Mt Ryugatake: A beginner-friendly Lake Motosuko hike

Mt Ryugatake (竜ヶ岳, ryu-gatake) is a 1485m high peak next to Lake Motosuko, one of the Fuji Five Lakes. The main hiking course is a short 3-hour loop, making it one of the more beginner-friendly hikes in the Fuji Lakes area. You'll get great views of Mt Fuji from the peak and partway up the trail, not to mention the mountain is rather cute when viewed from a distance, as it's rounded and covered in sasa bamboo leaves. The one downside in my opinion is that Mt Ryugatake is a tiny bit more inconvenient than some of the other hikes in the Fuji area. The bus to the trailhead takes up to an hour from Kawaguchiko station, and there is only one return bus an hour, so you have to do a good job of timing your finish as well. If you don't mind that I still think it's a great hike though, especially if you're looking for something shorter. Checking out the Shibazakura Festival Traditionally Mt Ryugatake can be hiked as a loop course from Lake Motosuko, but I did a variation of this by first…