Visiting Mount Fuji in January

Hey there! Planning a trip to Japan in January.

Does anyone have any recommendations for day trips out of Tokyo during this time of the year? We want to visit mont fuji but are unsure of where we should stay/if we can visit the mountain?

I'm not sure what you mean by "visit the mountain"... if you're looking for a just nice, up close view of it, then winter is a beautiful time since the air is super clear and usually you can see very well! If you mean actually go up on the mountain or try to climb however, in winter it is not "open", and snow prevents casual hikers or climbers from going up. Many tourists like Hakone for their Mt. Fuji views because not only is the view nice from there, it has a multitude of onsen and things to do to make a great day or overnight trip!

For other suggestions, what are you interested in? What do you like/dislike? Snow can make the landscape very beautiful in many areas, but can also be a bit of a headache. Are you looking for snow or non-snow, winter sports or not, onsen or not, shrines and temples or shopping, etc. etc.? Getting an idea of your preferences will help us on the forum give suggestions!

The Odakyu Railway has a special 2 or 3 day ticket for Hakone/Mt. Fuji that is a spectacular trip and a good bargain.
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/freepass/hakone/
I have used that ticket many times, although I do it in just one day. Here's a preview. Click "Slideshow", upper right.
http://dickh.zenfolio.com/p372285780

Thanks very much for your response!

My friend and I are doing a budget-backpacking trip through Japan for 2 1/2 weeks. We plan on staying in big cities and doing day trips out of these locations. We have purchased JR rail passes for our stay. We are interested in experiencing and learning about the culture, food and of course soaking up the many great landscapes that Japan has to offer! We have a limited budget as already Japan is expensive for our type of travel. We would like to discover more untouched spots by tourists. We are not very interested in doing snow activities exactly, but we dont mind walking through the snow (we're from canada). For Mt Fuji, we are interested in getting as close as we can, really!

With your JR Pass there are two ways you can see Mt. Fuji close, provided you choose a clear day.
The chances of a crystal clear day in January are good. I will give you two routes. #1 will take you
near the east side of the mountain and #2 will take you completely around the mountain.
BOTH ROUTES:
Leave Tokyo station at 09:30 on Shinkansen to MISHIMA, arrive at 09:48.
#1 At MISHIMA take a regular JR train at 10:00 to NUMAZU, arrive 10:06.
Change to the Gotemba line. Take train at 10:14 to GOTEMBA, arrive 10:48.
Continue in the same direction. Next train is at 11:25. Ride to the end at KOUZU, arrive 12:11.
From here the JR Tokaido line goes back to TOKYO.
Trains run every 10-15 minutes and it takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.
SIDE TRIP. If you want to see an old hot springs resort, take a train toward ATAMI.
Get out at YUGAWARA and walk up through the town. There are dozens of Japanese Inns
with hot springs. Some let use use their baths for a fee. Do some searching on the Internet.
From YUGAWARA take a JR regular or express train back to TOKYO. 1 hour 20 mins. to 2 hours.
#2 At MISHIMA take a regular JR train at 10:00 to FUJI, arrive 10:30.
Change to the Minobu line. Next regular trainis at 10:43. It gets to KOFU at 13:26.
If you wait for a Wide View Fujikawa express iit leaves at 12:08, arrives KOFU 13:58.
(Go to the ticket window and get reserved seats - free with your JR Pass. Be sure to
get seats on the right side, the Mt. Fuji side. Say Migi gawa or Fuji-san no gawa.)
At KOFU take the Super Azusa 18 express back to Tokyo (SHINJUKU station) 14:08 - 15:33.
(At FUJI station you can get tickets for both express trains at the same time).