During the busy season, you cannot drive your car to the 5th station, but must take a taxi (or shuttle bus) instead. We took a taxi. We just came for a day hike, so we climbed to the 6th station and then took a loop back around to the 5th station. It was very beautiful! The climb to the 6th station can be steep in parts and it is very slippery, because of all the lava gravel. At the 6th station, you can use the restroom or purchase some food. We got a gorgeous view of Hoei-san (Mt. Hoei) on our loop back. It also included a short forested path at the end with lush green vegetation. I hope to come back someday to climb all the way to the top! If you are doing the full climb, please make sure to plan ahead, so that you have all of the equipment (trekking poles, backpack, gloves, jackets, headlamps, etc.) and logistics (transportation, food, lodging) in place.

You can get general information about trekking trails, maps in various languages, information on camping sites, sightseeing and activities around the five lakes. While all the staff does not speak much English, they do go out of the way and guide in bits of broken English.