Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Territory capital · Japan

Kofu甲府市

Give Kofu one night as a Yamanashi base: Shosenkyo gorge, Takeda Shrine and wine, then move on. Two nights only if you add fruit picking or a Minobu run.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Apr–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (hot, humid basin), Golden Week
Airports
NRT · HND · KIX
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Kofu is the capital of Yamanashi, sitting in a bowl of mountains with Fuji to the south and the Minami Alps to the west. The centre is small and walkable, but the good parts — Shosenkyo Gorge, the wineries, the fruit farms — sit outside it and need a bus, a bike or a car. Most travellers use it as a base for the prefecture rather than a destination in itself.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Kofu, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Street or quick mealHoutou noodle soup¥1,300–1,800 (≈ US$9–13)
  • Beerdraught in an izakaya / can at a konbini¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6)¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxi¥1,800–2,400 (≈ US$13–17)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥13,000 (≈ US$90)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥28,000 (≈ US$190)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥7,000 (≈ US$50) · Mid ¥13,000 (≈ US$90) · High ¥25,000 (≈ US$170)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Shosenkyo GorgeTakeda ShrineKoshu wine and grapesHoutou noodlesBasashi (raw horse meat)
Airports
NRT Narita (Chuo Line via Shinjuku, about 3 h by limited express) · HND Haneda (Chuo Line via Shinjuku, about 2 h 30 min by limited express) · KIX Kansai (Shinkansen to Tokyo then Chuo Line, or fly to a closer field)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Kofu: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

8°C

−3°C

4 rd

Feb

10°C

−2°C

5 rd

Mar

14°C

1°C

8 rd

Apr

20°C

7°C

8 rd

May

24°C

12°C

9 rd

Jun

27°C

17°C

12 rd

Jul

31°C

21°C

13 rd

Aug

33°C

22°C

10 rd

Sep

28°C

18°C

11 rd

Oct

22°C

11°C

8 rd

Nov

16°C

4°C

5 rd

Dec

11°C

−1°C

4 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Kofu is built for cars: shops and sights sit along dual carriageways outside the centre. In town, walk or rent an electric bike (¥500 a day at hotels near the station). For Shosenkyo and the wineries, use the bus from Kofu Station or a taxi; the Minobu Line doubles as a local train with several stops in the city.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Shosenkyo Gorge

go

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Bus from Kofu Station, about 1 h, then walk

Walk Nagatorobashi to the shadow-picture museum, about 2 h easy; ropeway ¥1,200. Best in autumn.

Koshu wine country

go

Door to door: About 1 h

JR Chuo Line to Katsunuma-budokyo, about 20 min, then walk or taxi between wineries

Tastings cluster along the valley; several estates close on weekdays.

Minobu

go

Door to door: About 2 h

JR Minobu Line from Kofu, about 1 h 15 min to Minobu, then bus up to Kuon-ji

Single-track line: buy a ticket on board and pay the driver on exit.

Fujiyoshida and Fuji Five Lakes

overnight

Door to door: About 2 h

JR Chuo Line to Otsuki, then Fujikyuko Line

Too slow as a return day from Kofu: sleep there instead.

Hokuto and the Yatsugatake foothills

go

Door to door: About 1 h

JR Chuo Line west, about 30–50 min

Higher, cooler and greener than the basin; good for a half day.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Kofu Station north side

Hotels, izakayas and the castle park within a 10-minute walk; best for one night with bags.

Marunouchi and Chuo

The bar and restaurant grid around Orion Street; 5–10 minutes south of the station.

Isawa and the wine area

Onsen and winery country east of the city; needs a car or a train hop, not a walk.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥7,000–11,000 (≈ US$50–75) excl. bed
Mid
¥11,000–18,000 (≈ US$75–130) excl. bed
High
¥18,000 (≈ US$130)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 1 night × ¥13,000¥13,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ¥13,000¥26,000
Chuo Line limited express, Shinjuku to Kofu, one way2 × ¥4,000¥8,000
Highway bus, Shinjuku to Kofu, one way2 × ¥2,000¥4,000
Electric bike rental, one day2 × ¥500¥1,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥5,700
Trip total≈ ¥31,350 per person per day, bed included¥62,700≈ US$450

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Houtou noodle soup¥1,300–1,800 (≈ US$9–13)
Soba, all-you-can-eat set¥1,500–2,500 (≈ US$11–17)
Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
Beer: draught in an izakaya / can at a konbini¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6) / ¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
Wine tasting at a Koshu estate¥500–1,500 (≈ US$4–11)
Shosenkyo ropeway round tripabout ¥1,200 (≈ US$9)
5 km taxi¥1,800–2,400 (≈ US$13–17)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Kofu is a quiet, low-crime city; the real risks are summer heat in the basin, deer on mountain roads if you drive, and bars with no posted prices — ask the total before you sit.
  • The basin is one of Japan's hottest summer spots: plan indoor or high-altitude afternoons in Jul–Aug.
  • Buses to Shosenkyo are infrequent and stop early; check the last return before you set out.
  • Many wineries and fruit farms close outside harvest season and on weekdays: call or check ahead.
  • Outside the station area, English signage thins out; have addresses written in Japanese.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119
Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO, 24 h, English)
050-3816-2787

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Kofu甲府市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119
  • Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787

Embassy

No embassies in Kofu; most countries keep embassies in Tokyo and consulates in Osaka. Check your own country's list before you travel.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Shinjuku → Kofu, Chuo Line limited express: about ¥4,000 (≈ US$30), 1 h 30 min–2 h
  • Shinjuku → Kofu, highway bus: about ¥2,000 (≈ US$14), 2 h on paper, longer in traffic
  • Kofu Station → Shosenkyo, bus: about 1 h; check the last return

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • これをください — This one, please (kore o kudasai)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

Kofu is a small city: keep cash for buses, wineries and rural shops.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Kofu. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Apr–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (hot, humid basin), Golden Week · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for Kofu: last Chuo Line limited express from Shinjuku field-checked, highway-bus fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: Kofu Station north, Marunouchi and Orion Street, Maizuru Castle Park.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Takeda Shrine, Maizuru Castle Park, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Shosenkyo ropeway) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Harvest and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources