Yamanashi blog — The Yamanashi travel guide & top things to do in Yamanashi

March 24, 2024

Enjoy matcha teas and some meditation at the serene Erinji Temple, home to a famous garden created by abbot Muso Kokushi around 1330. The temple is a memorial to local samurai warrior Takeda Shingen as well as facts about his life. A long wooden corridor leads to the shrine with a sacred wooden pillar shaped like Shingen. When walking in the hallway, you will not be able to ignore the chirping sounds of birds emanating from the specially designed wooden floors as a way to announce the presence of visitors.

Nishizawa Gorge

Enjoy easy trails through Nishizawa Gorge to the impressive Nanatsugama Godan waterfalls, part of a long hike that winds through Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. The trail is closed during the winter months and is open during the months of bright azalea flowers in spring and golden leafy forests in fall. You can contact the guide at Yamanashi City Tourism Association via email: [email protected]

Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum

Address: 3077-20 Kawaguchi, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0304, Japan
Hours: 10 AM–6 PM

The Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum is a small theme park and the museum is all about musical instruments. In the main gallery, you will see a collection of antique music boxes, organs and other automatic musical instruments from around the world.

Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum-fuji-japan10 — | yamanashi guide

The museum’s main building is used as a concert hall, where many famous classical musicians come to perform. Outside the museum and park is a European-style garden with a backdrop of Mount Fuji and the surrounding lake. You can stroll around the garden along paths surrounded by lawns and canals. The rose garden outside is also very popular with tourists, you can see many types of flowers here.

Arayayama Shrine

Address: 4-chome-2-2 Araya, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi 403-0006, Japan
Hours: 9 AM–4 PM

Arayayama shrine is one of the symbols of Japan located near the second station of Mount Fuji. In winter, the road up to the temple is closed to traffic. This temple is considered one of the famous sacred destinations throughout the country for praying for wealth.

Locally, people still worship the temple as the god of the Mountain. The god of that temple is the Mountain God. In addition to praying for money, this place is also quite sacred in praying for good luck and good harvests. Legend has it that there is also a magic stone here. Just lift it 3 times and feel the change in the weight of the stone, it means good things are coming.

Kuonji Temple

Address: 3567 Minobu, Minamikoma District, Yamanashi 409-2593, Japan
Hours: 5 AM–5 PM

Founded by Nichiren in 1281, Kuon-ji Temple is a famous temple located in Minobu. Today, it is the head temple of Nichuren-shu, playing an important role in the training of novice monks. According to Nichiren’s wishes, his ashes were brought to the temple. To reach the temple, visitors must climb 287 famous steps called the “stairway to enlightenment”.

In the temple, the ceiling is decorated with a famous golden dragon with 5 toes, because this is a Japanese dragon. In the garden, there are thousands of cherry blossom trees with one tree being over 100 years old. Next to the temple is a cable car that takes visitors up to the high mountain and other buildings in the temple. This pagoda is a popular destination for tourists, with more than 1.5 million people visiting annually.

Maizuru Castle Park

Address: 1 Chome-5-4 Marunouchi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0031, Japan
Hours: 24 hours

When you have the opportunity to come to Kofu – Yamanashi city, please stop by Maizuru Castle Park. Located within the park are the ruins of Kofu Castle, also known as Maizuru Castle. Considered a Yamanashi Historical Site, it is said to be about 400 years old, with the structure’s construction dating back to 1583.

The castle was abandoned and throughout the 19th century, many of the castle’s main buildings were destroyed. While the castle’s two towers were rebuilt using ancient techniques, many parts of the castle were abandoned and buried. There is a museum on site that recreates the castle’s history.

Shosenkyo Gorge

Location: Takanari Cho, Kofu, Yamanashi

Shosenkyo Gorge possesses breathtaking nature and strangely shaped rocks. We advise you can visit in the fall when the trees are mixed with red, orange and yellow colors. One of the first sights you will see is the Nagatoro Bridge with its long history and unique architectural features.

Shosenkyo Valley is considered the pride of Yamanashi because there are only a few such beautiful landscapes in all of Japan. Especially the most popular place is Senga waterfall with water from the upper Fuji River flowing through the deepest point of the Shosenkyo valley.

Shosenkyo Gorge autumn (1) — | what to do in yamanashi

The waterfall flows from a height of 30m to the foot of Mount Kakuen through the granite surface. The most beautiful is autumn when the trees around the valley are dressed in red right next to the pure white waterfall, looking very beautiful. In summer, the air here is quite cool and refreshing.

Oshino Hakkai village

Address: Shibokusa, Oshino, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0511, Japan

Oshino Hakkai Village is located in Kanagawa Prefecture and is located right at the foot of Mount Fuji. For a long time, the ancient village of Oshino Hakkai has been famous for its quiet, simple landscape that brings a very peaceful feeling. Coming here, visitors will immediately see many ponds and lakes with extremely cool green areas, and in the distance are houses roofed with extremely special types of grass. If you come here in winter, you will also witness a picturesque scene with extremely impressive white snow-covered roofs.

When coming here, visitors will feel the ancient atmosphere and time-tinged beauty of an ancient village. There are also 8 lakes here originating from melted snow and ice from the top of Mount Fuji. Tourists who come to visit will wash their hands and drink a bucket of water from the lake before entering the village. The water here is extremely pure because it is created from melted snow on the top of the mountain and purified by volcanic lava.

Oshino Hakkai-fuji — Oshino Hakkai Village

On the large lakes in the ancient village of Oshino Hakkai, beautiful bridges are also built across. This is also an ideal place to see the panoramic view of Oshino Hakkai village. In the middle of the lake there are also wooden water wheels that decorate the space here. Coming here, in addition to admiring the poetic ancient landscape, visitors can also discover many unique customs and traditions preserved since ancient times as well as beautiful traditional roofs.

Besides, visitors can enjoy cakes and pickled foods sold in small shops or buy gifts for relatives at souvenir shops. Near the village’s largest lake, there is also the open-air Hannoki Bayashi Minzoku museum, where visitors can admire models of ancient straw-roofed houses and samurai weapons and farming tools.

Top things to do in Yamanashi

Conquer Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is not only a renowned landmark in Yamanashi but also considered a symbol of Japan. Traveling to Yamanashi without conquering Mount Fuji is an extremely unfortunate thing. A Mount Fuji climbing tour usually lasts about 6 hours. Along the way there will be many stops where you can rest and admire the scenery. The most famous stop here is 5th station.

Many visitors may want to rush to the start of the climb at the 5th Station. Here, visitors can enjoy views of the Fuji Five Lakes region, buy souvenirs, visit Komitake Shrine, and go for a walk. on the Ochudo Trail across or eat and drink.

Picking fruit

Yamanashi is also known as Japan’s “fruit kingdom” with the highest output of grapes, peaches and plums nationwide. The best way for visitors to enjoy seasonal fruits is to pick them themselves and eat them on the spot. The ready-to-eat fruit picking experience is now available at select orchards across Yamanashi.

Sightseeing on the Kachi Kachi ropeway

Take the Kachi Kachi cable car to admire the panoramic view of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

With the Kachi Kachi ropeway service, you will easily conquer the mountain peak and have the opportunity to see a panoramic view of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi at an altitude of 1,075m. Besides sightseeing, visitors can participate in many other activities on the top of Kachikachi Mountain such as visiting Usagi-jinja rabbit shrine, enjoying Mitarashi dango rice cakes at Tanuki Teahouse or taking check-in photos with cute statues.

Couples can also go to the Tenjyo bell hanging on a heart-shaped frame and ring the bell together in the hope that their love will last forever. Round-trip fare for adults is 900 yen/person and for children is 450 yen/person. To get to the Kachi Kachi cable car ticket purchasing area, visitors can walk from Kawaguchi station in about 15 minutes.

Tourists should note that the cable car operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily and the last drop-off time is 4:20 p.m.

Camp at the most luxurious campsite in Japan

Located far from the tourist crowds at Lake Kawaguchi, Japan’s first holiday camp is the ultra-luxurious Hoshinoya Fuji. Each concrete cabin block has identical views of Mount Fuji and the lakes below, and the outdoor balcony has its own campfire. The lounges resemble traditional Japanese kotatsu and you can turn outdoor tables into heated blankets. But this idea is only for guests who have spent most of their time taking advantage of every part of the resort. Each guest at the resort receives a backpack full of gear upon arrival including a headlamp, water bottle, walkie-talkie, portable chair and even a jacket for cold nights. Daily activities include canoeing to watch the sunrise, collecting wood, morning stretching and horseback riding.

Take an onsen bath at Hottarakashi Onsen

Yamanashi has many hot spring resorts such as Isawa, Yumura, Nishiyama or Shimobe… Soak in one of the healthy baths and enjoy traditional meals made with fresh local ingredients It is an exciting experience, helping you relax both body and mind.

If you’ve never heard of this experience, come to Hottarakashi Onsen to participate in the onsen bathing activity. This place is located on a mountainside at an altitude of 700m, so it has a super beautiful view of Mount Fuji and Kofu valley. Possessing two separate hot spring areas, Kocchi no Yu and Acchi no Yu, this place offers tourists both indoor and outdoor bathing experiences.

At a lower location, the Kocchi-no-Yu area still has views of Yamanashi city and part of Mount Fuji. If you want to admire the panoramic view of the Kofu mountains and valley, head to the Acchi-no-Yu area to immerse yourself in hot water and help your skin become smoother. After relaxing in the water baths, visitors often go to the restaurant area to enjoy local cuisine, especially Udon noodles and Ontamaage dishes. This place is open to guests until 9:30 p.m. with ticket prices 800 yen/adult and 400 yen/child (elementary school students and under).

Enjoy fruit and wine

Yamanashi is known as the wine and fruit paradise in Japan. Yamanashi’s total wine production accounts for 1/3 of Japan’s wine production. Coming to Yamanashi, don’t miss the opportunity to explore rich fruit gardens and enjoy delicious glasses of wine.

Yamanashi’s climate and abundant pure water provide ideal conditions for wine production

Admire seasonal flowers and leaves

The scenery of Yamanashi when spring comes

Each season, Yamanashi nature brings different colors. Spring is the time of cherry blossoms and peach blossoms, and summer is when lavender and sunflowers bloom. In fall, the prefecture’s forests sparkle in yellow, red and orange, as seasonal foliage covers the slopes, valleys and canyons.

Stroll at 5th station on the Mount Fuji trip

This stop has many shops, fast food restaurants, and motels serving climbers as well as those who want to stop and admire the natural scenery like me. You can buy candy, souvenirs or enjoy specialties at the shops around here.

Standing at an altitude of 2,305m above sea level, enjoying the pristine nature and breathing fresh air makes me feel like my body has been purified, a strange feeling of peace. You can also participate in a horseback riding experience to visit the beautiful places here.

Pick grapes and eat to your heart’s content in Katsunuma town

The experience of picking grapes and eating to your heart’s content at a vineyard in Katsunuma town, Koshu city, Yamanashi prefecture will not disappoint you. Each person will be given a basket to pick grapes, then will be led by the garden owner to the grape picking location. Here there is the Delaware grape variety (also known as Champagne grape) – this is a seedless grape variety, with the second largest popular growing area in Japan.

Throughout Yamanashi Prefecture, there are now many gardens for visitors to pick fruit on the spot

The vineyard here is extremely large, with more than 10 grape varieties with bunches of grapes plump and laden with fruit as if waiting for someone to pick them. Grapes picked at the garden are very sweet, fragrant and succulent. However, the time to pick and eat them to your heart’s content is only about 45 minutes, so everyone should pay attention.

Visit the wine cellar at Sasaichi sake brewery

The long-standing Sasaichi brewery has a winemaking history of more than 100 years. There are wines at the factory and you can also taste many types of wine, from fruit wines such as grapes, peaches, apricots, apples to wine, rice wine,…

What to eat in Yamanashi?

From simple yet hearty rural flavors to fine dining, Yamanashi has a rich culinary culture in which local, seasonal ingredients are paramount. Must-try dishes in this locality include hoto – a thick miso-flavored noodle soup served with hearty vegetables, sukiyaki with Koshu “wine marinated beef” and Koshu grilled chicken Jidori.

Hoto Nabe (Flat Noodles Miso Hot Pot)

Hoto is a hot pot prepared by adding ingredients such as pumpkin, potatoes, mushrooms, seasonal vegetables and meat to flat noodles made from wheat flour and stewed with soup.

At many shops, Hoto is served to each diner in an iron pot, the thick broth helps warm the body, creating a pleasant feeling.

Yoshida Udon Noodles

This Udon noodle dish is characterized by very firm noodles and can be enjoyed in the vicinity of Fujiyoshida city. It usually includes a sweet and spicy horse meat topping, boiled cabbage, fried tofu, and is served with a condiment called Suridane.

Kofu Tori Motsuni

This dish includes chicken liver, gizzard, heart and young eggs cooked with soy sauce and sugar until the water dries up. Its sweet and salty taste and shiny color make it a popular dish to eat with rice or with wine.

The people of Kofu City love this dish so much that it has become a staple menu of izakayas and portion restaurants.

Horse meat sashimi

This is a Japanese dish, people cut horse meat into thin slices and eat it raw. Add your favorite spices like ground ginger, ground garlic, green onions and soy sauce to serve. The meat has no bad smell, is low in calories and rich in protein with a mild flavor.

Shingen Mochi Cake (Raindrop Cake)

Shingen Mochi is a famous traditional sweets: “When it comes to Yamanashi’s specialty as a gift, it must be it!”.

Sprinkle Kinako soybean powder and drizzle brown sugar syrup (Kuromitsu) on soft and sweet Mochi rice cakes. This dish is always available at souvenir shops, for example at highway rest stops.

Yamanashi wine

Château Mercian Koshu 2018, Iwasaki, Yamanashi Japan

With a 150-year winemaking history, Yamanashi wine is the leading brand of wine in Japan, both in taste and production output. In the city of Kofu there are four wineries – ‘Sadoya’, ‘Chateau Sakaori’, ‘Shingen Wine’ and ‘Domaine Q”, each specializing in its own signature wines – some of which have winning at international wine competitions.

What to buy?

Coming to Yamanashi, you must definitely try Koshu wine and you can buy it as a gift. Or Inden handcrafted accessories from moccasin (tanned deerskin) and meticulously decorated. Most women will prefer to buy jewelry in Kofu, a capital city famous for its stone cutting and jewelry making. Koshu fabric is also an interesting choice with a long tradition dating back to 1633. Bed sheets, ties and fabrics from Koshu are widely used throughout Japan. Furthermore, jewelry and fabrics are also quite light items and can be conveniently packed into a suitcase or luggage.

Where to stay?

Highland Resort Hotel & Spa

Located right next to Fuji-Q Highland Theme Park, Highland Resort Hotel & Spa offers beautiful panoramic views of Mount Fuji. Large hot spring bath and spa facilities. The hotel has many room types for you to choose from and the largest room has an area of up to 72m2. In addition, tourists can choose rooms facing the park or Mount Fuji. (Agoda, Booking)

Fujisan Station Hotel

This hotel has a convenient location, only about a 2-minute walk from Fujisan station. The highlight of the hotel is the lobby, which has a lively Japanese-style art exhibition. The rooms are also arranged with natural elements such as ornamental plants and paintings, helping guests enjoy the most relaxing moments. At Fujisan Station Hotel there are 3 basic room types for you to choose from: single room, double room and triple room for 3 people. (Agoda, Booking)

Kawaguchiko Hotel

This resort is located in the middle of a beautiful forest with views of Mount Fuji, promising to bring tourists the most wonderful vacation experience. In the rooms of the Kawaguchiko Hotel, there are artistic photos taken around the beautiful city of Yamanashi. In addition, when staying here, visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy many dishes made from local ingredients. (Agoda, Booking)

Fuji View Hotel

Fuji View Hotel offers a variety of room types such as twin rooms, double rooms and suites. Rooms have large windows with views of the surrounding garden or Mount Fuji. There are 4 restaurants in the hotel, including Bellevue, which specializes in French cuisine, and Shikishima, which has a menu full of traditional Japanese dishes prepared from fresh, local ingredients. (Agoda, Booking)

Check out more top and best hotels in Yamanashi on Agoda.com or Booking.com

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Yamanashi you can refer to

Above is the extremely wonderful information about Yamanashi that we has shared. This is an extremely wonderful land in terms of people, culture, and life. Don’t hesitate to quickly take a trip here right? If you have any questions, please contact us immediately to get answers and choose a meaningful trip for yourself. Leaving the bustling, crowded atmosphere in Tokyo, Yamanashi province gives you memorable and extremely interesting experiences of a fresh land, green nature, mountain landscapes and fruitful fruit gardens. Check out more Japan guide here.