[Kofu Station] (Kofu City, Yamanashi) Yoshida Udon in the Station Building and the Illuminated Statue of Takeda Shingen
A Yodobashi Camera opened in front of the station a few years back. It's funny how much livelier the whole area feels just from that.
About Kofu City
Population: 184,650 (estimate, January 1, 2026)
Kofu is the prefectural capital of Yamanashi and the most populous city in the prefecture. It sits in a region sometimes called Chubu and sometimes Koshin'etsu, depending on who you ask. That said, among prefectural capitals, it actually has the second-lowest population in Japan — just above Tottori.
Getting to Kofu Station
From Tokyo Station, take the limited express via Shinjuku — it's about two hours at the fastest. Leave Tokyo around 9 a.m. and you'll easily be there by noon.
Around the Station
Kofu Station has both a south exit and a north exit. Head out the south exit and you'll find a bus rotary, with a stylish, bright tourist information center tucked into one corner. It looks very welcoming.
Presiding over the station plaza is a statue of Takeda Shingen, decorated with festive lights — a surprisingly warm sight. The great warlord once feared as the Tiger of Kai probably never imagined this is how he'd be spending the 450 years after his death.
There's a public restroom right in the station plaza. Well-maintained and easy to find — no complaints.
Kofu Castle was decommissioned in the Meiji era and most of its structures were demolished, so it's not in the best shape as castle ruins go. Still, it made the list of Japan's Top 100 Castles.
Dining in the Station Building
The station building has a good lineup of restaurants and cafés. Oddly, there are two Tully's and a Starbucks — a coffee lover's dream.
There's a shop serving Yoshida Udon, a specialty from Fujiyoshida City — also in Yamanashi, though not Kofu itself. I went with the dipping-style udon (tsukeudon). The noodles have a firm, chewy bite, somewhere in the neighborhood of udon from northern Kanto.