Fuji Five Lakes in fall or spring?

My main interest when I travel is to enjoy the outdoors and take photos.
When going to Fuji Five Lakes, I'm mostly interested in...
- Biking around the lakes and taking photos
- Finding good views of Mt. Fuji to take photos
- Go to Aokigahara
- Go to the caves

Originally I was going to go in the spring to see the cherry blossoms.
But the time frame is so limited! And the hotels book so up so fast and far in advance!
Do you think the timeframe for fall foliage is a bit longer/easier to plan?

Seasons are difficult to predict. Higher altitude affects the timing, too. Personally speaking, cherry blossoms can be enjoyed from even at 50% full to slightly past peak. Autumn foliage is not too impressive if only 50% of trees are red. For photographing purpose, I have had better luck, timing wise, with cherry blossoms. But one rain can ruin the season, ...or go in both seasons.🌸🍁

I dont disagree, but you can avoid the autumn crowds by visiting the Fuji area and also Matsumoto through to Takayama, which tend to get colour in late October and the beginning of November (in my admittedly limited experience). But alas if you want to include Kamikochi in that run, it seems to have colour earlier still (early to mid October) and is pretty grey (and mighty cold) by the beginning of November.

One of the biggest challenges of seeing Mt Fuji is getting clear weather. If that is one of your goals, autumn after typhoon season is a better time to go. There are never any guarantees however. Being flexible in your schedule can also help a lot.