Ōtsuki Line

Rail transport in the Tsuru valley began not with the electric line but with horse-drawn tramways. The Tsuru Horse Tramway opened a line between Shimoyoshida and Kagosaka Pass on 21 September 1900, and the rival Fuji Horse Tramway opened between Ōtsuki and the Yamura head office on 17 January 1903. These earlier tramways were eventually absorbed and rebuilt: in October 1921 the successor Fuji Electric Tramway re-gauged and electrified its line between Ōtsuki and Onuma, a step toward the modern electric railway that would follow.

The present railway company, the Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway, was established on 28 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 horse tramways that had served the valley.

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 the lakeside; 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 have always been run as a single operation.

On 30 May 1960 the operator changed its corporate name from Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway to Fuji Kyuko (Fujikyu). Under the Fujikyu name the railway developed as the gateway to a wider tourism business taking in Mount Fuji, the Fuji Five Lakes and the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park. On 1 July 2011 the line's southern terminus, long known as Fujiyoshida, was renamed Fujisan Station to advertise its role as the rail gateway to Mount Fuji, which had become a focus of international tourism.

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. This through-running of JR limited expresses gave the Fuji foothills a one-seat ride to and from central Tokyo.

The most recent change was a corporate reorganisation. 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, while the broader Fujikyu group continues to run the associated bus, leisure and tourism operations.

• 190021 September: the Tsuru Horse Tramway opens between Shimoyoshida and Kagosaka Pass, the first rail transport in the Tsuru valley.
• 190317 January: the rival Fuji Horse Tramway opens between Ōtsuki and the Yamura head office.
• 1921October: the successor Fuji Electric Tramway re-gauges and electrifies its line between Ōtsuki and Onuma.
• 192628 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 Lake Kawaguchi; this final section is operated as the separate Kawaguchiko Line.
• 196030 May: the operator renames itself from Fuji Sanroku Electric Railway to Fuji Kyuko (Fujikyu).
• 20111 July: the southern terminus Fujiyoshida Station is renamed Fujisan Station, advertising the line as the rail gateway to Mount Fuji.
• 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.