Fuji 5th Station, Ochudo Trail in April

Hi all, I intend to take a bus from Kawaguchiko to 5th station in early/mid April 2016.

1) Is the 5th station open at in April?

i intend to just take a day trip for sightseeing.

2) Is the Ochudo Trail open to casual walkers? There does not seem to be proper info or a map for this trail.

Thanks!

1) Is the 5th station open at in April?

It is accessible at any time when the road is open. The road is open if it is possible to remove the snow. In April, there is still a chance that the road may be closed due to snow, especially in early April. For example, right now, right now it is only open as far as the 4th Station.

As for the shops around the 5th Station, they open from around mid April.

2) Is the Ochudo Trail open to casual walkers? There does not seem to be proper info or a map for this trail.

It depends on the snow conditions whether the trail can be walked or not. Considering that the road is currently closed due to snow, I would expect that the Ochuo Trail is also still under a considerable layer of snow.

Thanks! I will be there the week of 18th April. Hope it clears up by then. Do you know how to check whether its accessible? Thanks in advance

Online in Japanese:
http://subaruline.jp/jyokyo.php