A full day in the Fuji Five Lakes with your own English-speaking driver-guide: the playground at Kawaguchiko, the mirror-still water at Shojiko, and a long lakeside lunch at Saiko, with every stop somewhere the kids can get out and move.
Family trips are all we do, and the day is built around that rather than in spite of it. Left to us, the playground comes first: two hours in a car has to go somewhere before anyone can enjoy a view. We'd break for lunch at Saiko, where you can sit down properly, grab something casual, or take a picnic to the shore. There is a craft brewery there too, and you are not driving.
We'd also keep west, away from the coach stops and the queues. Fifteen minutes at Oishi Park. The afternoon at the quiet lakes. Fuji stays in view most of the day rather than at one stop, so cloud over the summit doesn't ruin things.
That is the shape of the day below: the playground at Kawaguchiko, a quick look at Oishi Park next door, then west to catch Shojiko while the water is still flat, and back to Saiko for a long afternoon by the water. Swap any of it, or build your own from the full list of stops.
Car seats fitted before we arrive, the vehicle yours alone, an English-speaking driver-guide. Slow Roads Japan is run by Asoko, a Tokyo tour operator.
Tell us the ages and we'll rebuild the day around them.
These are the two versions we'd run if you told us nothing else: an unhurried day with nothing to book ahead, or one proper adventure with the lakes either side of it. Both are back in Tokyo by 18:00.
A scenic highway drive out of Tokyo, with stops as needed. Car seats and a family-sized vehicle mean this leg is as comfortable as we can make it.
Five minutes off the expressway, so the kids are out of their seats almost as soon as we arrive. Known locally as Chibiko Hiroba, it has a climbing rope mountain, slide, swings and a sandbox in a grassy plaza, with a flat 700-metre boardwalk through the forest. Three quarters of an hour is enough to reset everyone before we push west.
Representative playground photo, not this one. Per Hoshino Resorts' Kawaguchiko family guide
Barely a detour from the playground and worth the stop: flower beds along the water and the classic Fuji-across-the-lake view. Fifteen minutes is enough for photos and an ice cream, and then we push on while the morning air is still clear.
We come here before the afternoon on purpose. Wind builds through the day, and Shojiko is the smallest of the Fuji Five Lakes at barely six kilometres around, so late morning is usually when the water is flattest and the reflection is at its best. Many rate this the finest Fuji view of the five.
The beach is easy going with it: shallow edges, stones to throw and room to potter while the adults take photographs.
Photographs taken on our own family trips. Per Good Luck Trip's Lake Shojiko guide
Saiko has more choice than the smaller lakes, so you can sit down properly, grab something casual, or picnic by the water if the weather is behaving. Your driver-guide will know what is open on the day and can call ahead if you would rather not queue with tired children.
The quietest of the lakes, and a better way to end than rushing one more sight. Saiko and Shojiko were a single lake called Seno-umi until Fuji erupted in 864 and the lava flow split them in two, which is the kind of fact that lands well with anyone over about six.
AIM Brew LAB. is right here at Saiko, a taproom and brewery opened in 2024 inside a renovated old house, doing hop-forward IPAs with local Fuji water. Pick up a few bottles, find a spot on the shore and have them here while the kids wear themselves out before the drive. You have a designated driver for the day, which is rather the point of a private tour.
Onto the expressway with a buffer for traffic and one last nap, so you're not watching the clock on the way home.
The same run out of Tokyo, with stops as needed, plus the last ten minutes off the expressway and into the woods. Worth leaving on time on this version: the big activity is the one thing on the day that can't stretch.
The bulk of the day, and deliberately first, while everyone still has the energy for it. Four places can take this slot. The clock on this page assumes Subaru Land. Press any of them to read what it involves, the ages it suits and how the tickets work. There is nothing to choose here: you pick which one when you book, or tell us the ages and we will suggest one.
Or none of them. The easy day above skips the big activity and fills the time with lakes and playgrounds instead. Same tour price either way. Admission is yours to pay, quoted before you confirm.
Later than most families eat, and on purpose: breaking Subaru Land in half to sit down at noon costs more than the hunger does. Saiko has the most choice of the western lakes, so you can sit down properly or grab something casual, and your driver-guide will know what's open on the day.
AIM Brew LAB. is right here at Saiko, a taproom and brewery opened in 2024 inside a renovated old house, doing hop-forward IPAs with local Fuji water. Have one with lunch, or take a few bottles with you and open them on the beach at Shojiko in an hour. You have a designated driver for the day, which is rather the point of a private tour.
Photographs taken on our own family trips.
A quieter end than the morning was. The afternoon wind means the water is rarely as flat as it is at eleven, so this is the trade you make for a big activity first, and on a still day it is barely a trade at all. Many rate this the finest Fuji view of the five lakes.
Shallow edges, stones to throw and room to potter, which is about the right speed after a morning in the trees.
Photographs taken on our own family trips. Per Good Luck Trip's Lake Shojiko guide
Twenty minutes longer than the easy day, because Shojiko is that much further west. Back for 18:00 with a buffer for traffic, and usually with at least one child asleep.
Timings are our planning estimates, not official figures, and depend on your group.
Stop details from Hoshino Resorts, Japan for Kids and Fuji-Q, not all verified in person. The Lake Motosu viewpoint is the Kōyō Okada photograph from the old 1,000 and 5,000 yen notes, not the current ones; walking time per Slow Trip Japan.
Photographs of Shojiko, Saiko, Subaru Land, Fujiten and the drive are our own. The zipline at Forest Adventure is theirs, used with their permission. The boats at Saiko and the Asagiri pasture are licensed stock. Two images are representative only and marked as such: the playground, and the theme park beside Fuji-Q.
We collect you from wherever you're staying in Tokyo, whether that's a hotel lobby, an apartment building or a station. No meeting point to find, no queue to join.
4.8 out of 5 from 970 reviews of Asoko on Tripadvisor, quoted in part. Read them all.
Great trip!
We are a family of 4 adults who booked the 1 day Mt Fuji/Gotemba outlets trip. He was polite, knowledgeable and planned the perfect day for us.
Day trip to Mt Fuji sights
We booked just two days before the trip and the communication was fantastic from the start. We got to see everything we wanted and in comfort.
Best fuji trip
He made our experience in Tokyo unforgettable, especially for us traveling with children.
Wonderful experience
He took us to all the places that we wanted to visit, provided us great tips, was on time, drove safely, waited patiently.
Private transfer from Narita
They fulfilled our needs, including a car seat for our 1 year old and a stop to pick up our cat on the way. The driver was kind and understanding, even when baby and cat were crying in the car.
Luxurious Private Tour
Affan was our driver/guide and he is the best! He made sure we got to do what we wanted to and kept us on track.
This itinerary is a starting point. Fuji visibility depends on the weather, and we will tell you straight if your date looks unlikely for summit views. Vehicles seat up to 5, 9 or 13, and the driver-guide is on top of those seats.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your tour.
Book the day as it stands, or tell us your children's ages and we'll rebuild the stops before you pay. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
From ¥73,545 per group for the whole day, not per person.
