Hotel berhampiran Sakura Forest Park, Otsuki

We enjoyed the gorgeous fuji view from the room which was exactly the same as the photo we saw online. The hotel provided free warm packs and snacks in the lobby which was caring. There were also welcoming snacks in the room. However, as far as we know, the hotel provides free shuttle service to/from Kawaguchiko station but it was disappointing that there were no way to book online. I tried to contact the hotel directly via email but received no response from them. Eventually, we took a bus from Kawaguchiko station and walked up the hill with our luggages, which was very inconvenient. Besides, the dinner style/menu was only available at dinner time so we couldn’t take it into consideration when we decided the date of our stay. Other than the above, the overall experience was nice with high CP value.

For more general details about Fufu Kawaguchiko, please read my review from October 2020... We decided at the last minute to pay a visit to the Fuji Five Lakes area because the weather forecast called for a clear day (and hopefully a clear view of Mt. Fuji.) Thankfully, one room was available, and it was the exact same room as the one we stayed at the first time (Fufu Luxury Premium Suite, Room #408.) It's a top-floor corner suite with a separate bedroom/living room along with an expansive balcony and a free-flowing, open-air Onsen (natural hot springs) bath. As rooms go, it's pure bliss. Modern, tastefully furnished and decorated, bright and airy, and has all of the amenities and features one would expect when staying at a relatively new high-end property. We still feel that Fufu doesn't make the best use of its space - it's a bit busy, and consequently seems a bit less spacious than its specifications suggest (it's officially 136 square meters, although someone we can't help but feel that they're counting the balcony space as part of the overall room size.) It's really less of a ryokan and more of a hotel with ryokan-style elements. Shoes don't need to come off (although you're advised to do so in the guest rooms), they provide ”Samue” (sort of spa pajama/style) outfits rather than the traditional (and albeit more pretty but less comfortable) Yukatas, but still retain some of the common ryokan charms (and a few drawbacks.) The staff are relatively young, hip and ”pretty”, and more casually friendly than the typical traditional ryokan, which is good or bad, depending on your perspective. We enjoyed the high-energy vibe of the place, although we also do enjoy the finesse and quaintness that top traditional ryokans exhibit as well (Asaba is a perfect example of this.) The clientele are also more youthful than most other properties that we've stayed at - this is where the young, wealthy and beautiful go to see and be seen, that's for sure. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but just a FYI. Not much has changed from our last stay, although I will say that we enjoyed the food offering a bit more this time. We learned that they brought in a new head chef, and while it's not a night-and-day difference, we did notice a quality and creative improvement from last time. A few specialty dishes were once again served, including a unique cheese gratin with Natto (fermented soybeans that is slimy and has a pungent odor) for breakfast - we enjoyed the dish, but not sure how many Westerners can handle Natto, which is a very acquired taste. While we wish there was an option to have meals served in one's own room, we do think that Fufu needs to have more ”ko****su” private dining rooms in the restaurant. They only have a handful of them, and priority goes to large groups or families with small children. When we go to a high-end ryokan, we prefer not to dine in an open, restaurant-style environment. We requested a Ko****su in advance, and were only told we wo

I stayed at the Kogetsu for 2 nights in May and it was an unforgettable experience. Every detail was beautiful and thoughtful. I booked rather late and was not able to book the same room, so the first night I stayed in a Standard Western Style twin w open-air bath; and the second night in a Standard Japanese Modern w open-air bath (Triple). Both were on the 3rd (of 5) floors and both had stunning views of Mt Fuji. Both incorporated both Japanese and Western style. The first room had wood floors throughout and half-shoji screen doors so you could separate the bedroom and dining areas. It also had a small walk-in closet. The outdoor onsen was quite large (could easily fit 4 adults) and the patio was wider than in the Triple room. I posted pics of the Standard Western Style Twin and will post the pics of the Triple separately. In contrast the Triple room was larger and there was a gorgeous daybed (which becomes the 3rd bed) with windows on either side overlooking Mt Fuji. The onsen was a bit smaller (could easily fit 2 adults). The bedroom was carpeted, dining area had tatami-style mats, and hallway had wood floors. There was a wardrobe rather than walk-in closet in this room. Both rooms had a wet area for washing up before the onsen, a separate powder room, and separate toilet room. Honestly, you can’t go wrong - both rooms were gorgeous. I felt lucky to be here. One thing to note is that there is a boat launch beside the ryokan, so my open-air onsen on 3rd floor was not super private (there’s a screen to pull down if you want privacy, but it obscures the view). The 4th/5th floors would have more feeling of privacy. The kaiseki meals were beautifully displayed and delicious. The 2 nights’ menus were different but followed a similar (but not identical) format: 1) Aperitif, 2) Seasonal appetizers, 3) Soup, 4) Sashimi, 5) Main course (hot), 6) Steamed fish, 7) Grilled fish, 8) Palette cleanser, 9) simmered dish, 10) rice dish, and 11) dessert. My nakai, Fumiko-san, was lovely - friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Breakfast was also included - it was half- buffet, with an elegant bento box with appetizers and tamago. It also included delicious tempura, made to order and delivered to your table. The hotel has a happy hour from 2:30-6:30 where a limited selection of tea, coffee, nonalcoholic drinks, beer and wine are free. You can enjoy them on the gorgeous terrace overlooking Mt Fuji with your feet soaking in the footpath (just not in your room). Lastly there are shuttles every morning to Kawaguchiko Station or any of the tourist sights on the way, and the hotel will send a shuttle to pick you up when you are ready to come back. The location of this ryokan could not be better - close to some great museums and on the North shore of the lake, which has the best views (and away from the touristy South shore).

The location of the hotel is fantastic for sunset viewing. There is plenty of parking across the road, with a surfeit of basically unnecessary staff. We had a reasonable-sized room with large windows and a wonderful panorama of the lake and Mount Fuji. That's all that's positive. The hotel is in two parts: the original building and an annexe. It is NOT suitable for wheelchair users trying to get to a restaurant. There are too many steps, twists and turns. There are lifts to find rooms in part A or part B, and the locations of the onsens (which switch between male and female every day - nice views, though). The signage is rare and confusing. As a stocky European (100Kg), I had immense difficulty sleeping on a very thin futon. The electric heater in the room blasts an unhealthy stream of hot air. Switch off this health risk and you FREEZE (we were there in late October). The hotel is relatively expensive, so you'd expect quality rooms. What you get is the uniform Japanese army-style sp****, goose**** green-walled room that you'd find in business hotels at half the room rate of this laughingly named 'NEW CENTURY' place. Minimalist, to say the least (in reality, pinched, lacking in generosity and well-being). At least there was a fridge (with a freezer icebox!!) In a series of measures as a response to the risks of COVID, there were no real glasses - just paper cups, and a message asking you to close the toilet lid before flushing. Disappointingly, the toilet was untypically low quality - no little hand-washing basin and fountain on the top of the toilet, and thus no towel in the toilet itself. (So, mucky hands grasping two sets of door handles to wash your hands. How's that for customary Japanese hygiene?) We (a group of 13 people - I was the only gaijin...) had booked an evening meal, room and breakfast the next morning. Dinner? Again, for the price, you'd expect a nice piece of fish (probably from the lake) right? NO way. We got a few bits of sukiyaki, and mean little dishes with bits and pieces of this and that... I've eaten MUCH better food in izakayas and bars throughout Japan. My opinion was echoed by most of our party. Breakfast was below ordinary. Simple, plain, dull. Something to dispense with quickly. Taking fuel on board, that's all. The service in the restaurant was desultory (= awful, ungracious). During dinner, a stocky old lady granted me the opportunity to be bumped TWICE by her capacious bottom as she served the person next to me. I complained and pushed back, to the accompaniment of giggles from her lithe, unobtrusive colleagues. Mercifully I was spared any further encounter with this voluminous rear end at breakfast. The staff at breakfast time were a) limited in number b) slow and c) VERY detached. One had the feeling they were cleaning staff put into waiting uniforms. Per person, we paid over 13,000 yen. Frankly, an outrageous price. The ONLY benefit was the view. For that, you don't need a hotel room. A bus tour will

For the price of this hotel, you can’t go wrong. Love the location and the view of Mount Fuji. This is a basic local hotel surrounded by much more expensive accommodations. We stay for 2 nights during the autumn light illumination festival. I have requested for a Mount Fuji view room. Worth the extra dollars to admire the beauty. The challenge is always trying to get a room during the peak season like cherry blossoms or autumn leaves season. Better book well in advance. This hotel offers free parking and free breakfast, simple but yet complete meal. The hotel looks like it had recently been remodel or upgraded from another establishment. The hotel surrounding and finish looks well maintained. Highly recommended stay.

We had booked a room for Fuji view, and indeed we were greeted with a magnificent view of the kawaguchiko lake & Mt Fuji. The staffs were friendly & helpful. Room was comfortable, everything was clean, however the bathroom had no where to hang our towels- I think that can be improved. Also, the hotel is located on a small hill, which can only be accessed via a very steep road up. I strongly recommend to rent a car when you are staying there as it is quite difficult to walk up the hill if you don’t have a car.

立地条件は良いですねえ。時間による（5:00PM）のでしょうがフロント担当などは男性のみの感じ。コロナ禍ゆえかウエルカムドリンクはなかったですねえ。館内は綺麗で良かったですねえ。和室に泊まりました。部屋によるのでしょうが、まずは湖を眺めようと窓を開けてバルコニーへと向かうと、部屋は高床式のように40センチほど高くなっていて、膝が痛かったので難儀しました。子供や老人は用心しないと危ないです。そして鏡台の電灯点けると、行灯型の明かりは薄暗くて、妻も役に立たないと嘆き、見上げると行灯の中には結構な埃がもやっと眺められ、妻と苦笑しましたねえ。さて、お風呂へ行きましたが、いくつかあるのでしょうが入った浴場の露天は景色は見えずでした。 そして食事ですが、工夫されている（多分外国人向けの工夫かと）割には味付けは、和風とは言いにくくて「旨い」とは思えず、工夫が過ぎてるなあ、和食の良さがなくなっていると感じ残念でした。そうそう、Wi-Fiはあるのですが、不思議なことに案内のどこにも書かれておらず、フロントに聞くと、口頭で告げるのみで不親切でしたねえ。 それから、洗面台のハンドルが小さくて、老人や子供にはかなり使いにくいものでした。そして、和室では肝心な床の間の絵の位置がTV設置の加減でか左にずれて居るのは、ご愛敬レベルでしょうか。部屋食は配膳の男性給仕さんが良い印象でしたが、全体に、残念なことでした。

Our room has Mount Fuji view, which is really nice :) - the two pictures below were taken in the room. We also enjoyed our dinner and breakfast at the hotel! The shabu-shabu dinner allowed us to order unlimited beef, pork and veggies within 90 mins, and the hotel offers buffet breakfast with great variety of food and drink choices. The hotel is close to both the bus stop 4 and the bus stop 6 of red/purple/green lines, so depending on where one plan to go, one can get on/off at either bus stop, with a few minute walk from the hotel. (For example, it took us about 15 mins to walk from hotel to the cable car station.) The staff there are really friendly, with excellent services - a big thank to them! There are two onsen areas at the hotel - one in the main building and another in the annex building. We went to the main building one, but it was a bit small and quite crowded, so the hygiene there was suboptimal. This is the only minor thing that we wish that the hotel could do better. All in all, our stay was wonderful :)

Very nice mountain view from room. The public baths located on 7th floor are amazing as the one in open space is extraordinary. Very relaxing and comfortable in summer night. The buffet breakfast and dinner provide many choices of different cuisine. Overall speaking, very good choice I have made. I will sure will pick Mystays again.

My husband and I stayed here for one night at the beginning of October 2020. Check-in time was at 2pm, and the staff members were very efficient and polite, dressed in lovely “yukata”. The room had a nice layout, with two double beds and a television, a separate sitting area with another television and mini-bar area, and a large sofa-bench/bed area by window from which one could view a very large Mt Fuji. There was an indoor bathroom area and a separate shower room that lead to an outdoor hot-bath which was not too hot. I did not even have to add any cold water to it. There was a rooftop hot bath (for women only) and nice larger hot-spring baths on different floors. Other smaller family-baths could be reserved. Note that the towels in the rooms do not have to be taken to these baths since supplies are located there. Pictures may not be taken in any of the baths. The room had guest “yukata” and haori(warm vests) and also another type of top/slacks set which may be worn throughout the hotel. (Note that you might ask in advance about the size ranges of these items). “Tabi” socks were provided for free in our room, and free, packaged small bath towels and amenities were provided for each of us. Two free bottles of water were provided, but items stored in the mini-bar refrigerator need to be paid for upon checkout (as explained by the room attendant upon checking in). There was a nice free selection of tea and coffee in the room, with a nice cup of Japanese tea and a complimentary piece of nutty chocolate upon while being oriented to the room and the layout of the hotel. The level of our room included a free “Taiko” show in the evening (2 shows each night), with ours starting at 8:45pm(the second one). Guests may choose either Japanese or western-style meals. We chose Japanese for both sittings but preferred the quality of the breakast meal, which was very tasty.