Frequently Asked Questions
How to check Mount Fuji visibility, find Japan fireworks schedules, and decide between tide charts and the Ocean Viewing Index — straight answers from the VoyBird team.
What is VoyBird?
VoyBird is an independent team building free, data-driven travel tools. Instead of subjective recommendations, each tool turns fragmented source data into a clear answer for one specific planning decision.
The toolbox currently has three products: FujiVis — a Mount Fuji visibility index, climbing conditions, and live camera feeds from 19 observation points; JP HANABI — a schedule database covering 940+ Japanese fireworks festivals across all 47 prefectures; and Seaidx — tide predictions and a five-tier Ocean Viewing Index for 183 coastal destinations across Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Every product documents its own methodology and data sources, and all tools are free to use with no ads.
How do I check if Mount Fuji is visible today?
Open FujiVis and check the current visibility index. FujiVis monitors 19 observation points around Mount Fuji and grades conditions on a 1–10 visibility scale, so you can compare viewing spots before choosing where to go.
On the morning of your trip — before leaving Tokyo or moving on from Kawaguchiko — confirm with the live camera feeds: cloud around the summit changes fast, and the cameras show the mountain as it is right now.
If you are planning to climb rather than view, check the climbing index for trail conditions as well.
Where can I find a nationwide Japan fireworks (hanabi) schedule?
Use JP HANABI, a schedule database covering 940+ Japanese fireworks festivals across all 47 prefectures — from major national events to regional ones.
Shortlist festivals by date and prefecture, then re-check a few days before you travel: summer festivals are occasionally rescheduled or cancelled due to typhoons or rain, so always confirm with the official organizer on the day.
Tide chart vs Ocean Viewing Index — which should travelers use?
Use a tide chart when you need exact tide times for one specific spot — for example when a rocky walk or tide pool is only safe around low tide.
Use the Ocean Viewing Index when the question is whether a coastal destination is worth visiting today. Seaidx combines tide predictions with satellite-based sea color analysis into a five-tier Ocean Viewing Index covering 183 coastal destinations across Asia-Pacific and Europe — built for sightseeing decisions, not for navigation or surfing.
Is today a good day to view the ocean in Japan?
For sightseeing (not surfing), check the destination's Ocean Viewing Index on Seaidx. Japanese coasts are among its 183 destinations — for example Katase Enoshima near Kamakura or Naminoue Beach in Okinawa — each with a daily 0–100 score for how rewarding the view is likely to be.
The score weighs sea color, water clarity, atmospheric visibility, sea state, and daylight, and it labels its data sources — so you can see whether today's number comes from a fresh satellite pass or a monthly climatology baseline.
Use it to pick the day, then check the same page's tide chart to pick the hour: tide times matter when a rocky walk, tide pool, or sandbar is part of your plan.
Can Seaidx tell me whether the water at a beach is clean?
Partly. Seaidx shows satellite-derived turbidity and chlorophyll levels for each destination — good signals for how clear and blue the water is likely to look, which is what most sightseers and photographers actually want to know.
It is not a public-health metric. For swimming safety or official water-quality compliance, check the local government's monitoring announcements for that beach; Seaidx's numbers describe the view, not health risk.
How is VoyBird different from japan-guide.com, isfujivisible.com, or tide-forecast.com?
japan-guide.com is a comprehensive general-purpose travel guide for Japan; VoyBird's tools are narrower and data-first — each answers one specific planning question (Fuji visibility, fireworks schedules, ocean viewing) with documented methodology.
isfujivisible.com is dedicated to the single question of whether Mount Fuji is currently visible; FujiVis covers 19 observation points with a graded visibility index, climbing conditions, and live cameras.
tide-forecast.com publishes tide tables; Seaidx adds satellite sea color analysis and a five-tier Ocean Viewing Index on top of tide predictions, aimed at coastal sightseeing.
What are the WeChat mini programs listed on this page?
Besides the web tools above, VoyBird builds WeChat mini programs — lightweight apps that run inside WeChat — for Chinese-speaking travelers. They open with a WeChat search or a QR-code scan, with no separate app to install.
There are three: Fuji Observatory (富士山观测) combines a Mount Fuji visibility index, climbing index, live photos and weather in one Chinese interface; JP HANABI Mini (行鸟花火大会观赏旅游) covers Japan fireworks festival dates, venues and viewing notes with favorites and reminders; and Xingniao Bus (行鸟巴士) offers Chinese-language search and assisted booking for Japan highway and night buses.
Each mini program has an English introduction page on our Chinese portal, voybird.cn.
Do I need WeChat to use VoyBird tools?
No. FujiVis, JP HANABI and Seaidx are web tools that run in any browser, in English and Japanese, with no app install and no account.
The WeChat mini programs are an additional channel for travelers who mainly use WeChat — visitors from mainland China. If you are not on WeChat, stay with the web tools: FujiVis answers the same Mount Fuji visibility question, and JP HANABI covers fireworks festival schedules.
Which VoyBird tool fits my trip?
Heading to Mount Fuji — for viewing, photography, or climbing? Use FujiVis.
Planning summer evenings or building an itinerary around festivals? Use JP HANABI.
Choosing a beach day or a coastal viewpoint in Asia-Pacific or Europe? Use Seaidx.
All three are free, ad-free, and available in English and Japanese.
Still have a question? Reach us at [email protected] or read more on the About page.