The Fuji Excursion is the direct limited express from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko, with no change. One way costs ¥4,200 per adult: a ¥2,580 fare plus a ¥1,620 limited-express ticket. Every seat is reserved, and there are four direct trains a day each way, five on seasonal days. The Keio highway bus from Shinjuku costs ¥2,200 and is timed at about 1 hour 45 minutes. Four conditions decide whether the extra ¥2,000 is worth it, in this order:
- What you already hold. A rail pass changes the price most.
- The hours you want. Direct trains go out only in the morning, back only in the afternoon.
- Train, bus or a change at Otsuki. The bus is cheaper; the train stays off the road.
- The tie-break: where you get off, and the seat.
Train fares and times are Fujikyu Railway’s own (timetable from March 14, 2026); the bus figures are Keio’s. All checked October 6, 2026.
Already set on the direct train?
Fuji Excursion reserved seat tickets on Klook
Klook sells Fuji Excursion reserved seat tickets, ordinary car. Check on the listing which section it covers and what it includes before you pay.
Check Fuji Excursion seats on Klook →Sold on Klook (Klook Travel Technology Limited), an online travel agency; the train runs on JR East and Fujikyu lines. Before you pay, check on the listing which section the ticket covers, whether it includes the fare as well as the limited-express fee, how the QR code works for your route, and the refund terms.
First: what you already hold
The Fuji Excursion runs on two companies’ tracks. Shinjuku to Otsuki is JR East; Otsuki to Kawaguchiko is Fujikyu Railway, a private line. That split decides what a rail pass is worth here.
A Japan Rail Pass covers JR lines, so it covers the train as far as Otsuki. Fujikyu is not part of it. From Otsuki you still owe Fujikyu’s fare, ¥1,170 to Kawaguchiko, plus Fujikyu’s share of the Fuji Excursion fee, ¥600. That is ¥1,770 one way, which is less than the ¥2,200 bus. With a Japan Rail Pass, the bus no longer saves you money; the train is cheaper. Neither operator page we read explains how a pass holder buys the Fujikyu part, so ask at the JR East ticket office when you reserve your seat.
A JR Tokyo Wide Pass (¥16,000, three consecutive days) covers Fujikyu Railway too, and JR East names the Fuji Excursion among the trains it covers. You get a seat ticket at a JR East ticket office or machine before boarding. Nothing more to pay on this route.
Buying the Wide Pass only for Fuji does not work out: a round trip on the Fuji Excursion is ¥8,400, about half the pass price. It pays only if the other two days carry long JR trips of their own. Is the JR Tokyo Wide Pass worth it? does that count.
No pass: ¥4,200 against ¥2,200, so go on to the second condition.
Second: the hours you want
The direct trains fit one shape of day. Every one leaves Shinjuku in the morning, and every return leaves Kawaguchiko in the afternoon.
| Fuji Excursion (from March 14, 2026) | Weekdays | Weekends and holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Shinjuku → Kawaguchiko | 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 (+11:34 seasonal) | 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 (+9:02 seasonal) |
| Arrives Kawaguchiko | 9:28, 10:26, 11:28, 12:24 (13:31) | 9:28, 10:26, 11:28, 12:24 (11:15) |
| Kawaguchiko → Shinjuku | 14:08, 14:58, 16:48, 17:41 (+15:39 seasonal) | 14:08, 14:58, 16:48, 17:41 (+16:12 seasonal) |
| Arrives Shinjuku | 16:08, 16:59, 18:48, 19:48 (17:45) | 16:06, 16:58, 18:46, 19:40 (18:29) |
The extra weekday pair runs on weekdays through November 30, 2026; the extra weekend pair runs through November 29, 2026. The fastest run is the 10:30, at 1 hour 54 minutes; most take just under or just over two hours. The trains also stop at Tachikawa and Hachioji, which helps if you sleep on the west side of Tokyo.
What follows from the table:
- You want to leave Tokyo after 10:30, or 11:34 on a weekday this autumn: there is no direct train. Take the bus or change at Otsuki.
- You want to be back before 4 p.m.: the first direct return is the 14:08, arriving 16:06 to 16:08.
- You want a full day at the lakes: the 7:30 out and the 17:41 back give you a little over eight hours there.
Every seat is reserved; there is no unreserved car. Tickets go on sale one month before the travel date at 10:00. When the reserved seats are gone, Fujikyu also sells a seat-unassigned ticket: it fixes only the date and section, with no seat assigned.
Third: train, bus, or a change at Otsuki
With no pass, these are the numbers that decide it.
| One way, adult | Fuji Excursion | Highway bus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ¥4,200 | ¥2,200 |
| Scheduled time | 1 h 54 min to 2 h 13 min | about 1 h 45 min |
| Boards at | Shinjuku, Tachikawa, Hachioji | Shinjuku |
| With a Japan Rail Pass | ¥1,770 | ¥2,200 |
| With a JR Tokyo Wide Pass | nothing more (seat ticket first) | ¥2,200 |
On paper the bus is cheaper and no slower. The difference is the road: the bus’s 1 hour 45 minutes is a scheduled road time, and Fujikyu describes the train as free of traffic jams. If arriving at a set time matters, or you are coming back on the last service of the day, that is what the extra ¥2,000 buys. For two adults with no pass, a round trip costs ¥16,800 by train and ¥8,800 by bus, a difference of ¥8,000.
Keio sells the bus online. Its page gives the fare and the time but not the last bus, so check that on the booking page before you plan your return.
Changing at Otsuki is the third way, and the one to check when the direct seats are sold out or the hour does not suit: a JR train to Otsuki, then Fujikyu. Between Shinjuku and Otsuki the Fuji Excursion itself runs coupled to a Kaiji or Azusa limited express. At Otsuki you change to Fujikyu: the fare to Kawaguchiko is ¥1,170. A local train costs nothing more. Fujikyu’s own limited express adds ¥400, plus ¥200 for a reserved car. The JR part is a separate ticket, so check its times and price with JR East.
Fujikyu also runs two through trains each way between Tokyo and Kawaguchiko with no change, at ordinary fares. They leave Shinjuku in the evening (18:21 and 19:18 on weekdays) and Kawaguchiko before 6:15 in the morning, so they do not fit a day trip.
One practical point for the way back: Kawaguchiko, Fujisan and Shimoyoshida stations have stopped selling tickets for the Azusa and Kaiji limited expresses from Otsuki. Book that leg before you set off.
Fourth, the tie-break: where you get off, and the seat
If the first three conditions leave it close, look at the stops. The Fuji Excursion stops at Shimoyoshida (the station for Arakurayama Sengen Park and the Chureito Pagoda), Fujisan and Fuji-Q Highland before Kawaguchiko. Shinjuku to Shimoyoshida is ¥4,010. If the pagoda is your first stop, the train drops you off there with no change.
On seat side: Fujikyu’s Fuji Excursion page does not say which side of the train faces the mountain, and the English guides that do say disagree with each other. It is not a reason to wait for a different seat or pay more for one. Take the train and the date first.
Booking it: where the decision ends
Fujikyu lists these sellers for the Fuji Excursion: JR East’s English booking site (JR-EAST Train Reservation), Eki-net, JR East ticket offices and reserved-seat machines, major travel agencies, and Fujikyu’s own stations on its line. Sales open one month ahead at 10:00, Japan time.
If you have no pass, the hours in the table fit your day, and you want a fixed arrival time over the ¥2,000 saving, book the train, and book it early, because every seat is reserved. If you hold a JR Tokyo Wide Pass, collect the seat ticket at a JR East office or machine. If you hold a Japan Rail Pass, reserve at a JR East office and ask there how to pay the ¥1,770 Fujikyu part. If you want a later start or the lowest price, book the bus instead.
Booking the direct train from Shinjuku?
Fuji Excursion reserved seat tickets on Klook
Klook lists Fuji Excursion reserved seat tickets, ordinary car. The listing says which sections it sells and how its QR code works; read that, and the refund terms, before you pay.
Check the Fuji Excursion tickets on Klook →Sold on Klook (Klook Travel Technology Limited), an online travel agency; the train runs on JR East and Fujikyu lines. Before you pay, check on the listing which section the ticket covers, whether it includes the fare as well as the limited-express fee, how the QR code works for your route, and the refund terms.
A worked weekday, from Shinjuku
A weekday in October, two adults, no pass. Book the 8:30 a month ahead at 10:00. Get off at Shimoyoshida at 10:13 for the pagoda, then take a Fujikyu train on to Kawaguchiko. Your ¥4,010 ticket to Shimoyoshida ends there, so the onward ride is a separate Fujikyu fare. Spend the afternoon by the lake. The 17:41 gets you back to Shinjuku at 19:48. Two return train trips cost ¥16,800 in total; the bus both ways would be ¥8,800.
A seat booked a month ahead does not come with a clear summit. Fuji can be in cloud on the day.
Next
Mark the date one month before your trip at 10:00 Japan time. That is when the seats for your day go on sale. If you are still choosing between going on your own and a guided tour, Mt. Fuji day tour or on your own? sets out that choice, and Day trips from Tokyo, ranked puts Fuji against your other options for a spare day.
