It’s a question that arises frequently in relation to Japan travels: how to get to the Chureito Pagoda from Tokyo followed closely by inquiries as to the possibility of using a JR Pass to travel there. It’s possible to use the JR Pass for most of the journey to the Chureito Pagoda before switching lines and purchasing a ticket for the final part of the trip. Read on for a detailed breakdown of how to get to the Chureito Pagoda by JR Pass as well as the other transport options available.
Traveling in Japan
We travelled throughout the country with a green JR Pass which we purchased prior to travelling to Japan. It’s also possible to use this for the train journey to the Chureito Pagoda – you can check out the latest prices for green and ordinary passes on Japan Rail Pass where we purchased our JR passes.
Click here for the best JR Pass prices!
How to get to Chureito Pagoda by JR Pass
You will need to budget almost a full day to visit the Chureito Pagoda by train. It’s possible to make most of the journey using your JR Pass however you will need to switch to the Fujikyu Railway Line to travel between Otsuki and Shimoyoshida and purchase a separate ticket for this portion of the journey. The ticket costs ¥960 which is less than US $10.
Option 1: Ltd Exp Kaiji
- From Tokyo Shinjuku take the Ltd Exp Kaiji to Otsuki – the journey time is 62 minutes
- Switch to the Fujikyu Railway Line to travel between Otsuki and Shimoyoshida – the journey time is 43 minutes and the ticket costs ¥960 (less than US $10)
- The Arakura Sengen Shrine with the Chureito Pagoda is a ten to fifteen minute walk from Shimoyoshida Station and requires a 400 step climb to the view point.
Option 2: JR Chuo
- From Tokyo Shinjuku take the JR Chuo Special Rapid Service for Otsuki to Takao Tokyo – the journey time is 40 minutes
- At Takao Tokyo switch to the JR Chuo Line to travel between Takao and Otsuki – the journey time is 36 minutes
- Switch to the Fujikyu Railway Line to travel between Otsuki and Shimoyoshida – the journey time is 43 minutes and the ticket costs ¥960 (less than US $10)
- The Arakura Sengen Shrine with the Chureito Pagoda is a ten to fifteen minute walk from Shimoyoshida Station and requires a 400 step climb to the view point.
Other ways to get to Chureito Pagoda
It’s also possible to make the journey to the Chureito Pagoda by bus, rental car or to join a private tour.
Option 1: Bus
Fujikyuko Bus and Keio Bus operate an express service between Shinjuku and Kawaguchiko Station and Shibuya and Kawaguchiko Station with tickets costing ¥1,750 and a journey time of less than 2 hours. The train from Kawaguchiko to Otsuki costs ¥300 (less than US $10) and the journey time is 13 minutes. The Arakura Sengen Shrine with the Chureito Pagoda is a ten to fifteen minute walk from Shimoyoshida Station and requires a 400 step climb to the view point.
Option 2: Rental Car
This is probably the best option for getting to the Chureito Pagoda. A much quicker and more flexible option is to rent a car which takes around 2 hours each way from Tokyo. We rented a car in Tokyo for the day and it was an amazing experience and allowed us to squeeze in a lot in a single day. The flexibility of the car meant we could visit Nikko, the Chureito Pagoda and Hakone all in one day from Tokyo which would simply not have been possible with public transport. The rental cars are very reasonably priced in Tokyo and although the tolls can add up( we spent around $40 in one day) the flexibility of the car was more than worth it. RentalCars.com offer some of the best prices for renting cars – check prices now!
Click here for the best rental car prices!
Option 3: Private Tour
Although expensive, another option that will allow you to see everything in the Mount Fuji area in one day is a day tour from Tokyo. Here’s an example of a private tour which takes in everything in the area including the Arakura Sengen Shrine – check tour prices here!
Click here to book a tour to the Chureito Pagoda
Thank you!! Im traveling to Japan in 2 weeks and there is no clear info on how to get to Chureito Pagoda but you gave me all the answers I need, thanks! 🙂
Have a fab trip Michelle!
Thank you for this. I had some doubts and now I can go secure of what I’m doing! I’m going next week, thank you so much!
Hi. Thanks for the information. I’m planning to visit Chuerito Pagoda on end of November. Hoping for peak autumn during my visit. Btw how much is approx of total duration for visiting chuerito ? From shimo yoshida to go up until back to shimo yoshida? Thanks in advance
Hi Hannah
We spent a few hours there – it was super cloudy and we had to hang around waiting for Mount Fuji to peek through the clouds! If you’re limited for time you could spend anything from a few minutes there enjoying the views.
Elaine
Once you get to the area, what’s the walking path to the pagoda? Are there signs? Are there a lot of other people/tour groups there that we can follow?
Hello,
Thank you for the detail information. Was wondering when did you rented a car? Was the toll fee for there and back? I read that some car rental companies have a card that will reduce the toll for foreigners. Was this something you did?
We are going in March 2024 with a group of 10 people and are exploring options.
Hi Mish. We rented a car close to Tokyo Station. We visited Nikko, Mount Fuji and Hakone with the car. Tolls on the way out of Tokyo were nothing significant, however there were a number of big tolls on the way back into the city that we paid with cash. We didnt know about the card, the ETC card, when we rented, however most of the rental companies offer them . You request it from your rental car company and use it for toll. The rental car company will then charge your credit card at the end of your rental. This is a much easier way than paying in cash, which can be time consuming and complicated!