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Mount Fuji’s Fifth Station in October: buses, return times and what to wear

You can visit Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station in October when the road and bus service are operating. This is a sightseeing trip around the fifth station, not an off-season summit climb. The climbing season has ended, and trails to the summit are closed.

Unjokaku and the plaza at Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station with Mount Fuji behind

From Kawaguchiko, look at the return departures before choosing your outward bus. The autumn timetable has fewer services than summer, and a late arrival leaves little time on the mountain.

Make sure you are going to the right fifth station

Mount Fuji has several fifth stations. This guide covers Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station on the Yamanashi side, reached by bus from Kawaguchiko and Fujisan stations. Schedules for the Fujinomiya or Subashiri fifth stations are for different routes.

From Kawaguchiko: about 55 minutes

Under Fujikyu Bus’s timetable effective October 1, 2026, departures from Kawaguchiko are 9:40am, 10:40am, 11:40am, 1pm and 2pm. Each scheduled journey takes about 55 minutes. Services start at Fujisan Station ten minutes earlier.

A morning arrival gives you more room for a relaxed visit. One workable timetable pairing is Kawaguchiko at 9:40am, fifth station at 10:35am, then the 1:30pm bus down, reaching Kawaguchiko at 2:15pm. Treat that as an itinerary example and allow for queues and road conditions.

The last scheduled bus down is at 3:50pm

Fifth-station departures are 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:50pm and 3:50pm. The final bus reaches Kawaguchiko at 4:35pm and Fujisan Station at 4:45pm. Leave a gap before any onward train or highway bus to Tokyo.

The 2pm bus up reaches the fifth station at 2:55pm, leaving just 55 minutes before the last departure. It can suit a brief look around, but not a leisurely meal and shopping stop.

Visitors in the plaza at Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station in low cloud

Buy the return ticket before going up

Adult fares are ¥3,400 return or ¥2,000 one way; child fares are ¥1,700 return or ¥1,000 one way. Return tickets are valid for two days from sale, while single tickets are valid only on the date sold.

Return tickets are not sold on board. You can pay a single fare on the bus with cash or a transport IC card, but not a credit card. The fifth-station ticket counter takes cash only. For a round trip, buy at a station counter or through a sales link on the operator’s official page before travelling up.

The listed online sales period ends October 30, 2026; that is not an assurance that the road will be open on every date. Check Fujikyu’s timetable and operating conditions before heading to the station.

Bring warmer layers than you need in town

Pack a wind-resistant jacket, warm layers and comfortable walking shoes. The exposed fifth-station area can feel very different from Kawaguchiko, even when the view looks sunny in photographs.

Stay within the open visitor area and keep this trip separate from climbing. Do not enter closed summit trails or count on summer mountain huts and trail facilities.

Keep a lakeside alternative

The bus is cancelled when the Subaru Line is closed or open only as far as the first station. If the road opens only to the fourth station, buses turn back there. A printed departure time does not mean the bus can reach the fifth station that day.

If conditions stop the mountain trip, switch to seeing Fuji from around Kawaguchiko. Having one lower-altitude plan ready makes it easier to change direction in the morning rather than spending the day waiting to go up.

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Official information

Information checked: October 10, 2026.

Photo credits