＊This article is an English translation of the “「十国峠」を夫婦で満喫！富士山の眺めが最高の場所！” article.
Jukkoku-toge is said to have originated from being a mountain pass with great views where “ten provinces could be seen.” From Jugokutoge, you can indeed enjoy magnificent panoramic views spanning the areas of Yamanashi, Kanagawa, Numazu in Shizuoka, and more.
While Atami is surrounded by low mountains obstructing views of Mt. Fuji, if you go up to Jukkoku-toge, you can actually get splendid views of Mt. Fuji. To get to Jukkoku-toge, you first go by car or bus to the “Jukkoku-toge Entrance,” and then take a cable car up to the observatory.
It’s a 30-minute bus ride or 15-minute drive from Atami Station, but Atami can get quite congested, so allow plenty of time. Today, I’ll share my experience visiting Jukkoku-toge in Atami with my spouse in January 2021.
The Magnificent Views from Jukkoku-toge!
First, let me show you the incredible views from Jukkoku-toge. You can see the superb Mt. Fuji! The photos below are from the observatory at the top of the cable car ride.
In addition to Mt. Fuji, you can also overlook the entire Manazuru Peninsula.
Now, let me explain how to get to Jukkoku-toge in Atami.
Be sure to check the cable car operation status in advance before visiting Jukkoku-toge.
Where is Jukkoku-toge Located?
Please refer to the Google Map below. Jukkoku-toge is located amid the mountains surrounding Atami.
◆Jukkoku-toge is at the red point in the top left
You can only access it by car or bus. (There’s actually a hiking trail too, but I won’t cover that today.) It’s located 8.4 km up along Prefectural Route 11. Along the way, you’ll pass through places like “Hime no Sawa Park” and “Atami West Golf Course”.
Since it’s a bit far from central Atami with few other sights nearby, it’s recommended to visit early, take it in quickly, and then head back when doing a day trip from Atami. If going by bus, it stops at places like “Kiunkaku” and “Kinomiya Shrine”, so you could visit those on the way back from Jukkoku-toge.
It’s a 30-minute bus ride from Atami Station to Jukkoku-toge for 650 yen one-way! IC Cards like Suica can be used!
Now let me explain how to get from Atami Station to Jukkoku-toge.
First, with your back to Atami Station, head to the bus rotary to the left. The bus stop is #2. The fare is 650 yen one-way. Luckily, you can use IC transit cards like Suica.
The bus company is Izukyu Railways. The bus had already arrived early and was waiting.
Here’s the bus timetable. There are only 6 buses per day! The last one is at 2:18 pm. It takes around 30 minutes to get to Jugokutoge. Get off at the “Jukkoku-toge Noboriiguchi” stop. Be careful not to miss it, or you’ll end up going all the way to Hakone.
The timetable above is quoted from the official website below. Please check here for the latest schedule:
If going by private car, it would likely take 15-20 minutes. That’s because this bus passes through the city streets of Atami. It also stops at places like “Atami Sun Beach” and “Kiunkaku” along the way, which is why it takes 30 minutes. And if there’s traffic congestion in Atami, the bus can be delayed, so it’s best to allow plenty of time.
Below is a photo of the bus route map for reference.
Going to Jukkoku-toge by Private Vehicle?
As mentioned earlier, it’s about a 15-minute drive from central Atami via Prefectural Route 11. The parking lot at Jukkoku-toge is really huge. However, you can’t go all the way up to the pass by car, so you’ll need to either take the cable car or just enjoy the scenery from the parking area.
◆Jukkoku-toge Parking Lot
By the way, the view of Mt. Fuji from near the parking lot is quite nice too.
◆View from Near the Jukkoku-toge Parking Lot
Taking the Bus to Jukkoku-toge!
The bus passes through the streets of Atami. The scenery along the way at Atami Sun Beach is nice too. (I got distracted by the view and forgot to take photos!)
It also stops at Kinomiya Shrine along the way.
After this area, there’s less traffic and fewer signals, so the bus can pick up some speed as it enters the mountain roads.
On this day, with COVID and all, my spouse and I were the only passengers – we had the bus to ourselves!
Oh, there’s Atami West Golf Course coming up!
The bus also stops at Hime no Sawa Park along the way. I’ve visited this park before – it seems like a nice place for kids, and being in the mountains, it has several proper hiking courses.
Since the roads were clear that day, we arrived at the Jukkoku-toge Entrance right on schedule 30 minutes after leaving Atami Station. Just be sure to press the “get off” button, or the bus won’t stop.
And this is the entrance for the Jukkoku-toge Cable Car. We’ve arrived!
The Rest House at Jukkoku-toge is the Best Place to Take a Break!
To get to Jukkoku-toge from here, you need to take the cable car, but the facilities at this rest house are quite extensive.
This is Fujinomiya-style yakisoba noodles. The flavor is rich and delicious, isn’t it? We didn’t eat it on this day though.
They have everything from hamburgers to ice cream. It didn’t seem to be operating on this day, likely due to COVID.
Here’s the entrance.
Inside, it’s packed with souvenirs!
Since you can get a full view of Mt. Fuji, there are lots of Fuji-themed souvenirs.
They even had their own mascot character now, “Sanetomo-kun.” They didn’t have this before.
Shall we take the cable car and head up to the summit? The photos below show the cable car route and view of the peak from outside the rest house.
Taking the Cable Car to Jukkoku-toge (Observatory)!
The cable car and ticket counters are on the 2nd floor of the rest house building.
The round-trip fare for adults is 730 yen. Not cheap, but worth it.
There are 4 cable car rides per hour:
5 minutes past
20 minutes past
35 minutes past
50 minutes past
So no need to rush.
Just be aware that the last cars up are at 3:35pm and 3:50pm, quite early, so keep in mind they don’t seem to operate in the evening.
After passing through the gates, the cable car is waiting.
There are announcements too, and you can enjoy views of Suruga Bay along the way – quite nice.
That’s me in the photo below. To put it mildly…fun!!
It only takes 2-3 minutes or so? We arrived at Jukkoku-toge right away! So no need to force your way onto a crowded cable car if it’s packed.
You’ll pass through areas like this.
Even on cold days, you can wait for the cable car in the sheltered area here.
Ah, we’ve arrived! Once you exit the cable car facilities, you’re at the Jukkoku-toge summit observatory!
Jukkoku-toge Has Magnificent Views! The Views from the Observatory are Worth Seeing!
Wow!! Mt. Fuji looks so close! Jugokutoge really does have incredible views, especially of Mt. Fuji! There were some clouds on this day, but still within an acceptable range.
Mt. Fuji looks just beautiful!
And this is the view towards the Manazuru Peninsula! The ocean looks so nice! You can also partly see the town of Yugawara.
That must be Sagami Bay. You can see Numazu and Mishima in the distance.
Looking back towards the parking area, it looks like this. The cable car really took us up quite high. The view of Mt. Fuji from here is definitely more dynamic compared to the parking lot.
Yahoo!! Those mountains in the back must be the Hakone area?
Down below, there’s this convenient signboard! There were others pointing out the directions of places like Chiba too.
You really can see “ten provinces” from here, just like the name suggests!
Me at Jukkoku-toge. Those aren’t sunglasses, but special lazy eye glasses.
They even have a dog run area at Jugokutoge!
Seems like it would be fun for dogs too! Though no one had brought a dog on this day.
I’m feeling refreshed by the nice scenery too. But being January, my wife was shivering from the cold.
Lastly, taking in my beloved Manazuru Peninsula.
There was a cable car departing at 20 minutes past the hour or 40 minutes past. We decided to take the earlier one at 20 minutes past. Most other people also seemed to be taking the earlier cable car down. As a result, it was quite crowded on the way back.
There appears to be a cafe up top as well, but it didn’t seem to be operating likely due to COVID.
The cable car heading back down.
You can still see Mt. Fuji on the way down too.
Pets Can Ride the Cable Car Too (Dog Run)
The fare for pets is 200 yen round-trip. Being able to drive up and have your pet ride the cable car makes this the ultimate dog run!
There are Restrooms at Jukkoku-toge and the Entrance Area
There are restrooms both at the top and the entrance area. This time we only used the ones at the rest house entrance area. The photo shows the restrooms at the Jukkoku-toge cable car station. The ones at the rest house may be nicer.
Taking the Bus Back to Atami Station!
With so few bus departures, if you miss one it’s an hour wait for the next. The return bus schedule to Atami Station is simple:
The last bus is at 4:37pm!! If you miss that, you’ll have no choice but to take a taxi back. Not sure on the fare, but taxis seem to charge around 3,480 yen.
The bus stop is right where you got dropped off – in front of the rest house area.
Even if you have a long wait for the bus, there are chairs, a place to eat, and even free phone charging stations near the restrooms, so you can wait comfortably. You can even drink beer on the bus!
I was so exhausted that I slept like a log on the way back. If you want to stop at other places on the way back, the bus also stops at:
- Kumano Shrine
- Kiunkaku
- Atami Sun Beach
So you could get off partway as well.
Jukkoku-toge Cable Car “Twilight Operation”
The stars must look beautiful from up there. They seem to have a twilight operation during autumn and winter, so I’d love to go experience that if I get a chance.
In Closing
Jukkoku-toge is only really worth it on a clear weather day. If it’s cloudy, the experience is diminished by more than half. If the skies are clear when you arrive in Atami, I definitely recommend going. However, since the bus takes a minimum of 2 hours round-trip, it’s tough to combine it with other sightseeing spots.
The upside in winter is that the air is crisp, so you tend to get really great visibility on nice days! After this, I actually spent the evening soaking at a hot spring facility called “fuua”, so please also check out my article on that:
