People had all sorts of lens. But guess what: I just used my phone. The place is unbelievable itself.

The whole point is to take in the views. Give yourself at least 2 hours here otherwise don’t go.

The most convenient place to stay would be near fujiyoshida bus station for the best choice of air b&b / hotels

To catch a perfect sunrise of Mt Fuji is spotty due to morning fog and good percent of just overcast. The local saying is that Mt Fuji is a shy mountain ... meaning that its often hiding behind clouds! Luckily we had a clear morning when we visited last year and it was grand and majestic. The lighting will change throughout the day and sometimes even within hours as the cloud moves in and out. I suggest to drive to different positions and elevations to enjoy the landscape. We drove up to 5th station and get a close up view of the mountain and to Shiraito Falls later in the afternoon. Good Luck and have a wonderful time !

Yes! It can be done, you can catch a bus really early (around 6:30 am) from Shinjuku. Arrive to kawaguchiko station and then catch a train to Shiniyoshida Station. Then go back to kawaguchiko station and go back to Tokyo. I believe you can grab a train all together, but I didn’t consider that option cuz it was very expensive. I think that, if you can, it is worth staying at least one night by Kawaguchiko Lake. But it can definitely be done in one trip. Also, I believe there are some tours that offer a one day trip from Tokyo. Hope this helps.

E' un edificio abbastanza recente in cui non si può entrare; probabilmente dalle foto lo si crede più grande di quello che è, la sua notorietà è dovuta solo al fatto di essere stato fotografato una miriade di volte col Fuji sullo sfondo. Io l'ho abbinato alla funivia Kachi Kachi e ad una passeggiata sul Lago Kawaguchi.

It is pretty much impossible to detemine the fog condition until the day of your visit. From my previous visit in the morning (around 9am) I had to wait around 1 hour up in the mountain for the fog to clear to get a decent view of Mt Fuji. But that was in early April in which the weather was still cold (below 10 degrees celcius), so I can't imagine how cold it would be when you and your family visits in late December. And also I have to mention that you need to climb 400 (plus) steps up the mountain and back.

I went there by bus ... and I came back with a local train, very nice trip only if there is good weather! io ci sono andato in pullman ... e sono tornato con un treno locale, viaggio molto carino solo se c'è bel tempo !