Self-Drive Car Camping Around Mt Fuji: 4 Days in a Rooftop Tent

By Lik Wong, co-founder of X-Boundaries

Most people see Mt Fuji from a bus window or a hotel balcony. At the end of September I spent four days driving a small 4WD with a tent on its roof in a loop around the mountain, solo. I wanted to see if a rooftop-tent loop works for our travellers. Three nights, three campsites, no hotel.

My best moment: unzipping the tent at Fumotoppara at dawn, with Fuji completely clear.

The trip at a glance

What	Detail
When	29 September to 2 October 2026, 4 days and 3 nights, solo
Distance	About 500 km, estimated from fuel used
Car	A small 4WD with a rooftop tent. The camp kit, including a mattress and a summer sleeping bag, came with the car
Nights	Auto Camp FUJICHU in Fujiyoshida, Fumotoppara on the Asagiri Plateau, and Hottarakashi Camping Field above the Kofu basin
Weather	Rain all of day 1, cloud most of day 2, one clear morning on day 3

Day 1: rain all day

I collected the car in Tokyo around midday and drove about two hours out on the Chuo Expressway to Fujiyoshida. First stop was the montbell store at the foot of Fuji. It rained all day.

The first night was at Auto Camp FUJICHU, among tall cedars on the north side of the mountain. I pitched in the rain and stayed dry in the roof tent. Just normal forest sounds, nothing noisy.

Day 2: cloud, then Fumotoppara

A misty morning in the forest, coffee and some work at a café, then south down the west side of Fuji past the pampas grass on the Asagiri Plateau to Fumotoppara. It is a huge open field where you pick your own pitch. I paid ¥3,000 for one adult and one car in September 2026. Book ahead, and note that cars cannot enter or move inside after 17:00.

Fuji stayed in cloud all afternoon. It only showed itself after dark, above the campfires dotted across the field.

Day 3: the clear morning

This is the morning you do the trip for. Fuji was clear from first light, with mist lying on the grass. The sun came up behind the mountain's shoulder at about 6:25, and I watched it from inside the tent.

After breakfast I drove the Fuji Skyline on the Shizuoka side. It was close to freezing at dawn, and by 8am the road was above a sea of clouds, with Suruga Bay beyond.

By the time I reached Nakanokura Pass above Lake Motosu, the cloud had come back over Fuji. No ¥1,000-note view this time (the 2004-series note has this view of Fuji on the back), so I held the note up in front of the lake instead.

Lunch was meant to be at Fuji Sushi in Yamanashi City. A wrong turn on the expressway meant I arrived after it had closed. When the chef-owner heard I had come from Singapore, he gave me a pack of Shine Muscat grapes anyway.

The last night was at Hottarakashi Camping Field, high above the Kofu basin. I used the Hottarakashi onsen nearby, Fuji was back on the horizon at sunset, and after dark the whole city below was lit up.

Day 4: Yanagisawa Pass and back

An early start up Route 411 to Yanagisawa Pass (1,472 m) for the view. It is a quiet, toll-free road. I turned back the same way for a lunch appointment in Tokyo. If you have more time, you can carry on over the pass and down through Okutama.

Why a rooftop tent

• Camp is set up in minutes. Park, unfold the tent, and you are done. You still need a fairly level spot, and gravel is best.
• The car carries the camp kit. Your own luggage is clothes and personal gear.
• A small 4WD goes where a camper van cannot. Narrow forest roads and small campsites are fine.
• You still sleep outside. That is the point, and it is why clothing matters.

What I used, and what we would pack

The car came with a mattress and a summer sleeping bag. Everything you wear, you bring. What I used on this trip:

• icebreaker merino base layers, worn day and night.
• A sleeping bag liner. Good to have for hygiene in a rented sleeping bag.
• My favourite montbell chopsticks and a montbell titanium flask.

For a trip like this in autumn, we would add:

Item	Why	Shop
Light down jacket	Near-freezing mornings and evenings at camp. Packs small in the car.	Down jackets
Rain shell	For pitching and packing up in the rain.	Rainwear
Beanie and gloves	Early mornings and high roads.	Headwear · Gloves
Insulated bottle	Hot drinks from the camp stove last the morning drive.	Bottles
Headlamp	Camp after dark.	Lighting

Want to do this trip?

Read my full field notes on X-Trekkers, including practical tips on licences, cash and mobile signal.

X-Trekkers, our sister company, can arrange the car, campsites and route. Email info@x-trekkers.com with the subject FUJI and your dates.

10% back in gear: book a CLOUD NINE rooftop-tent 4WD through X-Trekkers and get 10% of the rental value as an X-Boundaries voucher, to spend online or in our shops. See how the voucher works.

For the gear, come for a fitting at X-Boundaries, Mandarin Gallery (333A Orchard Road, #02-22/23, open daily 11am to 9pm), or shop online.