PhotoMt Fuji & Kawaguchiko · Yamanashi Prefecture

Cherry blossom photoshoot in Mt Fuji & Kawaguchiko

In short

A cherry blossom photoshoot at Mt Fuji costs $260 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos within three days. The Kawaguchiko area usually peaks in mid-April. We shoot at Chureito Pagoda from first light or on the Lake Kawaguchi shore, picking the spot on the bloom forecast for your exact date.

Starting from: $260
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15

Why here

Why choose Cherry blossom photoshoot in Mt Fuji & Kawaguchiko?

The Fuji lakes bloom about two weeks after Tokyo, which is the useful fact for anyone whose trip starts in early April and finds the city trees already green. Mid-April at Chureito Pagoda and the Kawaguchiko shore gives blossom and snowcap in one frame — but April is also hazier than winter, so a sakura session here is planned for the flowers first and treats a clear summit as the bonus it is.

How the shoot is planned

How a session in Mt Fuji & Kawaguchiko is planned

The route

At Chureito, we meet at Shimoyoshida Station or the shrine car park before 05:00 and climb the 398 steps while it is dark, because in blossom week the upper deck fills before sunrise. The first frames are the pagoda, the trees and the summit from the deck; then we drop a few flights to the paths among the trees, where you can stand inside the blossom without blocking anyone. If the forecast favours the lake, we work the north shore near Oishi Park instead, using branches over the water to frame Fuji, and finish on the shore path before the tour buses arrive.

The timing

Peak bloom at the lakes usually falls in mid-April and lasts about a week; the Arakurayama park runs its sakura festival then, with shuttle parking instead of the usual car park. Sunrise is around 05:15, and by 08:00 the deck and the steps are queuing, so this is a 05:00 start rather than a lie-in. If your date misses the peak, the higher lakes such as Motosu flower a few days later, and the Fuji Shibazakura moss-phlox fields nearby run from mid-April into May.

What’s included

What Cherry blossom photoshoot in Mt Fuji & Kawaguchiko includes

In the package

15 edited photos
Spot chosen on the latest bloom forecast for your date
Early start, usually before 7:30 am
Private online gallery within 3 days

Book online

Inspiration

Cherry blossom photoshoot: ideas for your shoot

Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.

Photos: Red Shuheart, Anthony Tran, Daniel Bernard, Mika Baumeister, Roman Holoschchuk on Unsplash

Before you book

FAQ — Cherry blossom photoshoot in Mt Fuji & Kawaguchiko

How much is a cherry blossom photoshoot at Mt Fuji?

$260 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos in an online gallery within three days. Kimono rental with dressing is $55 per person, hair and make-up $100. In blossom week we need you staying at the lakes, since the session starts around 05:00.

Will Fuji definitely be in the sakura photos?

No. April has more haze and cloud than winter, and on some peak-bloom mornings the summit never appears. The blossom is still there, and we frame for it; if a clear mountain matters more than the flowers, a December–February sunrise session is the safer booking.

Is Chureito Pagoda too crowded in cherry blossom season?

After 07:00, yes. Before sunrise it is busy but workable, and the paths among the trees below the deck are quieter. The streets under the park are residential, and locals have asked visitors not to stand in the road or walk between houses, so we come and go by the park paths only.

Same shoot elsewhere