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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Yamanashi
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From 1,325 m, this ridge between Lakes Shōji and Motosu reveals 4 of the Fuji Five Lakes in one sweep—Shōji, Motosu, Sai and Kawaguchi—with Fuji and the Aokigahara forest beyond.
In the resort era, foreign visitors climbed to Panorama-dai on horseback—or in a “chair,” a litter carried by 2–4 people. The trip took about an hour each way, making the viewpoint an outing, not a quick stop.
The lakes below were once part of the vast Senoumi. In 864–866, Fuji’s Jōgan eruption sent Aokigahara lava across it, dividing the remaining water into today’s Lakes Shōji and Sai.
In 1895, naturalized British traveler Harry Stewart Whitworth reached Shōji after a year searching Fuji’s foothills for its finest view. His hotel and overseas publicity helped make “Japan Shoji” an international resort name.
Researchers confirmed Fuji marimo in Lake Shōji in 2012: loose green clumps just 2–3 cm across, plus algae attached to stones 2–5 m underwater. It’s a botanical surprise hidden beneath the panorama.
At Tategai-hama on the lake’s northwest shore, Fuji seems to cradle Mt Ōmuro—“Kodaki Fuji.” That “child” is actually one of Fuji’s volcanic flank cones, not just a foreground hill.
The lake below was once a winter draw: visitors came for skating and smelt fishing through holes in the frozen surface. Today, Fujikawaguchiko Town describes Shōji as a canoeing mecca.
