Drinking the spring water of Mount Fuji at Oshino Hakkai, selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Famous Waters

After watching the KABA amphibious bus rush into Lake Yamanakako, we continued driving to the Oshino Hakkai springs. There are several spring ponds here, all fed by Mount Fuji’s underground water. It is also a very popular tourist spot, with multiple parking areas nearby. We eventually found a paid parking lot that was only about a one-minute walk from Oshino Hakkai, so we parked there.

No staff came to collect the parking fee at this paid lot Mukainoie Parking (向の家駐車場), and we realized it was self-service. Since we didn’t have coins at the moment, we decided to come back later to deposit the payment in the collection box after getting change. We then started walking toward the springs. This place is:

A World Heritage Site
Selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Famous Waters
A nationally designated natural monument

The water channels beside the pathway are spring water originating from Mount Fuji’s snowmelt, and many koi fish swim in them.

Many tourists were lining up to drink the famous spring water selected among Japan’s Top 100 waters. We went to join the line, and fortunately the queue moved quickly.

↑The spring water is very deep, with several koi swimming inside. The water is crystal clear and reflects perfectly. When it was our turn, we used our own cups to collect the water.

There were also many shops selling local produce and snacks for tourists. After buying some local specialties and getting change, we planned to return later to pay the parking fee. There is also a working waterwheel nearby.

We continued visiting several other springs in the area, including Okamaike（お釜池） and Choshiike. In summer, the vegetation around Choshiike is especially lush.

Okamaike is a bit harder to see from the path because the view is partially blocked by grass. After finishing the visit to the springs, we headed back to the parking lot. We dropped 300 yen in coins into the payment box for a standard car and then set off to return to our hotel to rest. We were staying at Shuhoukaku Kogetsu, and the next day we would be leaving for Hokkaido.