Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park)

Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park) tickets and tours: which one to book

The pagoda stands in a public park on the hillside above Fujiyoshida, and there is no ticket, gate or opening fee. Anyone can climb the stairway at any hour, which makes it one of the easiest Fuji viewpoints to visit on your own: a train from Tokyo to Shimoyoshida station on the Fujikyu line and a short walk bring you to the foot of the hill. Most of the tours that include it are day trips from Tokyo around the northern Fuji Five Lakes. A coach or minibus picks you up in central Tokyo, and the day usually takes in the pagoda, the shore of Lake Kawaguchi, the spring-fed ponds of Oshino Hakkai and sometimes a lava cave or ice cave in the forest at the foot of the mountain;

other routes continue to Hakone and the volcanic valley of Owakudani, or stop at the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park. Private tours with a car, driver and English-speaking guide follow similar routes at your own pace and are worth it for families or when the weather is uncertain, since the driver can reshuffle the order of stops when cloud covers the summit. There are also smaller local options: a guided visit with a meal of regional food, and a workshop in Fujiyoshida where you paint your own daruma doll. Lunch, entry to paid attractions and cable cars are often not included, so check before booking.

Visiting Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park): what to see and how to behave

The five-storey red pagoda, completed in the early 1960s, is a memorial to the people of Fujiyoshida who died in war, rather than part of a working temple, although it is built in the traditional Buddhist style. It stands in Arakurayama Sengen Park, laid out in 1959 on the slopes of Mount Arakura, a hill long regarded as sacred, and its fame comes from the view: with the pagoda in the foreground and the cone of Mount Fuji behind, the scene has become one of the most photographed images of Japan. The walk begins at the Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine at the foot of the hill, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the goddess of the mountain. From there a stairway of almost 400 steps climbs through the woods to the pagoda terrace;

a gentler sloping path runs alongside for those who prefer it. The classic photograph is taken from the viewing platform just above the pagoda, which looks over the roofs of the town to the mountain. About 650 cherry trees cover the slope, and in autumn the maples turn red. Respect the fences and stay on the platforms: the hill sits beside a residential area, and the city has had to close informal viewpoints after crowds trampled private land. Keep voices down near the shrine and the memorial, and do not fly drones. Back in town, the old shopping street below Shimoyoshida station offers another well-known view of Fuji rising at the end of the road.

Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park): opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The park is open at all hours. Sunrise and the first hours of the morning offer the best chance of seeing the summit clearly, as cloud often builds around the mountain by midday; arriving early also means a calmer platform, since coach groups reach the terrace from mid-morning. The cherry blossom usually peaks in the first half of April, later than in Tokyo, and the park holds a blossom festival with stalls and evening illumination;

this is the most crowded period of the year. Autumn colour arrives in early to mid November. For the clearest skies and a snow-capped peak, come between December and February, when the air is cold and dry. The rainy season in June and the hazy summer months often hide the mountain entirely. Allow about an hour for the climb and photographs. Combine the pagoda with Lake Kawaguchi, Oshino Hakkai and the Fuji lava caves for a full day in the area.