Mt Fuji Guide: How to enjoy Chureito Pagoda with kids

Have you seen that famous photo of the temple and Mt Fuji in the distance?

We went there on the weekend!

It has been on my dream list for years and finally we made it there.

AND the cherry blossoms were in bloom!

I was worried about getting up the mountain with my kids, but I was pleasantly surprised that we not only made it to the top but we also had a great time!

If you are hoping to visit this amazing location with a baby or young kids, make sure you read my tips below!

Tips:

1.Stroller

Surprisingly, it is stroller-friendly!!

I was totally shocked as I had done alot of research (in both English and Japanese) about the location but I didn’t find any information about this, so this was a wonderful discovery.

There are 2 ways to climb the mountain – either by the stairs (15min) or by the winding path (20-30min). The winding path is perfect if you have a stroller!

Check the map below for the location of the entrance of the winding path, as it is quite hidden from view.

Basically the entrance to the slope is on the left-hand side of the stairs – so you need to follow the road around to the left and then you will find the entrance to the slope.

Note: The winding path will take you to the base of the pagoda, but you will need to climb up a few stairs to the lookout to take photos with Mt Fuji in the background. So you will need to leave your stroller down next to the pagoda while you walk up to take photos.

2.Food

There is no food or vending machines (or at least not in the early morning that I could see – we went there at 6am). There were some food trucks on the base of the stairs, but they must open later because they weren’t open in the early morning at 6-8am.

So make sure you bring water and snacks with you!

If you have young kids they may be happy to walk up the stairs, so they will be puffed and thirsty after all the hiking!

There is a lovely area to the right of the pagoda where we sat to have a picnic, so I highly recommend to take a break there with your kids! It was so beautiful.

3.How to get there

Most people catch the train to Shimoyoshida Station and then walk to the pagoda. But my trick was to catch a taxi!

This way my kids didn’t get tired before we had even arrived at the temple, especially as I knew it would be a good 15min walk up the mountain.

So I caught a taxi from my hotel to the base of the mountain at 6am.

This was fantastic! I highly recommend it. It only cost about 1000yen ($10) from my hotel (it depends on where you are staying. We stayed near Mt Fuji Station, so it was about 10min in the taxi).

When it was time to leave, we were lucky there was another taxi at the base of the mountain waiting for customers.

So we jumped in and he took us directly to our breakfast location. The kids were happy and I was happy! It was perfect.

Details:

Name: Chureito Pagoda
Address: 3353-1 Arakura, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Google map link

Watch the video below!

Watch the video for more tips!

Chureito Pagoda map access with kids stroller — I took this photo of the map at the location. It shows the winding path that goes up the mountain perfect if you have a stroller!

Chureito Pagoda Mt Fuji with kids picnic — The cherry blossoms were in bloom so it was absolutely beautiful! This is a perfect picnic spot with your kids, located to the right-hand side of the pagoda. Make sure you take a rest here!

Chureito Pagoda Mt Fuji with kids — The view of Mt Fuji was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend to go early in the morning to get the best view!

Chureito Pagoda tips for families with stroller and kids — We arrived at the pagoda at 6am, and there were already a few people were coming down after watching the sunrise. The crowds started to arrive at about 7:30am, so I definitely recommend to get there before 7am to enjoy before it starts to get crowded (especially in cherry blossom season!)

Chureito Pagoda fun with kids — This is the base of the pagoda. As you can see it was level ground and easy to walk around with a stroller if you want to bring yours! I definitely would have brought my stroller if my kids were smaller (as I couldn’t carry them up the stairs!)

Chureito Pagoda Mt Fuji fun with kids — Here are are at the top!

Chureito Pagoda Mt Fuji fun with kids climbing stairs — Heading back down the stairs. The view of Mt Fuji was absolutely amazing. Every time I saw it I was amazed! As you can see there were alot more people making their way up the stairs by 8am. I’m glad we went early!

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