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2023年10月17日
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Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park)

Beware traffic congestion if travelling by car.

The iconic view of Chureito Pagoda and Mt. Fuji is becoming increasingly popular for visitors. Arakurayama Park is not equipped to accecpt heavy vehicle traffic: Local roads are narrow one-way streets, and parking is very limited. Due to increased traffic and the use of personal vehicles for travel, parking and traffic in the Chureito area has become very congested, especially on weekends and during autumn leaves and spring hanami season. If you are traveling by car, do not expect to be able to park in the area without waiting several hours in traffic.

Arakurayama Sengen Park, where Chureito is located, is a 10 minute walk from Fujikyu Line Shimoyoshida Station. It is recommended to park your car at another location, such as Fujisan Station or Kawaguchiko Station, and take the train instead. See the Fujiyoshida Sightseeing map for detailed information, including parking.

Alternatively, you can take the "Town Sneaker" city bus from Fujisan Station to Nyoraiji Iriguchi, to get to Chureito. (Kumaana/Arakura Counter-clockwise Route)

History

This iconic five-storied pagoda has been the subject of countless photographs throughout the years and understandably so. The image of this crimson structure floating atop a sea of cherry blossoms with Mt. Fuji as its majestic backdrop is quintessentially Japanese and has accordinly been used as a symbolic image of Japan in everything from blogs to major advertisement campaigns both domestic and international. The unknown story of this pagoda, however, is that it is also a meaningful monument of peace.

The Fujiyoshida Cenotaph Monument, also known as the Chureito Pagoda, was built by the mayor of Fujiyoshida and the Fujiyoshida Cenotaph Monument Construction Committee on August 12th, 1958 as a memorial for the roughly 960 citizens from Fujiyoshida who died in all of the wars which occurred after 1868 (the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, and World War II).

Funds for its construction were obtained by the sale of the plot to the Onshirin Regional Public Association and by private donations from citizens.

The pagoda remains a meaningful monument for the city and has become an increasingly popular destination for tourists in the Fuji Five Lakes Area to capture this iconic image of Mt. Fuji.

Sakura Matsuri (Festival)

From Saturday March 30th to Sunday April 14th 2024, access to the Arakurayama Sengen Park (Chureito) Parking lot will be completely closed for the Sakura Matsuri. During this period, temporary parking will be available at Yoshida 2nd Elementary School, Shimoyoshida Junior High School, and Yoshida 1st Elementary School grounds.

Links
Sakura Matsuri (festival) Information
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Fujiyoshida Sightseeing Map
"Town Sneaker" Bus Information
Inquiries about contents
Fujiyoshida Office of International Affairs
〒：403-8601
Address：6-1-1 Shimoyoshida Fujiyoshida-shi Ymanashi
TEL：0555-24-1236
FAX：0555-22-0703
E-Mail：Click here.