Aokigahara Forest Ice Cave Tour from Kawaguchiko

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Three hours under the Sea of Trees

This is the cheapest way into Aokigahara Forest with somebody who can explain it, and the only short walk here that ends inside a lava tube rather than a ticketed show cave. A guide collects you at Kawaguchiko Station, drives twenty minutes west, and spends the first part of the morning on the forest floor.

The descent comes second, and it is a genuine descent: a ladder, a low chamber and ice underfoot. More traveller ratings sit behind this departure than any other short walk here, which tells you how consistently it runs.

What the guide points at before you go down

The half hour above ground is not filler. The lava of 864 never weathered into soil, so the trees root sideways across the rock, and the difference between one hemlock lying flat and its neighbour standing upright is the whole story of the forest in two trunks. Travellers who wrote about this walk mention the flora and the fungi more often than the ice.

Moss covers everything that does not move, and the fungi underneath it are doing the job soil would normally do. None of it is signed, and almost none of it is obvious.

The descent, honestly

You climb down rather than walk in. The chamber at the bottom is low enough that an adult stoops, the floor carries ice for most of the year, and the only light is the one on your helmet. Travellers describe it as slightly exposed but not difficult, and the guide stays with the group on the ladder.

If that reads as more than you want, the walk that stays on the surface and enters the ticketed caves instead is the Sea of Trees and ice cave walk, which has handrails throughout.

What the fare already covers

Who this suits — and who should book something else

This suits you if you are staying around Kawaguchiko, you have a spare morning, and the idea of a ladder into the dark appeals rather than worries you. It suits anyone who wants the geology explained rather than merely walked past.

Book something else if ladders, low ceilings or enclosed spaces are not for you. The Sea of Trees and ice cave walk covers the same forest with cave admission included and railed passages, and the listing for this departure states that it is not suitable during pregnancy or for anyone with a heart condition.

Where you meet the guide

Departure is from Kawaguchiko Station, and pick-up from hotels around Lake Kawaguchiko is included rather than sold as an extra. The alternative meeting point is at Narusawa, closer to the caves themselves, for anyone already out that way.

The walk ends back where it started. Read the voucher rather than this page for your own date, because the operator sets the point per departure.

Know before you go

• Dress for cold, whatever the month. Long sleeves, long trousers and a warm layer; the cave sits below freezing in August.
• Closed shoes with grip are essential. The floor is ice and wet lava, and trainers with a worn sole will not do.
• There is real climbing. A ladder down and back up, with a low chamber at the bottom.
• Food and drink are not included. Eat before you come, or plan lunch at Kawaguchiko afterwards.
• Children need an adult with them. The descent suits older children better than small ones.
• Confirmation is immediate. Cancel free of charge up to 24 hours ahead if the forecast turns.

What travellers say about this walk

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