How to Get to Aokigahara Forest
Everything converges on Kawaguchiko Station. What you do from there decides how much of the forest you actually get.
The four optionsFour ways in, and what each one costs you
Aokigahara Forest sits at the north-western foot of Mount Fuji, about a hundred kilometres from central Tokyo. Kawaguchiko is the gateway for all of it: rail, highway coach and every guided departure converge on that one station, and the forest begins twenty minutes further west.
The choice is really between four modes, and they differ far more in flexibility than in money.
| How | Tokyo to the trailheads | Rough cost | Flexible? | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train to Kawaguchiko, then local bus | Around 2 hours 30 | Lowest by rail pass | Tied to the bus timetable | Anyone staying at the lake |
| Highway coach from Shinjuku | Around 2 hours direct | Usually cheapest | Tied to both timetables | Budget day trips booked ahead |
| Rental car | Around 2 hours | Fuel plus expressway tolls | Completely | Groups, early starts, winter |
| Guided departure with pick-up | Door to trailhead | Fare covers the transfers | Fixed route, no transfers | A single day out of Tokyo |
By train to Kawaguchiko
The direct services from Shinjuku run to Kawaguchiko Station in around two hours, and the alternative is the Chuo Line to Otsuki and the Fujikyuko Line from there. Either way you arrive at the same small terminus, which is the hub for everything west of it.
Kawaguchiko Station is where the guided walks collect you, where the local buses leave from, and where the luggage lockers are. Arriving before nine in the morning leaves the whole cave day open; arriving after midday does not.
By local busThe Green Line Retro Bus from Kawaguchiko Station
The Green Line Retro Bus is the service that matters here. It runs west from Kawaguchiko Station along the lake shore and out towards the cave trailheads, reaching the Saiko Bat Cave stop in roughly half an hour. The Blue Line covers the neighbouring route and stops at Michi-no-eki Narusawa, about twenty-five minutes and 680 yen from Kawaguchiko, which is the meeting point for one of the guided walks.
Buses are frequent enough in the middle of the day and thin at both ends of it. Photograph the return timetable at the stop where you get off, before you walk away from it.
By carDriving, and where to leave the car
The expressway from Tokyo runs to the Kawaguchiko interchange in about two hours outside the weekend rush, and the last stretch to the caves is an ordinary two-lane road through the trees. Each of the three lava caves has its own car park at its own entrance, and Michi-no-eki Narusawa gives a larger one with facilities.
A car turns the three caves into a comfortable half day and removes the last-bus problem entirely. In winter it is worth more still, because the light goes early and the bus frequency drops with it.
Let somebody else drive it
Guided departures collect you at Kawaguchiko Station or at your Tokyo hotel and hand back the whole timetable problem. Fares start at From $55 per person, refundable in full up to 24 hours ahead.
Walking between the three caves
The three lava caves are not far apart, and the marked paths between them run through the forest rather than beside the road. Narusawa Ice Cave and Fugaku Wind Cave are the closest pair and the walk between them takes a comfortable twenty minutes; Saiko Bat Cave sits further west again.
Done on foot, the three of them plus the walking in between make a natural half day. That is the version of this place most visitors remember, and it costs three cave tickets and a bus fare.
Pick-up pointsWhere each departure collects you
| Departure | Picks up at | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Explore Mt. Fuji Ice Cave in Aokigahara Forest | Kawaguchiko Station, with pickup around Lake Kawaguchiko | 3 hours |
| Exploring Mt Fuji Ice Cave and Sea of Trees Forest | Roadside Station Narusawa, with a shuttle from around Kawaguchiko Station | 3 hours |
| Full Day Tour to Mount Fuji with Guide in Spanish | Mishima Station north exit, 8:20am | 9 hours |
| Private Mt Fuji Tour from Tokyo: Scenic BBQ & Hidden Gems | Tokyo, Nakano Station 9:00am, or Kawaguchiko Station 10:30am | 9 to 10 hours |
| Tokyo to Mt Fuji & Hakone Private Tour With Custom Itinerary | Tokyo and Tokyo 23 wards, with hotel pickup | 10 to 11 hours |
| Hidden Fuji drive tour with a Local English speaking guide | Kawaguchiko and Fujiyoshida only — pickup for travellers already in the area | 6 hours |
| Private Guided Tour of the Mount Fuji Region (English/French) | The operator's shop at Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko | 5 hours |
| Mt Fuji Hidden Gem & Gotemba Premium Outlets with Local Driver | Tokyo, with hotel pickup | 11 hours |
| Mt Fuji Hidden Gem Custom Car Tour with Licensed Guide & Driver | Tokyo — pickup from any address, hotels and rentals included | 10 to 11 hours |
Anything collecting you in Tokyo is a nine to eleven hour day and about four of those hours are road. Anything collecting you at Kawaguchiko is back before lunch.
The arithmeticWhat the journey itself costs
The rail leg from Shinjuku and the highway coach are close enough in price that the choice usually comes down to departure times rather than money. The local bus out to Michi-no-eki Narusawa is 680 yen one way from Kawaguchiko, and the cave stops further along the Green Line Retro Bus route cost broadly the same.
Add three cave admissions at 350 yen each and a day built entirely on public transport still comes in well under the cheapest guided fare. What it does not buy is the equipment, the unlit tubes or a lift back after the last service.
Getting backGetting back, and the mistake that shortens a day
The rest of the practical detail sits on Aokigahara Forest Tours: Visiting the Forest has the cave fees and the opening hours, Things to Do sets out what to fit between the trailheads, and the FAQs take the short questions. Most Aokigahara Forest tour from Tokyo departures remove all of this by collecting you at your hotel.