Mt Chojagatake (長者ヶ岳, choujaga-take) is right alongside Lake Tanuki. Although I’m familiar with lakes like Kawaguchiko and Yamanakako, I had never heard of this one before so it almost felt like a hidden gem (although not really, since there were still plenty of tourists). I’m glad I came!
This was one of the mountains from the 36 views of Mt Fuji series, and also one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamanashi. I feel really grateful for these mountain lists, because it lets me visit places I probably would have never come to otherwise.
Since I stayed the night in Fujinomiya (after climbing Mt Shinshin the day before) I was able to sleep in a bit, enjoy the free hotel breakfast and have a fairly relaxed start to my hike. The trail up to Mt Chojodake took me only 80 minutes, and it’s really pleasant, well-maintained trail.
From Mt Chojodake you get a great view of Mt Fuji, and you can even see Lake Tanuki in the foreground below.
This is my favourite time of year to take photos of Mt Fuji - I love the contrast between the still-visible snow on top of the mountain, along with the greenness of the landscape below as we start to enter summer.
Actually on my drive into Yamanashi the day prior, the surrounding mountains felt more green than normal, and I wasn’t sure if it was my eyes playing tricks on me, but on today’s hike you could see the green plants starting to sprout so I think it actually was!
This weekend was particularly warm, and a large chunk of the snow on Fuji had melted compared to the month prior when I climbed Myojinyama so today felt like I was starting to see the signs that summer is definitely on the way.
The course is a loop, and so from here it’s onwards towards Mt Tenshigatake (天子ヶ岳). This part of the trail is less well-maintained, and there was some very steep portions with loose rocks, which I’m always very bad at walking along.
As passed Mt Tenshigatake and started to descend, I was going so slowly I had to let a grandpa overtake me, and he was basically like “u alright m8” and laughed a bit as he passed.
Once you navigate past the steep bit, there’s a long stretch of road you have to walk along.
The course back is mostly nothing notable. However right near the end you get to do a partial loop of Lake Tanuki, which gives plenty of opportunity to take photos of Mt Fuji from different angles, so I really enjoyed this part as well.
On the way home I stopped by the Kaze no Yu onsen (風の湯). This onsen was so-so (I have to dock points from onsens that don’t have hair conditioner) although one notable part was that one of its outside pools had tiny bubbles, like I was sitting in a pool of really warm sparkling water.
By stopping at the onsen I kind of gambled with the time a bit, so unfortunately on the drive home I got stuck in traffic which ruined my mood a little bit. But lesson learned, I need to start my drive home earlier next time!
Hiking course details
| Date climbed | Length | Course time |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-20 | 11.9km | 6h41min (the expected time for an average hiker without breaks) |
This is loop course starting and ending at the Lake Tanuki carpark.
There is a toilet available at the carpark.
Car access details
| Car park | Time (from Tokyo) | Round trip cost |
|---|---|---|
| 田貫湖パーキング | 2h40min | ~9800 yen |
There is a carpark available at Lake Tanuki. The carpark at Lake Tanuki was pretty full by the time I got there past 8am, and it seems to be popular with hikers, campers and fishermen alike. I would recommend arriving on the earlier side.
Public transport access
Lake Tanuki is accessible via a 40minute bus from Fujinomiya station to the Lake Tanuki South (田貫湖南) bus stop. It looks to be fairly accessible via bus in terms of how many scheduled buses there are, however it is a 4 to 4.5 hour journey from Tokyo to Lake Tanuki via public transport, so it is quite the journey.
It might be more worth the trip if you are happening to make a camping weekend out of it. Definitely a location I would recommend coming to visit though!
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