Want to capture stunning photos of Mount Fuji? Here are some great photo spots along Lake Kawaguchi in Japan

Text & Photos /Paperclip 'Food, Photography & Joy'

To be honest, I'm not the most diligent traveler. I don’t necessarily follow every must-do, must-see, or must-eat itinerary that everyone raves about. I have my own planned route, but in the end, it’s all about fate.

My initial reason for coming to the Lake Kawaguchi area of Mount Fuji wasn’t to chase after Mount Fuji sightings or to collect every possible angle of the mountain. I only stayed here for five days because it happened to coincide with the New Year, and being with the mountain was meant to bring me good fortune—like smooth sailing and continuous success (I’m a bit superstitious about these things). But it seems I really do have a special connection with this sacred Japanese mountain. During my five days here, I saw the peak of Mount Fuji every single day, and it was truly stunning no matter how I photographed it.

I previously wrote a “guide” article about photographing Mount Fuji, Reverse Fuji, and Diamond Fuji at Lake Yamanaka. This time, it’s about Lake Kawaguchi. But this isn’t a guide—just where I took those photos. Almost anywhere along the shores of Lake Kawaguchi offers a great view of Mount Fuji, so you just need to hope for good weather.

The first and the following photo were taken on my first day at Lake Kawaguchi when I stayed at the New Century Hotel. The bus stop is roughly between “Fuurin Tei (Stop 14)” and “Rousantei (Stop 15)”. Beyond “Rousantei” is the Kawaguchiko Bridge, which has a tunnel—I only went as far as there.

In the article about Lake Yamanaka, I mentioned that there are several classic ways to photograph Mount Fuji. One is Reverse Fuji, which is what most people seek, and you should try to shoot it as early as possible. Another is Diamond Fuji, which is a winter evening-only phenomenon when the setting sun aligns perfectly with the crater of Mount Fuji, creating a stunning backlight effect. Then there’s Red Fuji or Crimson Fuji, where the snow on the mountain reflects a dreamy purplish-pink glow during sunrise or sunset, depending on the season. The photo above is a winter Red Fuji, but unfortunately, the wind was too strong, and the lake surface was rippled, so I couldn’t capture both Reverse Fuji and Red Fuji in one shot.

After staying two days at Lake Yamanaka, I returned to Lake Kawaguchi and switched hotels. This time, I stayed past the Kawaguchiko Bridge, near “Ongakunomori (Stop 17)” (I’ll write about the accommodation later). The famous Shuhoukaku Rikyu Hotel is also in this area. The weather wasn’t great that day—there were many clouds—but in the evening, I managed to capture Mount Fuji wearing a “hat.” Below is the Kawaguchiko Bridge, and the overall scene was quite nice.

This was a lazy shot from my room, looking out at a small boat dock below.

The next day, the weather was clear, and the color temperature in the evening made for the most beautiful photos—you definitely want to catch this magical hour. This was also taken from my hotel room.

This was also taken from my hotel room. By then, it was already minus 12 degrees Celsius outside. I didn’t bring a tripod, so I placed my camera (Canon G7X mark ii) on the iron window frame to take the shot (I was really worried it would fall!). I set the aperture to the smallest F11, exposure time to 25 seconds, and ISO to 1600. Although Mount Fuji isn’t very clear, the lights of the bridge, the starbursts from the hotel lights, and even the stars in the sky came out really well.

I say I’m not diligent, but I’m willing to wake up early and go out for the sake of photography because early morning outings often yield great results. This is a perfect Reverse Fuji before dawn.

As the sun gradually rises, Red Fuji appears ! But the wind is also picking up, and Reverse Fuji is still barely visible.

Can you say Mount Fuji isn’t enchanting?

When the weather is good, I highly recommend taking the cable car up to Tenjozan Park to capture a panoramic view of Mount Fuji. This photo was also taken with the Canon G7X mark ii.

The last photo was taken at Saiko Iyashino-Sato Nenba (Healing Village Nenba) at Lake Sai.

I actually visited all five lakes of Mount Fuji, but because I did something silly, I only passed by Lake Motosu and Lake Shoji by bus. Lake Shoji has a “Baby Fuji” view—that’s the photo I randomly took from the bus, shown below. Lake Motosu has a spot where you can see Mount Fuji reflected perfectly in the water, which many photographers go for.

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