Mr Fuji Trip from Tokyo

Hi,
after my 5 week trip trough Japan I plan to spend a week in Tokyo (been there 2013 with daytrips and back in 2018/2019) and would love to see Mt. Fuji at the end of November

Original the was a very early day trip from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko when the weather forecast would be looking good - then I found a cheap hostel private room and though of staying for a night (and keeping my Toyko room).

That would be with the downside of a fixed itinerary and maybe travelling when the weather isnft great. And now friends are warning that Kawaguchiko is totally crowded and not worth traveling .

Plan would have been staying at Hostel Saruya, head to the pagoda for early sunrise and explore the town, rent bike at the hostel and head to the lakes and all the way to Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba and possible explore Kawaguchiko the day before arriving via train or bus.

Any suggestions or other Fuji spots ? Did Hakone in 2013 alread and plan to visit during the week (last week of November)

Specially if you rent a bicycle I think you can gfleeh the overly crowded places. Youfll still have crowds at the pagoda, but not in between.

Also ask your friends when they did go? Maybe Sakura timing? November is a different beast. Although it might be good timing for koyo.

Generally best to avoid weekends. Note there are some local holidays in November so avoid those as well if possible.

If you put a fixed date to your trip to Kawaguchiko or not is hard to decide. Maybe try to find a hotel/hostel that allows quite late cancelling? Rain in November around Kawaguchiko wouldnft be my definition of a great trip. (In summer I wouldnft mind that much but no visible Fuji in the rain)
Or find one that is so cheap that if you just donft go (but let them know) you just pay for the room but are happy to remain in Tokyo.

They actually went in November!
Sadly no place has a cancel the day before policy- how accurate would the weather forecast be 5 days or so before ? As you mention, no point heading out when itfs raining

Otherwise I would aim for a day trip with good forecast, taking a 4 am train during the weekend so I could beat the bus tourists at the pagoda

Then exploring the town, getting some breakfast and heading to the lake to rent a bike for a day around it.

If you are mainly interested in just getting a reasonably nice view of Mt. Fuji, there are other places that you can go that arenft heavily overtouristed. Miho no Matsubara is a pleasant excursion from Tokyo. Another is the end of the Miura Peninsula. These are enjoyable day trips with things to do other than look at Mt. Fuji, but they are considerably farther from the mountain so the view is more distant. If you want a really spectacular view, Jukkokutoge is quite good (accessible by bus from Atami), and you also get great coastal views, but there isnft really much else to do there. Nihondaira is supposed to be nice but I havenft been there yet myself. There is a modest partial view of Mt. Fuji from Minobusan, which in itself is a nice excursion, and you can see the mountain quite a bit from trains on the way there (also nice views of the Japan alps, and some hiking trails). But the Fuji view would be a secondary part of a trip there.

Those are just a few places I know of where you can at least see Mt. Fuji on a nice day. But Kawaguchiko offers you more things to do with Mt. Fuji in view the whole time, weather permitting. I wouldnft go there myself because of the crowds, but it depends on what your objective is.

You can get a nice view of Mt Fuji from MinatoMirai tower in Yokohama on a clear day.