Mt Fuji is the most popular escape from Tokyo. The question is rarely whether to go, but how to go well. The Fuji Five Lakes sights are spread out — Lake Kawaguchi, Oshino Hakkai, the Chureito Pagoda, Lake Yamanaka — and getting between them is exactly where having a car makes the biggest difference.
An honest comparison of the three ways to get there: ・Highway bus: Direct buses run from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko; cheap, and no driving. But departures are fixed, peak dates sell out, and once you arrive you still need local buses to get around the lakes — hard work with luggage, elderly parents or small children. ・Train: Requires a change onto the Fujikyu line, takes longer, and trains are infrequent. Fine for light travellers staying near Kawaguchiko Station. ・Self-drive: Your own schedule, all five lakes in one flow, luggage in the boot, rest stops whenever the family needs them. The costs are the driving itself, the tolls, and knowing which hours to avoid (below).
Route and costs (checked November 2026): Tokyo to the Kawaguchiko interchange via the Chuo Expressway is roughly 90–120 km depending on where you join, about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes in smooth traffic. ETC tolls run about ¥2,000–3,800 one way, so budget roughly ¥4,000–7,500 return, plus fuel. Make sure your rental includes an ETC card so you never stop to pay cash at toll gates.
Timing is what makes or breaks the trip. The Chuo Expressway is one of Japan's most congested highways, especially on weekends and holidays: outbound jams build after 9 am, and the return leg into Tokyo jams from mid-afternoon — a 1.5-hour drive can become 3 hours or more. Practical plans: ・Day trip: leave Tokyo between 6 and 7 am to beat the outbound jam; head back before 3 pm, or stay for dinner and return after 7 pm to miss the worst of it. ・One night: the relaxed option, and the one we recommend with parents or children. It also gives you early morning at the lake — calm water and the best chance of seeing Mt Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi.
The 5th Station has rules of its own. The Fuji Subaru Line, the toll road up to the 5th Station (about ¥2,800 return for a standard car), operates a private-car restriction every climbing season, roughly early July to 10 September: during that window you cannot drive up — you park at the Fujisan Parking area at the foot (about ¥1,000) and take the shuttle bus. In winter the road opens for shorter hours (around 9 am to 4 pm from December to February) and can close without notice for snow or ice, so check the official announcements on the morning you go. The Kawaguchiko area itself gets snow from about December to March — winter trips need snow tires, exactly as covered in our winter driving guide.
Car choice and pick-up: For four or five people plus luggage, a 7-seater is the comfortable choice; two or three light travellers are fine in a standard 5-seater. If you land at Narita or Haneda and want to head straight to Mt Fuji, an airport delivery service is the smoothest start: with CARBUCKS, for example, a staff member brings the car to the airport, you drive off on arrival, and you can return the car in central Tokyo or back at the airport — no half-day lost going into the city first. Mention the Fuji itinerary when booking and winter cars come fitted with snow tires.
How to choose: ・Just Kawaguchiko Station area, travelling light, budget first: take the highway bus. ・Five lakes in a day, family or lots of luggage: drive — but leave early, or stay the night. ・Going up to the 5th Station: check the restriction dates first, and allow shuttle time in climbing season. Bookings and enquiries: https://carbucks.rentals
(Information checked against NEXCO, Yamanashi Prefecture and official Mt Fuji sources, November 2026; tolls and restrictions as officially announced at the time of travel. This site is operated by Kokorozashi Ltd.)