because of clouds or when it’s foggy. And unlucky for us first-timers, it rained that day so we failed to view the magnificent sight of Fujisan. However, there’s more to the tour than the view of Mt. Fuji alone so we didn’t allow the inclement weather to dampen our adventurous spirits and we continued on exploring the best of what Yamanashi has to offer.

You’ll spend two hours in Lake Kawaguchi, so might as well take your lunch in this area. There are a lot of sidewalk vendors with product offerings that are too yummy to resist. The most notable one is the mini food truck near the entrance of Maple Corridor where the seller of tempura and yakisoba makes for a cute photobomber. =)

✅ Maple Corridor

Once you’re done with your lunch, head directly to your next destination (just across Lake Kawaguchi). You’ll know upon seeing it up close that the perfect spot to view koyo (Japanese for fall foliage) in Yamanashi is no other than Maple Corridor. This activity is only included during autumn or maple season (November 1 – November 23) as scheduled per Klook website.

Also called “Momiji Tunnel”, this beautiful spot is a maple tree covered road section along the lake kawaguchi’s northern shore that tourists would enjoy taking photos of the autumn colors.

Of course, don’t leave Maple Corridor without taking some selfies with a mosaic of red, yellow and orange hues of maple leaves. This activity alone made me appreciate the beauty brought about by the autumn season thru abundance of vivid koyo.

✅ Oshino Hakkai

Oshino Hakkai (Fuji 5 Lakes) is a touristy place offering set of eight ponds in Oshino, a small village in the Fuji Five Lake region, located between Lake Kawaguchiko and Lake Yamanakako on the site of a former sixth lake that dried out several hundred years ago.

The eight ponds are fed by snow melt from the slopes of nearby Mount Fuji that filters down the mountain through porous layers of lava for over 80 years, resulting in very clear spring water that is revered by the locals. We were even advised to bring empty water bottles and fill it with the popular spring water abundantly flowing in the village.

You will find many restaurants, souvenir shops and food vendors around the ponds which sell vegetables, sweets, pickles, crafts and other local products. Some operate small outdoor grills to attract shoppers with the alluring smells of roasted sweet potato and toasted rice crackers (osenbei). We tried the famous grilled matcha-flavored mochi (JPY 150) and octopus & ginger flavored tempura on a stick (JPY 380).

✅ Gotemba Premium Outlets

The last but not the least itinerary of Mount Fuji Classic Tour is Gotemba Premium Outlets. Located in Fukasawa, Gotemba-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture, it is the flagship center, and one of the largest centers in Japan. You can also view Mt. Fuji up close in this extensive site. I’m not into shopping but I never thought that this is by far my fave itinerary of such day trip.

Gotemba Outlets takes the shape of an open air shopping complex comprising of well-known brands, mostly fashion and high-end goods. The shopping complex is so large, housing over 200 premium stores that are offering crazy 50%-80% discount every day, so guest would definitely go home with a big smile!

The selling point of Gotemba Premium Outlets is that you can get branded goods at a cheaper price, even before you factor in the regular discounts, additional discounts from “seasonal sale” and the tax free when your purchases reach JPY 5,000. There are literally discounts built upon discounts to the point where we bought Gap and Adidas products for the 1/5 the original retail price. Your PHP 10,000 can buy you 7 pairs of original branded shoes or less than PHP 1,500 each! How’s that?

Klook Mt. Fuji Classic Tour Itinerary (Maple Season Nov 1-23):

08:00 am – meet up at Shinjuku Prince Hotel counter (1st floor)
08:10 am – depart
10:00 am – arrive at Fujisan World Heritage Center North Hall
11:00 am – Matcha Experience and have free time at Lake Kawaguchi
01:00 pm – maple viewing at Maple Corridor
02:00 pm – arrive at Oshino Hakkai
03:00 pm – Gotemba Premium Outlets (2 hours of shopping before heading back to Tokyo)
07:00 pm – end of tour at Shinjuku station west exit

For bookings, package description and additional information of the Mount Fuji Classic Tour, you may visit Klook.

As all other first-timer might have expected, I highly anticipated to marvel at Mt. Fuji’s grandeur in this particular trip but it turned out to be something else ~ an epic experience on its own. I realized that it’s not all about Mt. Fuji itself, it’s the wonderful experiences, deeper connections established, the great stories shared, delicious foods and beautiful sights all rolled into one classic tour I’ll forever cherish. To see it differently, there’s more reasons to come back in Japan on another season to finally catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji with our own eyes. Especially that I now have a 10-year Multiple Entry Visa as a temporary visitor in Japan for stay(s) of 90 days!

How about you? What’s your favorite itinerary of the Mount Fuji Classic Tour? Share your stories in the comments section below.