Otsuki Line

The line grew out of two horse-drawn tramways. The Tsuru Horse Tramway opened its first section, with Shimoyoshida at one end, on 21 September 1900, and the Fuji Horse Tramway opened a line from Ōtsuki on 17 January 1903. These earlier tramways were eventually absorbed and rebuilt: in October 1921 the successor Fuji Electric Tramway re-gauged and electrified the section out of Ōtsuki.

The company that built the present line, the original Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway, was established on 18 September 1926. On 19 June 1929 it opened its electric line over the full 23.6 kilometres from Ōtsuki to Fujiyoshida, built to 1,067 mm gauge and electrified at 1,500 V DC — the line that is today called the Ōtsuki Line. The route gave the communities of the northern Fuji foothills a fast connection to the national network at Ōtsuki, replacing the slow street tramway that dated from the horse-tramway era.

After the Second World War the line was pushed the last short distance toward Lake Kawaguchi. On 24 August 1950 the company opened the extension from Fujiyoshida to Kawaguchiko, completing the through route from Ōtsuki to Kawaguchiko; this final 3.0-kilometre section is operated as the separate Kawaguchiko Line, while the original Ōtsuki–Fujiyoshida portion remains the Ōtsuki Line. Although nominally two lines, the Ōtsuki Line and the Kawaguchiko Line are run as a single operation.

In May 1960 the operator changed its corporate name from Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway to Fuji Kyuko (Fujikyu). On 1 July 2011 the line's southern terminus, long known as Fujiyoshida, was renamed Fujisan Station.

In the 2010s the line was integrated more closely with the JR network. From 16 March 2019 a new limited express, the "Fuji Excursion", began running directly between Shinjuku in Tokyo and Kawaguchiko, using JR East E353 series trains that travel over the JR Chūō Line and then continue onto the Ōtsuki Line; at Ōtsuki the Fuji Excursion sets are coupled to and split from the Chūō Line "Azusa" and "Kaiji" expresses.

On 1 April 2022 the Fujikyu group spun off its railway business: operation of the line was transferred from Fuji Kyuko to a subsidiary that took the historic company name, Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway. The Ōtsuki Line and the Kawaguchiko Line are therefore now operated by Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway.

16 stations tracked on the map, listed alphabetically. Select any to read its page.

• Akasaka (Yamanashi)赤坂
• Gekkoji月江寺
• Higashikatsura東桂
• Kamiotsuki上大月
• Kasei禾生
• Kotobuki寿
• Mitsutouge三つ峠
• Mt Fuji富士山
• Otsuki大月
• Shimoyoshida下吉田
• Tanokura田野倉
• Tokaichiba (Yamanashi)十日市場
• Tsurubunkadaigakumae都留文科大学前
• Tsurushi都留市
• Yamuramachi谷村町
• Yoshiikeonsenmae葭池温泉前

• 190021 September: the Tsuru Horse Tramway opens its first section, with Shimoyoshida at one end.
• 190317 January: the Fuji Horse Tramway opens a line from Ōtsuki.
• 1921October: the successor Fuji Electric Tramway re-gauges and electrifies the section out of Ōtsuki.
• 192618 September: the Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway company is established.
• 192919 June: the Ōtsuki–Fujiyoshida electric line (23.6 km, 1,067 mm gauge, 1,500 V DC) opens — today's Ōtsuki Line.
• 195024 August: the Fujiyoshida–Kawaguchiko extension opens, completing the through route to Kawaguchiko; this final section is operated as the separate Kawaguchiko Line.
• 1960May: the operator renames itself from Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway to Fuji Kyuko (Fujikyu).
• 20111 July: the southern terminus Fujiyoshida Station is renamed Fujisan Station.
• 201916 March: the "Fuji Excursion" limited express begins, running JR East E353 series trains directly from Shinjuku onto the Ōtsuki Line; the sets couple to and split from the Chūō Line "Azusa"/"Kaiji" at Ōtsuki.
• 20221 April: the Fujikyu group spins off its railway business; operation transfers from Fuji Kyuko to its subsidiary Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway, which revives the historic company name.