Fujikawaguchiko

Ok the hotel itself is pricy but considering the dinner you get and the amazing view it's worth every cent. You have My Fuji right out your window. You can rent swan boats and go onto the water. It's a great escape from a city and a beautiful way to enjoy the backdrop. The rooms, well they are not traditional Western style rooms. You get a mat and pillow and covers. No beds (at least in our rooms). Honestly it's pretty comfy still. Only downside was it was hot as ever. The air is controlled as a whole and it was toasty at night. We slept with the door open but even then was a bit muggy in there. Good breakfast in the morning that's included. Has everything from Japanese food to cereal and basics. The dinner is fully loaded...I couldn't even count the courses there were so many. There are hot springs. Though you have to be careful on the men's side because you can see into part of one from the balconies. I will not confirm or sent that I saw a few naked people chilling. :)

TripAdvisor has this place ranked as the #1 Ryokan in the Fujikawaguchiko area and it lives up to the hype. We took the JR Rail Chuo limited Express up to Otsuki and then transferred onto the local rail up to Fujikawaguchiko. A quick call to the Ryokan and they had a driver sent out to the station to pick us up. Checking in was a breeze and they had staff escort us to our room and explain the features and expectations of the resort. The public onsen itself is open from 13:00 through 9:30 so a midnight soaking is available. From 9:30 through 13:00 the onsen is given a throrougg cleaning. From our experience the best time was around 13:30 through 15:45. The guests from the night before had checked out and the current day's guests haven't arrived yet. I got the onsen completely to myself. Breakfast buffet is from 7-9am. The late night noodle bar goes from 21:00-24:00. We booked a Japanese style tatami room and set our alarms for a 4am morning call to catch the sunset. Unfortunately the day we arrived it was drizzly and Mt. Fuji decided to hide behind the clouds and we could only make out the base shape of the mountain. The food on the first night was their preset Kaiseki (traditional Japanese set menu). Our server was named Aki and she did a phenomenal job explaining everything even with a slight language barrier. The preset dishes were all delicious and probably one of the best kaiseki meals I've ever had. Afterwards we went wandering around the building in their gift shop while the staff went into our room and reset it so that our bedding was laid out. Japanese style futon room we booked came with its entry foyer with shelves, then a small antechamber that had a stand alone toilet on the right and a shower soaking room and sinks on the left. Then there was a sliding door that led to the main tatami room and an outdoor viewing balcony. The grounds are groomed beautifully with one of the best views of Mt Fuji you can get in this area. In traveling around Tokyo the staff seemed the most genuine here. Some of the previous hotels the staff was helpful outwardly but when it came to actually doing anything the requests were all met with shaken heads. Ie making reservations, accepting a package, etc. There's free draft beer service in the lobby from 15:00-19:00! Service was too notch; when I inquired about a bakery the staff immediately paged their driving service to drive me to and from two bakeries to save me the walk. Overall it was an amazing experience!

A nice hotel, with updated fixtures in an older room. The staff is very polite and attentive. We got a room with built-in hot spring and we were served a very nice in-room kaiseki dinner. The hotel has a great view overlooking lake Kawaguchiko and Mt. Fuji. Definitely worth the price considering the dinner/view and built-in hot spring.