Gakunan Tetsudo wine train

Like its cousin beer train, the wine train (or wine densha) event put on yearly by the small private Gakunan Tetsudo train line is pretty special. Buy a ticket for about 2500 yen and ride the train to the end of the line and back (a total of about one hour) and drink all the wine you can. There are various kinds of wines on board, including a selection of nearby Yamanashi wines. And you shouldn't feel ashamed of keeping your glass full either. Everyone will be trying to get as much value for their money as possible and swaying by the end of the ride.


Like beer train, wine train is a good chance to talk with drunk locals and get your picture taken a lot and have an all round good time. It starts off and returns to JR Yoshiwara Station. Make sure to walk over to the Gakunan Tetsudo side of the station. Making a reservation for your party is very much recommended as tickets tend to sell out very quickly. While beer train takes place in summer, wine train is a winter event (February). Contact the Gakunan Tetsudo company for more information and walk with your own snacks.

Hina Cafe

Chances are you wouldn't stumble across this gem of a cafe on your own. Not only is it located in a fairly out of the way location, but it's also hidden from view from the street. I'm happy that my colleague took me to lunch here once so now I can share it with others.

One of the nicest things about Hina Cafe is the interior. It's really unique--there are random antiques strewn all over the place and cool raw wooden furniture. When the weather is nice you can eat on the patio.


The place is run entirely by a couple. Service can therefore be a bit slow at peak hours but it's worth it for the delicious food and attention to detail. It's open for lunch and dinner and there are a range of beers and cocktails as well. It's located here, close to Hina Station on the Gakunan Tetsudo line.

Tsuke Napori

This is the signature dish of the Yoshiwara section of Fuji City. It's basically a Japanese take on Neapolitan pasta. You use chopsticks to dip your pasta in the tomato sauce. It's very yummy. Many different cafes and restaurants in Yoshiwara offer their own versions of the dish. The one above has sakura ebi (tiny shrimp) in the pasta. My favorite is from Sofarii Cafe. Here, you can order onigiri (rice balls) to mix into the sauce you have left over at the end. So good!

You can find tsuke napori anywhere you see the red, green and white tomato sign in Yoshiwara.

Aokigahara Jukai (Suicide Forest)

For such a beautiful, peaceful place, it has a macabre reputation. That's because every year about a hundred bodies are found in the forest. It's a popular location for committing suicide, so much so that signs warn potential victims to think about their families; and cameras keep track of those who enter the forest in case they don't make it out. Some hang themselves or take poison and others just kind of wander around until they starve. The hunt for bodies is an annual event.

Particularly in fall, Aokigahara makes for a nice walk. Visitors are warned not to stray off the path though because it's easy to get lost. The best way to get here is by car, that way you can take in the foliage of the Fuji Five Lakes area, and its spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. There are also a couple of ice caves in the area to explore. It is also possible to go by bus from Fujinomiya Station with the Kawaguchiko Station bound bus. In the peak season, you can stop for a delicious organic lunch at nearby Solar Cafe.

Rafting on the Fujikawa

The Fujikawa (Fuji River) is one of the three most rapid rivers in Japan. The other two are the Magami River in Yamagata and the Kuma River in Kumamoto. This makes it ideal for white water rafting. There are a number of companies in Shizuoka that offer guided rafting and canyoning in the area. At Natural Action Outdoor Tours, we were able to get an English speaking guide who made the whole thing easy for those of us who had never been rafting before. You can call them at 0544-65-1123.


It's a fantastic thing that must be done if you're going to be living or visiting anywhere close to the Fuji River. The rafting is punctuated by little side trips to explore waterfalls and dive off cliffs. And the scenery is stunning as you go down the river looking up at Mt. Fuji, the Japanese Alps, forests, riverbank flowers and giant arches. Early fall is the perfect time to be out there as the sun isn't scorching and the water isn't too cold.






Here's a video of what it's like:

Mt. Minobu & Minobu-san Kuonji temple

Shizuoka prefecture borders beautiful Yamanashi prefecture so it's a good place for a day trip. From Fuji Station, the Minobu Line train will take you to Minobu Town or further on Kofu (both excellent Yamanashi destinations). The trip from Fuji Station to Minobu takes about 85 minutes and costs 820 yen each way. This train ride covers an absolutely beautiful stretch along the Fuji River and through the mountains.


When you get off the train at Minobu, you will find yourself in the quaint, quiet downtown strip of the mountain town. Very much like something out of the past. Fall is particularly nice, when everything is wrapped in fog and the leaves are blazing red and yellow. Have yourself some ramen or udon with mountain vegetables and catch the bus to Mt. Minobu (about 15 minutes away).

Mt. Minobu and Minobu-san Kuonji temple are historically important. The temple was built by Nichiren Shonin, founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism in 1282. Among other things, Nichiren asserted the novel proposition that woman could attain enlightenment. His ashes are enshrined at Kuonji temple.

Entrance to Minobu-san

The never ending stairs that must be conquered before you reach the temple.
The local high school's baseball team uses it to train.
(There's also an easier trek through the forest for those who can't make it.)

Minobu-san Kuonji temple

Five story pagoda

The temple compound has many gardens.

Part of the view.

These cherry trees are hundreds of years old.

Fall leaves

There's also a parking lot for cars in case you're driving. If you're interested, you can also take a cable car further up for a view of the mountains all around.

Shiraito waterfall

Shiraito means white silk threads and that's exactly what these falls look like. The pool of water into which they fall glows a lovely blue green in the sun. Behind the falls are dark woods, and behind that the peak of Mt. Fuji.


This is one of many popular tourist destinations around Fujinomiya. The area around the falls is good for hiking as there are great views of Mt. Fuji. Lake Tanuki is just one of the other places to see nearby, about a one hour trek (5 km) or shorter bus ride. Generally, the falls are crowded during summer but if you go on a weekday, you can have a less touristy experience. Like most other places of interest in Japan, food stalls and souvenir shops abound.

Regular buses leave from Fujinomiya Station. The earliest bus is at 7:15 a.m. on weekdays and 7:35 a.m. on weekends. The latest bus back to Fujinomiya Station is at 7:47 p.m. on weekdays and 5:10 p.m. on weekends. The entrance to the falls is a two minute walk from the bus stop. Here is a map in case you're driving.

Yoshiwara Chuo Station

This rather dingy bus station is a major transportation hub in Fuji City. Here you can get buses to suburbs of the city including Fujimidai, Obuchi, Imaizumi, Sobina and others. You can also catch regular buses to Fujinomiya Station, Rose Theatre, Fuji Central Hospital and Fuji Station, as well as Shin Fuji Station, Numazu Station and JR Yoshiwara Station.

There are only a couple of buses daily to Fuji Soko Undo Park and the popular family destinations of Fuji Children's Park, Safari Park and Yeti ski park. There are three buses every morning directly to Tokyo Station. Also, shuttles to Fuji AEON Mall stop here a few times a day. Finally, you can get a taxi here at almost every time of the day or night. The Tenjinya right next door has cheap (and often greasy) breakfast and lunch.

To get the full bus schedule, simply ask the woman at the window: "Jikokyu-hyou kudasai." If you don't speak Japanese though, you'll need some help to make sense of it.

Joy Plaza recycle shop

In Japan, recycle shops are places where you can get secondhand items for good prices. This includes a lot of stuff in almost perfect condition. If you've just moved to Fuji City and need to furnish your apartment quickly, recycle shops are the way to go.

And Joyland Plaza is probably the best one in the city because of range of things you can get - bicycles, scooters, kitchen wares, furniture, appliances, electronics, musical instruments, shoes, clothes, old records and whole host of things that can only be classified as "other".

Check it out here, close to Fuji High School. The closest train station is Tatebori on the Minobu line. It's about a 20 minute walk from Fuji Station but there are also buses that go along that road. Home delivery is available.

Kappazushi restaurant

Also also called kaiten sushi or conveyor belt sushi. It's cheap and fun. Just grab whatever you want from the belt as it goes around.


You can also order exactly what you want by using the computer screen next to your table. In that case, your order will come straight to you on a plastic shinkansen :) It's very easy to use the computer screen even if you don't speak Japanese because the pictures show you what you're getting and the prices are clearly marked.

Plates at this particular restaurant are mostly between 100 and 200 yen and green tea and water are free. When you finish, the waitress will count your plates to determine your bill. In addition to sashimi and nigiri, you can get soups, desserts and fried dishes.

The restaurant is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. It's about a 10 minute walk from from Fuji City Office. Click here for a map.

Horse karaage is surprisingly tender

Cannery Row Italian restaurant

This may be one of the best restaurants in Fuji City . It was certainly the one that came most highly recommended. After walking along the path lined with olive trees, rosemary and basil and glancing at the beautiful decor, I sat down to look at the menu and was shocked at how reasonably priced everything was.

First off, if you miss really good pizza, go to this place. They do pizza really well and there's a fantastic variety on the pizza menu, including Italian style and Japanese style choices.

And if you're a pasta junkie like me...again, go to this place. I recommend the spaghetti with smoked salmon cream sauce. Best of all, you can get lunch sets where you choose a main dish (pizza or pasta) and get unlimited salad bar and drink bar. And let me say that the salad bar alone is worth the price of the entire meal - rices, seafood, potatoes and a vast array of vegetables. And all of this will cost about 1200-1400 yen! I'm not sure if dinner is more expensive.

Finally, you can add TWO dessert choices to your lunch for a mere 240 yen or THREE for 340 yen. Cannery Row is well known for its great desserts. The momblan (Mont Blanc) cake is particularly good.

Cannery Row is located close to Fuji High School. See here for a map.