Information checked: November 1, 2026 at 8:36 AM JST.
Planning to travel from Shinjuku to Mt. Fuji’s Subaru Line Fifth Station on or after November 1, 2026? Change the bus plan before booking. The operator says its seasonal fifth-station services now start and finish at Kawaguchiko Station. To continue up the mountain independently, check the local fifth-station bus as a separate leg rather than expecting to stay on the Tokyo coach.
Key Facts For Travelers
Your Tokyo Bus Is Still Useful—Its Mountain Extension Has Changed
The official Highwaybus.com notice identifies the two services in each direction that had operated on the fifth-station pattern since September 11. From November 1, those services become Kawaguchiko Station services, with the number of departures maintained. This does not mean that Shinjuku–Kawaguchiko travel has stopped.
Check the actual boarding and arrival points in the booking system for your travel date. A summer screenshot, old through-bus listing or ticket price for a different destination is not enough to plan a November journey. The linked November–December timetable is the relevant seasonal reference; this article does not establish a timetable beyond December 31.
Our practical suggestion is to use Kawaguchiko as the point where you decide whether to continue to the mountain. If you are staying overnight near the lake, that gives you room to check conditions before committing to the optional sightseeing stop.
Build the Return Before Adding the Fifth Station
Fujikyu Bus’s currently displayed local timetable, effective October 1, connects Kawaguchiko Station with Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station. Its final listed descent leaves at 15:50 and reaches Kawaguchiko at 16:35. Those are scheduled times, not a guaranteed operation or a protected connection to a Tokyo coach.
Allow room for delays and the transfer rather than booking an onward departure immediately after the printed arrival. Pick an earlier descent if that gives your trip a more workable margin. For a late arrival from Tokyo, visiting the lake area can be a better use of the day than rushing up and straight back down.
The local return fare in the facts above is only the mountain segment. Confirm ticket purchase and payment arrangements for your date; do not assume that a highway-bus reservation includes the local bus or reserves a seat on it. Total travel cost and door-to-door time depend on the journeys you choose.
Check Road Operation Separately from the Timetable
The local operator suspends this bus when the Subaru Line is closed or operating only to the first station. When the road is open only to the fourth station, the bus turns there. Check Fujikyu Bus’s current service information before leaving for the mountain; the November highway-bus change does not confirm how high the road or local bus will operate that day.
The official climbing website says the 2026 climbing season has ended and the Yoshida route from the fifth station to the summit is closed for winter. A sightseeing bus is not permission to enter a closed trail. Our separate fifth-station walking-link closure guide explains the additional November 1 restrictions.
Keep a flexible alternative using our Lake Kawaguchiko travel guide. Neither a mountain trip nor a lakeside plan guarantees a clear view of Mt. Fuji.
About the Image
The illustration shows the idea of changing buses. It does not depict the actual station layout, vehicle assignment, platform or transfer distance, and it does not imply that two buses wait for each other.
Traveler Actions
- For November 1 onward, check Kawaguchiko Station as the arrival/departure point for the affected Shinjuku services.
- Check the mountain-bus outward and return journeys independently before fixing your Tokyo return.
- Budget for both transport segments and confirm their separate ticket arrangements.
- Recheck actual road and bus operation, obey trail closures and keep a Kawaguchiko alternative.
Official Sources
- Official Highwaybus.com / Keio Bus notice: November 1 change from fifth-station services to Kawaguchiko
- Operator-linked Shinjuku–Fuji Five Lakes timetable: November 1–December 31, 2026 (PDF)
- Fujikyu Bus: current local fifth-station timetable, fares and road-closure operating rules
- Fujikyu Bus: current service information and operator contacts
- Official Mt. Fuji climbing website: 2026 season ended and winter route closures
Update History
- November 1, 2026: Published a new guide to the Shinjuku service change effective today, checked against the official notice, November–December highway timetable, local-bus information and official climbing status. Travel-day road/bus operation, seats, connection margins and total trip cost remain date-specific.
