Seeing Mt. Fuji From Mt. Takao: Best Season and Spots

You can see Mt. Fuji from the summit of Mt. Takao (599 m), looking west over the Tanzawa mountains, when the air is clear. The summit is one of the official “Kanto no Fujimi 100-kei”, 100 views of Fuji in the Kanto region. The best-known moment is the Diamond Fuji around the winter solstice in December, when the sun sets right on Fuji’s peak at about 16:00 to 16:15. The summit is about 40 minutes on foot from the top of the cable car.

Where to look

Spot	How to get there	What the official sources say
Summit (高尾山山頂), 599 m	Trail 1 from the cable car top, about 40 min	Selected as a Kanto Fujimi 100-kei view. From the observation deck you look west over the Tanzawa mountains, and Fuji is visible when the air is clear (TAKAO 599 MUSEUM)
Momijidai (もみじ台)	About 5 min beyond the summit	The operator’s second viewing point for the Diamond Fuji
Kasumidai viewpoint	Next to the cable car top station	This view faces the other way, east over the Kanto Plain to central Tokyo

When you’re most likely to see it

The operator says that on a clear day you can see Fuji clearly from near the summit, and that in winter, when the air is clear, you can even see the Southern Alps in the distance.

Practical tips:

• Consider going early.
• Check the summit live camera before you go. The Takao Forest Center, run by the national Forest Office, shows a live feed from the summit. The operator’s surrounding facilities page links to it.
• Dress warmly. The operator notes it can be colder at the top than you expect.

Diamond Fuji in December

The Diamond Fuji is when the setting sun sits exactly on Fuji’s summit and looks like a diamond. From Mt. Takao it happens around the winter solstice.

What Takao Tozan Railway announced for the most recent season (December 2025):

	2025 season
Best days	December 17–28
Best time	About 16:00–16:15 (sunset around 16:15)
Viewpoints	The summit (about 40 min from the cable car’s Takaosan Station) and Momijidai (about 5 min from the summit)
Cable car	Extended to 18:00 on those days, but not in bad weather
Normal December last car	17:15 weekdays, 17:30 weekends and holidays

The 2026 dates weren’t posted when we checked. Check the operator’s Diamond Fuji page before you plan.

The operator’s advice for the evening:

• Come early and wait at the summit.
• Wear warm clothes and shoes you’re used to.
• Bring a flashlight. The path is dark after sunset.
• Come down by Trail 1 and take the cable car. Takaosan Station is on Trail 1. Don’t take the forest trails after dark.

A sample plan for a Fuji day

Time	What
Morning	Keio Line from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi (about an hour). See the day trip guide
	Cable car up (from 8:00), or walk up Trail 6 or the Inariyama course
Late morning	Summit and Momijidai. Look for Fuji
Afternoon	Down by Trail 1 and cable car. Hot spring next to the station

For a Diamond Fuji day, turn this around: arrive in the early afternoon, visit Yakuoin, be at the summit by about 15:30, and ride the extended cable car down after sunset.

Other views on the mountain

• The viewpoint near the cable car’s top station (Kasumidai) faces east. The operator lists views of central Tokyo’s skyscrapers, Tsukuba-san, and on clear days Yokohama Landmark Tower and Tokyo Tower.
• Inariyama (396 m), on the ridge trail, has a viewing platform and shelter.
• The operator also lists the New Year sunrise event (迎光祭) at the summit viewpoint area on January 1.