After meeting your tour conductor, you will begin your journey into Yamanashi Prefecture. Leaving the city behind, the route gradually opens into mountain landscapes that signal your approach to the Mt. Fuji region. Your tour conductor will guide you smoothly through transfers, making the start of the day stress‑free even for first‑time visitors to Japan. At Otsuki Station, you will board a very special train reserved exclusively for limited guests.

Step aboard the Fuji View Express, a premium sightseeing train designed by renowned Japanese railway designer Eiji Mitooka, also known for luxury trains such as Seven Stars in Kyushu. The train is widely considered one of Japan’s most beautiful regional express services, offering elegant interiors, wide windows, and an atmosphere closer to a lounge than public transport. During the approximately 50‑minute ride, enjoy hotel‑patissier‑crafted sweets, created exclusively for this train service. Sweet selections change seasonally and are served as you relax and enjoy the scenery. This route runs closest to Mt. Fuji, and when weather conditions allow, passengers may glimpse the iconic mountain rising beyond the countryside. Arrival at Kawaguchiko Station marks the start of your food‑focused afternoon in Yamanashi.

After arriving in the Kawaguchiko area, continue by bus to Chojumura Gonroku, a local restaurant known for introducing travelers to Yamanashi’s regional cuisine. Lunch centers around hoto, a hearty noodle dish made with wide, hand‑cut wheat noodles simmered directly in a miso‑based broth with pumpkin and seasonal vegetables. Unlike udon, hoto noodles are cooked without salt and absorb flavors directly from the soup, creating a rich, comforting texture. The dish is often associated with the warlord Takeda Shingen and remains a symbol of Yamanashi’s food culture. Alongside hoto, enjoy a mini buffet of side dishes, letting you sample multiple local flavors in one relaxed meal.

Next, visit the Kikyouya Shingen‑mochi Theme Park, home of one of Yamanashi’s most beloved traditional sweets. Here you will take part in the famous Shingen‑mochi packing challenge, a uniquely Japanese experience that combines fun, speed, and strategy. Using a specially provided bag (approximately 26.5 × 15 cm), your goal is to pack in as many individually wrapped shingen‑mochi as possible within the rules. The atmosphere is lively and exciting, and because this is a bus tour, you can enjoy the experience without long waiting times that individual visitors often face. Afterward, browse the on‑site shop for sweets and souvenirs made only in Yamanashi.

The final highlight brings you to Fuefuki, one of Japan’s leading fruit‑growing regions. Here, enjoy all‑you‑can‑eat Shine Muscat grape picking, one of Japan’s most sought‑after premium fruits. Shine Muscat grapes are prized for their large size, crisp texture, floral aroma, and intense sweetness, and they are usually at their best from late August through late September, thanks to strong sunlight and sharp day‑night temperature differences. Walk through the vineyard, learn how to select ripe clusters, and taste grapes directly from the vine. It’s a simple yet deeply satisfying experience that perfectly reflects Yamanashi’s reputation as Japan’s “Fruit Kingdom.” After the orchard visit, return to Shinjuku, with the tour scheduled to conclude at approximately 18:00, ending a day filled with scenery, sweets, and seasonal flavors.