The most accessible of the Fuji Five Lakes offers some of the best views of the mountain, particularly in autumn when the maples turn and the reflected Fuji in the lake's still surface becomes one of Japan's most-photographed images. A ropeway leads up a small hill on the northern shore for elevated views. The lakeshore town has hot spring baths, museums, and a tourist industry calibrated for Japanese day-trippers and international visitors in roughly equal measure. Base here for the Fuji area rather than trying to do it in a single day from Tokyo.