Arakurayama Sengen Park
新倉山浅間公園
A viewpoint park world-famous for its composition of the vermilion Chureito five-story pagoda, cherry blossoms, and Mount Fuji together. It is often seen as Japan's most iconic postcard image.
Arakurayama Sengen Park lies on the mountainside of Arakura Mountain in Fujiyoshida. The Chureito Pagoda, a vermilion five-story memorial pagoda built in 1963, stands with Mount Fuji behind it and spring cherry blossoms around it, forming the best-known Japanese landscape composition in the world. From the foot of the mountain at Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine, it takes about 398 steps (roughly 15 minutes) to reach the observation deck, which sits slightly higher and behind the pagoda. Mornings, with the light from the east and the mountain at its clearest, are best. The park is free to enter. During cherry blossom season (usually early to mid-April), the observation deck runs timed queues for photos. Apart from cherry blossoms, autumn foliage and clear winter days after snowfall are also very photogenic. Getting there: get off at Shimo-Yoshida Station on the Fujikyu Line and walk about 20 minutes to the foot of the mountain, or take the Loop Bus from Kawaguchiko Station. Note that during cherry blossom season, 6 to 8 a.m. has the fewest people and the best photos, while weekend midday queues can exceed an hour. The steps are steep. If you are with elderly people or children, use the sloped path alongside them.
Opening hours
Open all day (observation deck capacity limited during cherry blossom season)
Nearby sights
- Honcho Street, Fujiyoshida
- Fuji-Q Highland
- Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
- Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja
- Lawson Kawaguchiko Station (Mt. Fuji Lawson)
- Lake Kawaguchi
- Itchiku Kubota Art Museum
- Oshino Hakkai