I’m here to tell you the truth. I’m not one of those influencers or bloggers who only talks about things like they’re perfect. Travel is not perfect. There are a zillion elements that are out of your personal control. So here’s the truth: Our day trip to Mt. Fuji got rained on. It was the one thing I wanted to do but didn’t when I lived in Japan in college, and I was determined to make it happen on this trip. We didn’t get to go to the famous photo spots, and we didn’t get to see the whole mountain. But we did get to see parts of it a few times during the day, and we did make the most of it! Here’s what our rainy day tour of Mt. Fuji looked like, just in case you also score a rainy day tour.
Book a Tour
This is the tricky part. You don’t know what the weather is going to do until the day of, so you’ll just have to book and hope for the best! Some tours allow you to cancel with no penalty up to 24 hours in advance, so take advantage of that if you can. There are several companies to choose from, and I think they’re largely the same. You can usually choose from a driving tour, a driving/train combo, or a private tour. I’m not sure we went with the best company, although we did have a good time, so I hesitate to share the company name. Just do more research than I did and look at reviews! On good weather days, they all visit the same spots!
(Coming soon) More here: The Best Tips for Your Trip to Tokyo
Understand it’s Weather Dependent
If I’d been on top of it, not jet lagged, and not wrangling a toddler 24/7, I might have contacted the company a couple of days before our tour and asked if we could move the tour to the next day, which was forecasted to be clear and sunny. Unfortunately for us, I can’t do it all as a single parent, contrary to my intentions and how it might look to other people. This is a very weather-dependent activity, since seeing the mountain requires as few clouds as possible. It wasn’t a total wash, because we did get a break in the clouds, and, miraculously, it didn’t actually rain on us during the day, only on the car ride to and from the Mt. Fuji area. You just never know how nature is going to play its card until it happens!
So what happens when it’s raining? Our driver honestly did a great job of finding places to potentially see Mt. Fuji, in addition to other great places as well. We visited cute little villages, a botanical garden with some indoor spots, and a truly beautiful waterfall that we wouldn’t have visited otherwise. He did a great job of making sure we still got to enjoy the day, and we appreciated his flexibility! It wasn’t his fault the rain and clouds hid the mountain views.
(Coming soon) Keep reading: What to Do in Tokyo with a Toddler
Plan to Eat Locally
One thing that’s not weather dependent? Food! I was delighted to find lots of little local restaurants around the places we visited throughout the day. I love Japanese food. Everything we ate throughout the day, from the curry bread to the Udon to the ice cream, tasted amazing. My daughter also loved the curry bread, which really surprised me! Even when the rain was coming down, we were dry and well fed inside one of the many local spots around the places we went during the tour.
Read on: The Best Tips for Your First Trip to Japan
Pick Up Some Souvenirs
Similarly to great food, I was pleasantly surprised at the selection of gifts and souvenirs. I got several sweets and savories to bring home for friends and family, as well as a pretty scarf for me and some flavored salts for me and anyone who comes over to my house to eat in the next few months. Japan does so many things well, including gifts and souvenirs. Sure, there were post cards and knick knacks and playing cards, but there were also really unique, useful, and authentic items for purchase everywhere we went. I did the bulk of my shopping on this day trip, which surprised me about myself!
(Coming soon) More here: How to Spend a Day Trip from Tokyo to Kamakura
Get Your Camera Ready
All weather imperfections aside, we did catch glimpses of Japan’s tallest peak a few times during the day trip. Do I wish we’d gotten a clear, full view? Absolutely. But can I be glad we got the shots we did? Sure! Even on a rainy, cloudy, overcast day, you still might see Mt. Fuji, so it’s worth having your camera at the ready! But Mt. Fuji isn’t the only thing worth photographing. Our driver took us to this beautiful waterfall on our way back to Tokyo, and it ended up being the best part of the day!
(Coming soon) Keep reading: What We Ate in Tokyo
Want more? Check out my dedicated Japan Page!
Love this post? Pin it for later!
