Day 6 – 9 October 2024, Wednesday

When I woke up at 7:30am this morning, it was 13 degrees C outside. The weather we’ve been experiencing is much colder than I expected as I didn’t bring any long-sleeved shirts with me for this trip. But luckily, I bought a sweater from Adidas yesterday and a brown jacket from GU in Tokyo earlier, so now I have some thicker clothes to keep me warm today. To think that we experienced 30 degrees on our first day in Tokyo, and I even entertained the thought of buying some shorts to wear for the rest of the trip. The weather has been really unpredictable.

The rain from yesterday persisted into today. The weather forecast showed that it would stop raining around noon time, which was promising. However, it wasn’t much use to us because Mount Fuji was still obscured by the clouds and it put our sightseeing plans on hold. One of the key reasons people come to Kawaguchiko is to see the famous mountain and icon of Japan, but so far, Fuji-san has proven to be extremely elusive.

For the morning, I originally planned to visit Arakura Sengen Shrine and climb up the 400 steps to get the postcard view of Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji in the background. I also planned to take a ride on the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway to the observation deck on Mount Tenjo to see the spectacular views of Lake Kawaguchiko below and Mount Fuji in the distance. However, the rain and cloudy weather made it rather pointless to do these activities so we dropped them. As a result, our programme became much more relaxed.

After a simple breakfast, we left our villa at 9:05am and took a morning stroll to the nearby Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center. The center is located at Oishi Park, one of the most popular spots in Kawaguchiko because of its superb views of the lake and Mount Fuji.

Oishi Park has a wide array of plants and flowers that burst into colours during the different seasons of the year. In the summer months of June and July, lavender flowers are in full bloom and a carpet of purple covers the area. In autumn, the famous kochia plants turn from bright green into a brilliant shade of deep red around late October. During our visit, the flora wasn’t quite at their best but we still saw many colourful flowers and shrubs.

The reason why it is called Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center is because the center organises activities like fruit picking and jam making. During the summer months, you can pick fruits like cherries, blueberries and tomatoes on the north shore of Kawaguchiko. But I was more interested in the jam-making session.

According to the website (click here), jam-making classes are held all year round. Each class lasts 45 minutes and there are 7 sessions a day. The price is 850 yen per person and you get to take home one bottle of jam (approximately 140g) that you made. It sounds fun and I really wanted to do it, especially since all the other activities I planned were not materialising due to the weather.

However, when I checked the website again on the morning of our visit, I saw a line of text in red that said “Currently on hiatus”. There was also a notice posted on the main page stating that the jam-making experience was currently suspended, updated 16 February 2024. When we visited the center, I checked with the staff and they confirmed that it was indeed suspended. I was disappointed, to say the least. Seems like everything I planned was not happening.

There is also a huge gift shop at Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center selling all kinds of cute merchandise and food souvenirs. You can find anything and everything related to Mount Fuji here – neckties with Mount Fuji prints, chocolate cookies with white sugar coating resembling Mount Fuji, mineral water bottles in the shape of Mount Fuji etc. Just make it Mount Fuji-related and people will buy. It was tough deciding what to get because everything looked so nice.

After completing our shopping, we left Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center at 9:50am and walked back towards our villa. Earlier, we spotted a nice café around the corner called HanaCafe Kikyou but it only opens at 9:30am, so we headed back there again and it was open when we returned.

The café is housed in a standalone building amid a quaint garden setting. Its interior was even more beautiful. The whole café was lavishly decorated with dried flowers hanging tastefully from the ceiling, with more dried flowers artfully placed in vases and pots throughout the café. Large glass windows allowed plenty of sunlight to come through. I loved the whole aesthetic of the café – very woody, natural and warm.

The café served mainly desserts and they were famous for their cream puffs and soft serve ice-cream. Surprisingly, the prices were not expensive. The cream puffs cost 200 yen (S$1.80) each and a cup of latte costs 330 yen (S$2.97). We ordered four cream puffs, two chiffon cupcakes, a chocolate éclair and six drinks, and the total bill was only 3,420 yen (S$30.31). It was a hidden gem of a place and I was happy to have found it.

We then went back to our villa to drop off our shopping bags. After evaluating our sightseeing options, we decided to proceed with our planned visit to Honcho Street. When we walked past HanaCafe Kikyou again, we discovered that it was actually part of a cluster of nine shops and eateries called Fuji Oishi Hana Terrace (click here), right beside our villa. There was a shop selling nice fashion accessories and jewellery, a pizza restaurant and a couple of cafes.

We walked to bus stop number 20, which is for Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center. This is the last stop for the Red-Line (R-Line) Kawaguchiko Sightseeing bus. Here, the bus will turn around and head back to Kawaguchiko Station. This R-Line bus is included in our Fuji Hakone Bus so we didn’t have to pay extra for it. We arrived just in time for the 10:57am bus.

The bus ride to Kawaguchiko Station took 25 minutes and we arrived at 11:25am. We then transferred to the Fujikyu Railway, which is also included in our Fuji Hakone Pass. It was a regular train with bench-type seating and there weren’t many other passengers besides us. We departed Kawaguchiko Station at 11:35am and alighted at Shimoyoshida Station 14 minutes later. Along the way, we passed by Fuji-Q Highland. AA was hoping that the rain would stop so she could visit it this afternoon. I told her I would join her if it stops raining later.

Shimoyoshida Station is a very tiny building with beautiful Art Deco architecture. I love how understated everything is – from the station name font to the analog clock on the wall to the colour scheme. Even the painting of Mount Fuji in the lobby is composed only of lines and very basic colours. Simple, yet elegant.

Shimoyoshida Station is usually crowded because it is the closest station to Chureito Pagoda in Arakura Sengen Shrine. From here, it is about 20 minutes away on foot. At the train station entrance, there is a big signboard showing a useful map with photos and directions to the shrine in English, so you can easily find your way there. My original plan was to visit the shrine but I dropped the idea because of the rain. Nevertheless, we continued with our plan to visit Honcho Street nearby.

We walked for about 10 minutes in the light rain and reached the start of Honcho Street. The street has in recent years become a hotspot for tourists looking to snap the famous picture of Mount Fuji looming imposingly in the background. Hence, there are many signs in English warning visitors to observe traffic laws and to not stop in the crosswalks or run onto the road.

I can see why it is so popular because of the retro vibes and the photogenic street lamp posts and sign boards. It really feels like stepping back in time to the 80’s. In fact, it feels like time has stood still here. Most of the shops were shuttered and there were hardly any signs of life even from the locals. As it was raining and there was no view of Mount Fuji at all, Honcho Street was understandably devoid of tourists when we visited.

We walked down the street and popped in to the few shops that were open. There was an unmanned shop selling vintage clothing where you could grab and pay on your own, relying on human integrity to function. There was another shop selling bags and souvenirs, and dad bought a small backpack there, ostensibly to support the shop owner. The lady boss gave dad a photo postcard showing the view of a snow-capped Mount Fuji from Honcho Street. Unfortunately, we had no such luck to see this view today.

As there was nothing interesting at Honcho Street, we turned right to Chuo-dori and walked to Gekkouji Station to take the train back to Kawaguchiko Station. Despite the earlier weather forecast showing that it would stop raining around noon time, it was still drizzling so we couldn’t visit Fuji-Q Highland (yet).

Gekkouji Station was even tinier than Shimoyoshida. The train runs at irregular intervals and there are only one or two trains per hour. The pace of life here is slow, so take it easy. The train arrived at 1:14pm and we alighted at Kawaguchiko Station 12 minutes later.

It was time for lunch so we went to Houtou Fudo to try their famous local specialty, Houtou noodles. Houtou Fudou has four outlets in the Kawaguchiko area and we went to the one most conveniently located opposite Kawaguchiko Station. It was crowded but we managed to seat seats in less than 10 minutes.

Houtou noodles is a hotpot dish local to Yamanashi Prefecture made of thick wheat noodles in a miso based soup and served in an iron pot. The noodles resemble extra thick udon noodles but the texture is more like our local ban mian or mee hoon kway. The dish comes with ingredients like pumpkin, mushroom, carrot, long beans and cabbage. It was perfect comfort food for a wet and chilly day.

Houtou Fudou specialises in Houtou noodles and it sells only that one dish (1,210 yen/S$10.90). There are a couple of small side dishes and we ordered the special Kokutou Taki Inari (a pouch of fried bean curd stuffed with vinegared rice cooked in brown sugar, 550 yen/S$4.95) and Basashi (raw horse sashimi, 1,210 yen/S$10.90). If you’re wondering what the horse sashimi tastes like, it wasn’t gamey at all. It tasted like tuna sashimi but slightly chewier in texture.

After finishing our lunch, we walked over to the famous, or shall I say infamous, Lawson convenience store near Kawaguchiko Station to buy some snacks. This Lawson is just like any other outlet but it provides a great photo opportunity with Mount Fuji in the background, combining two Japanese icons in one shot. Its strategic location led to hordes of inconsiderate tourists congregating and engaging in dangerous behaviour like obstructing traffic.

The situation got so out of hand that the authorities installed a black mesh netting in May earlier in 2024 to obscure the view in order to deter tourists from gathering at that spot. However, people were undeterred and they started poking holes into the net and continued to take photos. In August, the netting was removed as it was assessed to be effective in getting people to stay away. The netting was absent when we went in October. Anyway, there was no view of Mount Fuji during our visit. Let’s see if the problem returns again in the future.

All day long, AA and I had been monitoring the Fuji-Q Highland website (click here) for the live operating status of the attractions. It shows which rides are currently operating or suspended due to the weather or closed for maintenance. At around 3:00pm, it finally stopped raining. We saw that most of the thrill rides were operating, or about to reopen for operations.

I considered our options. So far, all my planned activities (Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, jam-making at Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center) did not materialise. Even my backup option, the Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum, is closed on Wednesdays. There was nothing much left to do. I checked the weather forecast again and it showed that it would not rain for the rest of the day.

After some discussion, it was decided that the “adults” would head back to our villa while AA and I went to Fuji-Q Highland. I gave them instructions how to go back using the R-Line bus, and suggested buying pizza from the restaurant near our villa for dinner tonight. After being assured that they would find their way back safely, we parted ways at Kawaguchiko Station. AA and I hopped on the 3:18pm train and alighted at Fuji-Q Highland station two minutes later.

I was really excited because I had never been to Fuji-Q Highland before. During my previous visits to Kawaguchiko, I had seen it from the outside but never had the chance to enter and take the rides. AA had been here before a couple of years ago and she loved it so much that she wanted to come back. Now that I have a kaki, it was the perfect opportunity for me to finally go play.

At the ticket booth, the staff informed us that there was a discounted Sunset Night Pass for entry from 4:00pm, going at 3,600 yen (S$32.00) for adults. I looked at my watch and saw that we were 40 minutes early. I thought hard about whether we should wait 40 minutes or just buy the Afternoon Pass for 5,600 yen (S$49.64) and enter now. In the end, I decided there was no more time to waste since the park closes at 7:00pm, so we went ahead and forked out S$18 more to buy the Afternoon Pass.

Fuji-Q Highland is one of Japan’s most popular amusement parks, opened in 1969. It currently has four major roller coasters – Fujiyama (1996), Eejanaika (2006), Takabisha (2011) and Zokkon (2023). Another roller coaster, Do-Dodonpa (2021) closed permanently in March 2024 after multiple incidents of injuries sustained while taking the ride. There are also other less thrilling rides and haunted houses.

Upon AA’s advice, we headed straight to Fujiyama, the grand old dame of roller coasters at Fuji-Q Highland. When it opened in 1996, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world at 79m high. Its length is 2,045m and it reaches a top speed of 130km/h with 3.5 G-force, making it the most intense roller coaster in the world.

We started queuing at 3:37pm and there was a long line in front of us. Only 28 people could board each time, so we waited patiently for our turn. I like how they use facial recognition technology to access the rides in the park. Earlier, we had already done face scans at the entrance so we just needed to scan our faces before taking each ride; no need for any physical tickets. The facial recognition system also ensures that everyone leaves the park at closing time. Anybody who stays behind can easily be identified, very smart indeed.

We queued for 25 minutes before it was our turn to ride the “King of Coasters”. It was the longest wait among all the rides we took. This is probably because the park just resumed operations after the rain, so everyone came at the same time. AA and I were assigned the last two seats of the roller coaster, so we were right at the back, woohoo! It is the most fun when you’re at the front or the back.

There was a security check before we boarded. There were also free lockers for us to deposit our bags and prohibited items. For safety reasons, mobile phones are not allowed so we kept them in the locker.

It had been a while since I last rode a roller coaster. To be honest, I was super excited but I was not nervous or scared at all. Having skydived once and bungy jumped three times, I can safely say that roller coasters are nowhere as scary. Thrilling yes, but not scary.

Before we got on the roller coaster, AA asked if I would scream or keep quiet during the ride. She thought that I looked like the type who would keep quiet. I said of course I would scream. And I scream not because I am scared but because that’s the best part about riding roller coasters! You want to let it all out for that few precious minutes, without a care in the world. When else can you do that?

In the end, Fujiyama lived up to its reputation, 10/10! It was intense indeed, especially the last part, when we got tossed and turned at great speeds. What a ride! I felt so alive after that, and I was hungry for more.

For our second ride, we went to the Zokkon. This ride did not exist during AA’s last visit so she was excited to try it out. The queue wasn’t too bad and we waited 15 minutes for this ride. Being the newest attraction, it was much more high-tech and the decor gave off futuristic, Transformers vibes. The roller coaster seats were not the usual ones but they were motorbike-style seats, with handlebars to grab on to. The cars also had fancy lights that flashed in different colours.

This time, we were assigned the seats right in front, double woohoo! We could see everything without anyone blocking us. The ride was extremely fun and we enjoyed it a lot. The best part was when the track switched and we went in the reverse direction. The burst of acceleration was super smoothand shiok. Another 10/10 ride!

For our third ride, I persuaded (or maybe “forced” is the better word haha) AA to take the Takabisha with me. From the start, she said that Takabisha was a no-go because the 121-degree free fall was too much for her. It holds the Guinness Word Record for the steepest roller coaster in the world. However, having already conquered Fujiyama and Zokkon, I was pumped up so I dragged AA to take the Takabisha with me. We queued up for 15 minutes and we were in.

Like all good roller coasters, the best part is the anticipation during the climb. The vertical climb for the Takabisha was awesome because we were lying down with our backs parallel to the ground, ascending slowly towards the apex. And when our car turned over the crest, we slowed down even more, leaving us suspended in the air while contemplating about the impending drop. And when the drop came, it was OMG…a total adrenaline rush of blood to the head. This was perhaps my favourite ride of the day. 10/10 for sure! AA enjoyed it too, and I’m happy I made her do it.

Feeling accomplished, we headed over to Eejanaika, which holds the Guinness Word Record for the greatest number of inversions (14) during the 1,153m run, while hitting a top speed of 126km/h. There was no queue at all so we went right in. We had to remove our shoes for this ride.

As advertised, it was indeed a topsy turvy ride as we turned upside down 14 times during the ride. Not only that, the seats were not fixed and our legs were dangling in the air, so we spun round and round. It felt like being tumbled around in a washing machine. It was very spinny and violent, not my favourite ride. I’ll rate it 5/10.

With the four big roller coasters done, we had about an hour left before the park closes so we had to decide which rides to take. We went for the Nagashimasuka, Japan’s first rolling type rafting attraction. By this time, there was no queue for any of the rides. This is a water ride, which means you will get wet somehow. Luckily, ponchos are available for sale at 200 yen (S$1.80).

If Eejanaika was a “dry” washing machine, then Nagashimasuka is a “wet” washing machine. We were seated in a four-seater circular receptacle that moved along a conveyor belt. After going up a slope, we were released into a vortex of water, spinning round and round along with the torrent. It was quite mild but fun, suitable for younger and older riders who dare not go on a roller coaster. I kept my feet up throughout the ride so I managed to stay dry for most part, with my shoes getting a little damp. I give this ride a 7/10 rating.

The next ride we went on was the Tekkotsubanchou sky tower swinger. This is one of the largest swing rides in Japan, rising to a height of 59m. I had taken similar rides before in Vienna (Prater Turm, 117m) and Stockholm (Eclipse, 121m) and I enjoyed them very much, so I wanted to try it again.

However, it was too cold to enjoy the ride this time. As I sat in the twin-seat swing and rotated around the steel tower, my teeth were chattering as the cold night wind blasted against my face. I was just hoping the ride would end as soon as possible. For this reason, I rate Tekkotsubanchou 2/10. This ride is best enjoyed in the day when it is not so cold, and preferably with Mount Fuji visible so you can enjoy the views as you swing round and round.

We only had time for one more ride so we decided to do Fujiyama again. There was no queue so we were let in almost immediately. It was just as thrilling and enjoyable the second time round. Even though I knew what to expect, it felt different because the sky was now dark and the roller coaster was lit up.

In 3½ hours, we managed to catch a total of seven rides. My favourite was Takabisha, followed by Fujiyama, Zokkon, Nagashimasuka, Eejanaika and Tekkotsubanchou. There are so many other rides that I still want to try, and that just means I will have to go back to Fuji-Q Highland again. When I do, I’ll be sure to go first thing in the morning when it opens so I have time to catch them all.

When we exited the park at 7:00pm, it was eerily quiet as most of the other visitors had left before us. We hopped on the train back to Kawaguchiko Station, then took a taxi back to our villa, arriving at 7:47pm. The taxi fare was 3,200 yen (S$28.28), the same as yesterday. We had pizza for dinner before calling it a night.

I am so happy the rain stopped and we were able to visit Fuji-Q Highland. Kawaguchiko was in danger of turning into a damp squib because of the rain and cloudy weather but Fuji-Q Highland saved the day. I hope the adults still enjoyed Kawaguchiko despite not being able to do much here.

I am also glad we did not wait 40 minutes to buy the Sunset Night Pass. Sure, we would have saved 2,000 yen but I would rather spend the money to take more rides. I really like that Fuji-Q Highland is a proper amusement park and it is all about the rides. It is not commercialised like Universal Studios or Disneyland, where they charge high admission fees to fund the shows and hundreds of cast members, and you get charged exorbitant prices for food, merchandise and photos with every ride. Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park for thrill-seekers and I highly recommend it.

With that, it was the end of Day 6. One last night in Kawaguchiko before we move on to our last stop, Osaka, tomorrow.