The Best Mt. Fuji Cherry Blossom Spots

Mt. Fuji and cherry blossoms simply are a match made in heaven. We can’t think of anything more beautiful than the snow-capped blue-colored mountain with the light pink petals. In 2024, we ventured out to Mt. Fuji for the second time in our lives, but this time during sakura season. We planned this trip a year ahead and we got extremely lucky with our timing. When we arrived there the blossoms were at their peak bloom. In this blog post, we’re listing the best cherry blossom spots near Mt. Fuji that we’ve found during our three days there.

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Best time to visit Mt. Fuji during cherry blossom season

Even though Mt. Fuji is near Tokyo, most of the time the cherry blossoms near Mt. Fuji bloom two weeks later than in Tokyo. The cherry blossoms near Mt. Fuji usually reach their peak bloom a little before mid-April, but the exact timing can vary slightly each year based on the weather conditions of the previous months. The Japan Meteorological Agency provides regular updates on the progress of the blossoms. The delicate cherry blossoms are at their peak for only about a week, so you want to keep a close eye on the forecast if you want to see them in full bloom. When it’s windy and rainy, the peak bloom period will be even shorter.

We visited Mt. Fuji from the 11th until the 13th of April in 2024 and it was the perfect time to see the cherry blossoms at their peak that year. We felt extremely lucky, as we planned this trip to Mt. Fuji a year in advance and we were quite nervous whether our timing would turn out good.

We would highly recommend staying at least one night near Mt. Fuji, as you have the best chance of actually seeing the mountain in the morning and in the evening. Mt. Fuji is very shy and often disappears behind clouds during the day. Timewise you can easily visit Mt. Fuji on a day trip from Tokyo, but it would be such a bummer if Mt. Fuji was hiding the entire afternoon when you’re there.

Where to stay near Mt. Fuji

One of the reasons we planned our trip to Mt. Fuji a year in advance was because we booked a traditional ryokan with views of Mt Fuji and cherry blossoms. This ryokan only has three rooms and it gets fully booked very quickly, especially during cherry blossom season. The room has comfortable futon beds, a closet and a seating area near the window. The shared bathroom is right outside the rooms. There’s an onsen downstairs, which is a shared onsen that you can use privately. We love a nice and warm onsen after a long day of exploring, so we happily took a plunge every evening. You can also take a shower in the onsen area. There is free parking right in front of the ryokan, which was very useful as we were traveling by car.

Ryokan in Kawaguchiko near Mt. Fuji, Japan

The room we stayed in

The best thing about the room is of course the unobstructed view of Mt. Fuji with cherry blossoms. We slept with the curtains open every night so every time we woke up in the middle of the night, we could see Mt. Fuji. Having a direct view of Mt. Fuji from your room is also very useful so you know exactly if Mt. Fuji is visible in the early morning. If not, you can sleep in a little longer.

The perfect view from the room

We booked this ryokan through Airbnb. You can find the rooms in the ryokan at these links: room 1, room 2 and room 3. It doesn’t really matter which room you choose, as they’re all basically the same with the same view.

The ryokan is in Fujikawaguchiko, one of the most popular towns near Mt. Fuji for tourists to stay. We’ve stayed in Fujikawaguchiko before and decided to stay there again as the location is very convenient. There are lots of restaurants, convenience stores and hotels in Fujikawaguchiko, as well as plenty of things to do nearby. If you’re traveling to Fujikawaguchiko by public transport, you can easily get around the area by bicycle or by bus. There are multiple places and hotels where you can rent bicycles. Fujikawaguchiko is right by the lake of Kawaguchi, which is the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes.

Click here for more accommodation options in Fujikawaguchiko.

The best cherry blossom spots near Mt. Fuji

Café Mimi

Café Mimi is a small coffee shop along the north shore of the lake. The outdoor seating area is filled with cherry blossom trees, making it a great spot for a drink and a snack. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and a fruit parfait and we were mesmerized by the view of Mt. Fuji while sitting under the sakura trees. It really felt like a magical moment.

Please note that Café Mimi is a bit overpriced because of the location. We thought it was still worth the higher price for the experience.

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North shore of the lake

Right in front of Café Mimi is a nice walking path along the north shore of the lake. From there you have a direct view of Mt. Fuji and it’s a lovely place to go for a stroll. Almost the entire north shore is lined with cherry blossom trees. We were very lucky with the weather the day we decided to take a stroll there and it was very pleasant.

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Yagizaki Park

Yagizaki Park is a park on the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi. Once in the park, head to the west for the cherry blossom trees that line the shore of the lake. When we were there, there was a lot of dry land in front of the cherry blossoms on which you could walk pretty far. We were able to frame the cherry blossoms in front of Mt. Fuji because of this. However, it looked like this piece of land sometimes gets flooded by the lake. If that’s the case, it might be harder to frame the cherry blossoms in front of Mt. Fuji.

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Our cute rental car underneath the cherry blossom tree

Chureito Pagoda

You’ve probably seen this photo before: Mt. Fuji with a red pagoda and cherry blossoms. The Chureito Pagoda is one of the most photographed pagodas in the world. It’s a very popular tourist attraction near Mt. Fuji and we can absolutely see why. Ever since we visited Chureito Pagoda for the first time in winter years ago, we wanted to go back and see what it looked like during cherry blossom season. It absolutely didn’t disappoint at all. It’s one of the most iconic views of Mt. Fuji and the cherry blossoms make it even more complete.

The Chureito Pagoda is an insanely popular location. There’s always a line in the afternoon during cherry blossom season to get up to the pagoda and wait times can be as long as two hours. Therefore, we’d highly recommend going as early as possible. We arrived there at 5:45 in the morning and considering the time it was quite busy already. We didn’t have to wait to go up there and we also didn’t have any trouble finding a spot to take photos so all worked out fine. If you’re unable to go this early, we’d recommend going at the end of the afternoon. Many people visit this pagoda on a day trip from Tokyo and are already on their way back after 17:00.

The Chureito Pagoda is beautiful all year round, but it’s even more magical during cherry blossom season!

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Shrine in Fujiyoshida

When walking through Fujiyoshida, we discovered this path lined with cherry blossoms leading towards a shrine. The cherry blossom path was located right next to Honcho Street, which is another well-known famous spot as it aligns perfectly with Mt. Fuji. We were surprised to find this cherry blossom spot as it was almost hidden in plain sight. If we had walked on the other side of the road, we probably would’ve missed it.

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Sakigake

Sakigake is an izakaya restaurant in Fujiyoshida. There’s an old but beautiful cherry blossom tree in front of the restaurant that’s illuminated at night. It’s a beautiful sight to check out if you’re in Fujiyoshida. We also had a delicious dinner at the restaurant to celebrate our engagement. If you want to eat there, we’d recommend making a reservation in advance as it’s often fully booked.

Click here for the location

Seeing the cherry blossoms with Mt. Fuji in the background was really a dream come true. Mt. Fuji during cherry blossom season will forever hold a very special place in our hearts as it’s where we got engaged.