TRY FUJI SAFARI ADVENTURE IN JAPAN

Fuji Safari adventure is a unique and fun thing to do in Japan especially for families travelling with kids. This is also a good destination to consider if you are planning to see the elusive Mt. Fuji. And do you know that the place is only more than an hour away from Tokyo? Read on as we share to you the specifics of this adventure.

 

Tokyo to Gotemba Premium Outlet Story

 

Originally, our plan was to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji via Heiwa Park in Gotemba. Then from there, we will proceed to the Fuji Safari adventure and hop on a night bus going to Kyoto in the evening. However, there had been changes in the plan due to some external circumstances thereby, affecting our itinerary a bit.

Not leaving anything to chance, we booked our bus ticket to Gotemba online to secure our seats. Lo and behold, my bestfriend and I were the only passengers on the bus! That is me on the video saying that we were the only people inside and we were off to find Mt. Fuji.

While in transit, we already started to doze off comfortably on our seats. An hour later, I opened my eyes giddily and was so surprised to be greeted by the snow-capped mountain peaking gloriously from the sea of clouds. I immediately woke up my bestfriend and guess what? We were so busy snapping photos here and there of the famous Mt. Fuji afterwards.

Our initial plan was to go to Heiwa Park to have a great view of Mt. Fuji. However, seeing the mountain on our way to the park made us decide to deprioritize going to the park first, instead, we decided to go straight to Fuji Safari and see if we can still drop by at the park in the afternoon.

Bus Fare from Tokyo to Gotemba: 1,580 YEN (adult, one way); 840 YEN (children)

Bus Stop: Shinjuku Station (south exit), Bus Stop No. 8

Bus Time Table: Please refer to the summarized time table below or click here

 

Gotemba Premium Outlet

 

The drop-off point of the bus is in Gotemba Premium Outlet. Since we left Tokyo very early, there weren’t much people yet in the outlet when we arrived. We immediately looked for a locker room and deposited our luggage there. Locker room is just next to GAP store.

Locker Rate:

Extra Large: 80-113 cm ht; 35-39 cm wd; 61-64 cm depth = 700 YEN

Large: 78-84 cm ht; 35 cm wd; 49-64 depth                           = 500 YEN

Medium: 49-55 cm ht; 35 cm wd; 64 cm depth                       = 400 YEN

Small: 29 – 31 cm ht; 35 cm wd; 43-64 cm depth                    = 300 YEN

After securing our luggage in the locker room, we headed to the Tourist Information Center near the entrance of the outlet. We then asked for some information regarding the bus timing going to Fuji Safari before we hopped on the free shuttle that will bring us to Gotemba Station (the distance from Gotemba Premium Outlet to Gotemba Station is around 15 minutes). At the Gotemba Station, we approached the ticketing window and asked for the best package to Fuji Safari and purchased our tickets. It was fortunate that the bus stop is just in front of the ticketing window, and across “Subway” store so we did not have to walk again.

It took us 35 minutes to reach to Fuji Safari from Gotemba Station. Please click here for the travel route

 

Fuji Safari Adventure

 

At the entrance, we presented the tickets that we purchased at the bus station. We were then asked if we would like to go on a safari tour using a caged bus. For this one, we had to pay a separate amount at 1300 JPY/person. During the tour, we were given large thongs and food that we can feed to the lions, bears, and camels.

If you want to be adventurous about your safari adventure, you can explore the park on foot. There is a trail that will lead you to the safari zone. This walking safari costs 500 JPY/person excluding payment for the food for the animals (if you want to purchase some).

Below are some of the animals that you can see in each zone within the vicinity:

SAFARI ZONE

REGULAR ZOO ZONE

This zone is especially made for smaller mammals and animals for petting which is ideal for kids.

After our safari exploration, it was time for us to grab some munchies before we headed back to Gotemba Station. We bought our churros and chocolate drinks at the food stall near the entrance of the park.

Overall, we really did enjoy the experience. Although personally, I just thought that the round in a caged bus was too fast to really enjoy the sight of these amazing animals.

 

Fuji Safari (Hours and Fees)

 

Operating Hours: 

09:00 – 17:00 (mid-March to September)

09:00 – 16:30 (October)

10:00 – 15:30 (November to mid-March)

Night Safari is until 19:30 (Night safari is only offered on weekends from mid April through October and everyday during the summer holidays.)

 

Admission Fee:

2700 yen (Day only), 1700 yen (night safari only), 3700 yen (both)
Additional fees apply for bus tours and other special activities.