In Fuefuki, seasonal experiences and expansive landscape views shape the choices on offer: in spring, peach blossoms turn the city pink, while later in the year harvest season and summer cormorant fishing draw visitors. There are also museums, historic architecture and foot baths. Which experiences you can combine therefore also depends on when you travel.

Peach Blossoms, Harvests and Forest Trails

Peach blossoms usually bloom from late March to mid-April. At the same time, you can see the still snow-capped Southern Alps and Yatsugatake. During blossom season, the area around Yashiro Furusato Park also offers views across the peach orchards in the city. Misaka Togenkyo Park is surrounded by peach orchards; from there, the view extends to the Kofu Basin and the Southern Alps. The park also has a forest walking trail.

The best months for picking your own fruit differ: in Misaka-cho and Ichinomiya-cho, you can pick and eat grapes; the usual season runs approximately from August to October. Farms at several locations in Fuefuki also offer the chance to pick and eat ripe peaches. The season starts around mid-June and lasts until about the end of August, though it may shift depending on the weather. Check with the farm in advance.

Another spring highlight awaits at Fujidate-no-Taki Okubo Iyashi-no-Mori Park in Sakaigawa-cho. About 3,000 skunk cabbage plants grow beside the clear stream. Walking trails wind through a forest with trees more than a hundred years old; the plants can be viewed from around mid-March to mid-April. So if you are comparing seasonal flowers and scenery, bear in mind that they do not all share the same viewing window: skunk cabbage and peach blossoms bloom around the same time in spring, while fruit harvests come later.

Views of Fuji and the Lakes

FUJIYAMA Twin Terrace at Shindō Pass consists of two terraces, each offering a different view of Mount Fuji. They also provide expansive views of Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Yamanaka. The site is listed as open year-round, but the road to Shindō Pass may be closed in winter. Check road conditions before setting out. This lets you plan the views as a highlight in their own right while keeping the winter road conditions in mind.

Museums and Architectural History

The Yamanashi Prefectural Museum in Misaka-cho covers Yamanashi’s history from ancient times to the present. Exhibition staff give tours on Saturdays, and the “Terakoya Hiroba” mini-event takes place on Sundays; there are also other hands-on events. The Shakado Site Museum in Ichinomiya-cho displays 1,116 dogū figurines. Among them is a birth figurine depicting a mother giving birth.

In Isawa-cho, Hatta Shoin is a thatched-roof building in the irimoya style. Building materials entrusted by Tokugawa Ieyasu to the Hatta family, who served the Takeda as retainers, were used to rebuild it. Right next door is Hatta-ke Goshūin Yashiki, designated a prefectural cultural property. The designation applies to this neighboring estate.

Cormorant Fishing, Foot Baths and Wine

You can watch summer cormorant fishing on the Isawa section of the Fuefuki River from close by. In the Kachiu style, a single cormorant master walks through the river and guides the bird as it catches ayu. Unlike the also-described method using small boats, the bird is not guided from a boat. Dates may vary from year to year.

If you would like to take part yourself, the Isawa Ukai Experience lets you put on cormorant-fishing clothes, enter the river, learn how to handle a cormorant and try your hand at fishing. The activity usually runs from mid-July to mid-August; river or weather conditions may lead to cancellations. Check the specific dates and whether the activity will go ahead in advance.

Hot springs in Fuefuki were developed in 1961. Foot baths are available year-round in Isawa-cho and Kasugai-cho, including the Isawa Onsen Foot Bath, the park in front of Isawa-Onsen Station, Isawa-Kobayashi Park and the Kasugai Foot Bath Facility. Wine is another local offering: about ten wineries in Fuefuki produce wines, each with its own history and character. At the wine counter in the tourist information center at Isawa-Onsen Station, you can pay to sample wines from the city.

Discover more destinations: Kōfu, Otsuki, Fujiyoshida, Minamitsuru District, Kai, Nanbu, Minami-Alps, Yamanaka.

For the broader travel overview: Yamanashi Prefecture.