Guide · Best season

Kawaguchiko onsen in winter, and the rest of the year

A hot bath feels best in cold air, and Kawaguchiko onsen in winter adds the clearest views of the year. Here is how each season changes the baths, the mountain, our day trip and what you should pack.

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Editorial team, mountfujionsen.comUpdated October 23, 2026read in 6 minutes19 sources

The tour that goes with it Fuji day trip with a hot spring stop 4.4 (127 reviews) 10 hours5th Station entry fee includedHot spring or outlet, your pick from$50per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until 24 hrs ahead

Season by season

01Clearest: January: 212.3 hours of sunshine at Kawaguchiko.¹
02Coldest: January lows average -5.7 °C at the lake.²
03Wettest: September: 264.7 mm of rain on average.³
04Red Fuji: Benifuji no Yu opens at 6:00 on winter weekends.⁴
05Tour changes: Arakura Sengen Park replaces the Fifth Station in winter.

Why winter suits an onsen trip

Hot water and cold air are the classic combination, and the north side of Mount Fuji supplies plenty of both. The Japan Meteorological Agency's Kawaguchiko observatory, on the north shore of the lake, records average daily lows below freezing from December to March, with January the coldest at -5.7 °C.² Stepping from that air into an open-air bath is the moment the whole trip is built around. The contrast is sharpest in the open-air tubs, where steam rises off the water and your shoulders feel the frost while the rest of you stays warm.

Winter is also when the mountain shows itself most often. January brings 212.3 sunny hours on average at the observatory, December 199.9, and rainy June only 122.8.¹ ⁵ ⁶ Clear air means a sharp outline of the snow cap from the bath, and fewer days lost to cloud.

The trade-offs are real. Winter days are short, with about 10 hours of daylight at mid-January by our calculation, and snow can fall: the observatory averages 37 cm of snowfall in January and 28 cm in February.² ¹ ⁷ Pack warm layers, plan your soak for daylight, and accept that some roads are slower in the morning.

The year

Dates that shape a Fuji onsen trip

October

Yeti opens

Its first slope opens each October.⁸
Mid-December

Fujiten opens

The north-side resort's planned opening.⁹
December to March

Red Fuji baths

Benifuji no Yu opens at 6:00 on weekends.⁴
1 Dec to 25 Apr

Arakura on the tour

The Fifth Station roads are closed by snow.
Early June

Yurari maintenance

The day bath closes for a few days.¹⁰
July to 10 September

Climbing season

Summit trails open in summer only.¹¹

The red Fuji and the dawn bath

The most famous winter sight from a bath near the mountain is the red Fuji, the snow cap glowing pink in the first light. Benifuji no Yu at Lake Yamanaka is named for it, and on weekends and holidays from December to March it opens at 6:00 so that bathers can see it.⁴ Yamanashi's official guide says Mount Fuji can be seen from all of its baths.¹²

At Lake Kawaguchi the inns open their baths early too. Ubuya reopens its baths from 5:00 in the morning, and Konansou's public baths open at 5:00.¹³ ¹⁴ A soak at dawn, with the mountain catching the light and the lake still, is reason enough to book a night rather than a day trip in winter.

Dress for the walk between the changing room and the open-air bath. The water is hot, but the air at sunrise is the coldest of the day, and a wet head in freezing wind is unpleasant. Keep a hat for the walk back to your room and dry your hair well before going outside. A thermos of tea for the drive and a scarf for the evening make the cold part of the day easier.

Month by month

Darkness and rainy days at Kawaguchiko

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Each bar pairs the mid-month hours of darkness, our own calculation, with how many days reach 1 mm of rain at JMA's Kawaguchiko observatory, 1991 to 2020.²

Climate

Kawaguchiko through the year

Month	Daylight (h)	Darkness (h)	High / low	Wet days	Red Fuji baths
Jan	10	14	6 / -6 °C	5	Benifuji 6:00 weekends
Feb	10.9	13.1	7 / -5 °C	5	Benifuji 6:00 weekends
Mar	11.9	12.1	11 / -1 °C	9	Benifuji 6:00 weekends
Apr	13.1	10.9	16 / 4 °C	9	Usual bath hours
May	14	10	21 / 9 °C	9	Usual bath hours
Jun	14.5	9.5	23 / 14 °C	12	Usual bath hours
Jul	14.3	9.7	27 / 18 °C	12	Usual bath hours
Aug	13.5	10.5	28 / 19 °C	10	Usual bath hours
Sep	12.5	11.5	24 / 15 °C	11	Usual bath hours
Oct	11.4	12.6	18 / 9 °C	10	Usual bath hours
Nov	10.3	13.7	14 / 2 °C	7	Usual bath hours
Dec	9.8	14.2	9 / -3 °C	5	Benifuji 6:00 weekends

Highs, lows and days with 1 mm of rain or more come from the Japan Meteorological Agency's Kawaguchiko observatory, 1991 to 2020; the hours of daylight at mid-month are worked out by us from the latitude.² Season according to Yamanashi Prefecture Tourism.⁴

Three seasons

Winter, summer or autumn?

Clearest views

Winter

December to March

January sun: 212.3 hours
January low: -5.7 °C
Highlight: Red Fuji at dawn

Compare seasons

Climb and soak

Summer

July and August

August high: 28.1 °C
Climbing: Summer season only
Watch for: Rain and cloud

Compare seasons

Color and snow

Autumn

October and November

October high: 18.3 °C
Ski: Yeti opens
Watch for: Cold nights

Compare seasons

Decision helper

When should you go?

Pick what matters most to you

The clearest view of Fuji from the bath The red Fuji at sunrise A climb followed by a soak The Fifth Station on the day trip Skiing and an onsen

January

The lake sees 212.3 sunny hours that month on average.¹

December to March weekends

Benifuji no Yu opens at 6:00 on those days for it.⁴

July or August

The summit trails are open only in the summer season.¹¹

26 April to 30 November

The tour visits Arakura Sengen Park the rest of the year.

October onward

Yeti's first slope opens each year in October.⁸

Spring and early summer

Spring warms quickly at the lake. Average highs at Kawaguchiko rise from 10.5 °C in March to 20.6 °C in May, while lows climb above freezing in April.² Spring evenings stay cool enough that the open-air bath still feels like a treat. Plan a dawn soak in spring too: the light on the mountain is soft and the lake can be still in the first hour.

Our day trip changes in spring. From 1 December to 25 April the roads to the Fifth Station are closed by snow and the tour visits Arakura Sengen Park with the Chureito Pagoda instead; from 26 April it goes up to the Fifth Station. Either way it ends with the same choice of a hot spring or the outlets.

June is the rainy month. Sunshine at Kawaguchiko drops to 122.8 hours on average, and the mountain hides behind cloud for days at a time.⁶ Yurari also closes for maintenance in early June, so check its notices before you plan around it.¹⁰

Checklist

Packing by season

Winter

Warm layers and a hat for the walk to the bath
An early alarm for the dawn soak
Shoes with grip for icy mornings

Summer and autumn

A light rain layer for June and September
Sunscreen for long days
Bath closure notices before you go

Video

Calm, Cold, and Beautiful: Seeing Mt. Fuji at Her Best in Kawaguchiko

The player loads on your tap, not before.

High summer and the climbing season

July and August are the warmest months, with average highs of 27.2 °C and 28.1 °C at the lake, and also some of the wettest.² Summer days are long, with more than 14 hours of daylight at mid-July by our calculation, so an evening soak with the mountain in view is possible after a full day out.² Bring a light layer even in August: lows at the lake average 18.5 °C that month.²

Summer is also the climbing season. In 2026 the summit trails opened on 1 July or 10 July, depending on the trail, and closed on 10 September.¹¹ A soak after the descent is one of the best baths of the year; two guided 2-day climbs from Tokyo include a hot spring at the end.

Rain peaks in September, when the lake collects 264.7 mm in an average year.³ Keep plans flexible and pack a light rain layer for the walks between baths, restaurants and the coach.

Autumn: color and the first snow on the summit

Autumn is a fine compromise. Highs fall from 23.8 °C in September to 13.8 °C in November, and lows drop close to freezing by the end of the season.² The air clears after the September rains, and the first snow appears on the summit.

The maple colors are a big draw around the lakes. One coach day from Tokyo even changes its route for them: from about 30 October to 25 November it visits the Kawaguchiko maple corridor instead of Oishi Park. Book your room early if you want those weeks. A soak after a walk among the colored trees is one of the quieter pleasures of the year.

Autumn also opens the snow season early. Yeti, the ski resort on the mountain's Second Station, opens its first slope in October each year.⁸ Fujiten, on the north side, plans to open in mid-December.⁹

Closures and dates to check

Baths and inns close for maintenance at fixed points in the year. Yurari closes in early June and in December, and posts the exact dates on its website.¹⁰ Fuji Hakkei no Yu closes on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, unless that day is a holiday.¹⁵ Read the notices page of any bath on your list the week before you travel.

Some inns close for a few days in winter. Konansou, for example, closes from 7 to 11 December 2026 and from 25 to 27 January 2027.¹⁶ And Fujiyama Onsen in Fujiyoshida has been closed since June with no reopening date, whatever the season.¹⁷

From 1 April 2027, any stay in Fujikawaguchiko carries an accommodation tax of 200 yen per person per night.¹⁸ It applies all year, but it is worth knowing if you are planning a spring trip around that date.

Our pick of the months

For the onsen alone, choose January or February: the coldest air, the clearest skies and the red Fuji at dawn on weekends at Benifuji no Yu.¹ ⁴ Book a lakeside room that faces the mountain and set an early alarm. If you can only travel on a weekend, book well ahead, since rooms that face the mountain are limited; Konansou, for one, has 10.¹⁹

For a mix of sightseeing and bathing, late October and November work well: colors around the lakes, the first snow on the summit, mild days and fewer rainy days than September.² ³ The day trip still goes to the Fifth Station until 30 November. Pack for both warm afternoons and cold evenings at that time of year.

For a climb with a soak at the end, it has to be July or August, inside the official season.¹¹ And whatever the month, check the forecast the day before: the tour's listing reminds you that visibility depends on the weather.

Your Fuji day