Yamanashi · FujiyoshidaNo.209★★★Open in map →
Arakurayama Sengen Park
A municipal park on the slopes of Mount Arakura in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, reached by climbing 398 stone steps. At the top stands Chureito, a five-storey war memorial pagoda, with Mount Fuji filling the sky behind it — one of the most recognised images of Japan worldwide.
Arakurayama Sengen Park sits partway up Mount Arakura, a hill rising immediately above the town of Fujiyoshida. The 398 stone steps — locally called the Sakuya Hime stairs — climb about 200 metres through the hillside, lined on both sides with roughly 650 Somei Yoshino cherry trees. At the top of the climb stands Chureito, a five-storey pagoda 19.5 metres tall built between 1959 and 1962 as a war memorial for the 1,055 Fujiyoshida residents who died in wartime. The pagoda is not a Buddhist temple but a civil memorial, and a commemorative service is held each September. Behind it and to the south, Mount Fuji rises to 3,776 metres on clear days with no other ridge between. The combination of the vermilion pagoda, cherry blossoms in full bloom in mid-April, and the white cone of Fuji in a single composition has become one of the most shared images of Japan internationally, and the park draws visitors from around the world in spring.
Background & history
Mount Arakura has been a place of Shinto worship since antiquity; Arakura Sengen Shrine at the foot of the hill is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of Mount Fuji. The park itself was established in October 1959, the same year construction of Chureito began. The pagoda's design took the five-storey pagoda of Shitennoji Temple in Osaka as its architectural reference. In autumn 2013, when the Fuji mountain complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fujiyoshida's status as one of the gateway cities to Fuji was formalised.
What to look for — in walking order
- 398 stone steps (Sakuya Hime stairs)
- the climb through cherry trees to the pagoda — allow about 10 minutes at a steady pace
- Chureito Pagoda
- a 19.5-metre five-storey war memorial tower built 1959–1962, dedicated to local wartime dead
- Mount Fuji view
- the unobstructed view of the 3,776-metre peak rising directly behind the pagoda to the south
- Cherry blossoms
- about 650 Somei Yoshino trees lining the steps, typically at peak in mid-April
How to enjoy it
Arrive before 9:00 for the quietest climb. The cherry blossom peak in mid-April and the clear mountain air of autumn (late October to early November) are the two best times. Mount Fuji is most clearly visible in the morning before cloud builds — leave Shimoyoshida Station and walk to the base of the steps in about 15 minutes, then climb at a comfortable pace. A nearby observatory deck partway up the hill gives an alternative angle with fewer people.
How to actually get there
- Shinjuku Station →(JR Chuo Line, ~70 min)→ Otsuki Station →(Fujikyu Railway, ~20 min)→ Shimoyoshida Station.
- Shimoyoshida Station → park entrance at the foot of the 398 stone steps (walk, ~15 min).
- Climb the 398 steps through the cherry trees to Chureito Pagoda and the Mount Fuji view (~10 min up).
- Shinjuku → Shimoyoshida (Fujikyu Railway via Otsuki)
- Shinjuku Station →(JR Chuo Line, about 70 min)→ Otsuki Station →(Fujikyu Railway local, about 20 min)→ Shimoyoshida Station. Total about 90 min. From Otsuki, Fujikyu trains run roughly every 30 min. From Shimoyoshida Station, walk about 15 min to the base of the stone steps at the entrance to Arakurayama Sengen Park.
- Return from Shimoyoshida Station the same way
- Walk back down to Shimoyoshida Station (~15 min) and take the Fujikyu Railway to Otsuki, then JR Chuo Line back to Shinjuku. Check the Fujikyu timetable at the station when you arrive, as intervals can stretch to 30 min. Fujikyu also has direct limited-express trains from Kawaguchiko to Shinjuku that you can board one stop away.
Before you go
- Cash
- The park is free and open at all times. Carry cash for vending machines and nearby shops — card acceptance in the area is limited.
- Closing days
- The stone steps are steep and can be slippery when wet. Wear appropriate footwear. Cherry blossom peak in mid-April brings very large crowds — come on a weekday if possible and arrive early. Cloud often covers Mount Fuji by late morning.
- Another way
- Fujisan Station (one stop past Shimoyoshida on the Fujikyu Line) is better known but is farther from the park — allow about 30 minutes walking from there. Shimoyoshida Station is quieter and closer. There is also a town sneaker bus from Fujisan Station that stops near the park.
- After you get off
- From Shimoyoshida Station, walk west along the main road about 700 m (~15 min) to the park entrance at the foot of the 398 stone steps.