Balcony View: Capturing Mt. Fuji from Tokyo

My Favourite Spot to Photograph Mt.Fuji

Over the past seven years I have regularly snapped Fujisan from my balcony in Kodaira City in west Tokyo. As the crow flies it’s 79 km (49 mi) to the centre of Fuji’s main crater but often seems deceptively closer. On clear mornings with excellent air quality the view from my 6th floor balcony is quite stunning. Where the images really shine is post typhoon where the haze and distortion are dramatically reduced. At first, I captured most shots with either a Sigma 17-50mm or Pentax 50-135mm though more recently I upped my game by adding a Pentax 300mm f4 to my camera bag. The advantage of the later is it helps cut out a rather ugly rooftop fence about the only obstacle which interferes with getting a clear shot of the big fella.


21/08/2016 5:31 PM.


1/11/2018 6:55 AM.


5/12/2019 4:25 PM.


27/11/2012 8:18 AM.


1/02/2019 6:52 AM.


5/12/2014 4:31 PM.


5/08/2019 6:54 PM.


1/12/2019 4:28 PM.


11/04/2019 8:15 AM.


12/11/2016 6:17 AM.


23/10/2019 6:41 AM.


8/01/2019 7:05 AM.


9/01/2019 8:17 AM.


16/05/2012 7:04 AM.


19/11/2013 5:15 PM.

4 comments
  • Spectacular images David, thank you for sharing.
    I’ve long thought it is a mountain to look at rather than hike on (the world’s largest ash tray), although I did finally claim this peak in September 2019, 25 years after my first visit to Japan. The sand run down was a unique experience, 5km down in just over half an hour.

    • Thanks for the comment, Stewart. I tend to agree I’ve also only climbed it once and not in any real hurry to go up again – as you say it’s best viewed from any number of mighty peaks. The sand run is definitely one of the best parts of climbing Fujisan.

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