Looking into Hotel Mifujien

I've been looking into campsites, hot springs, and places to stay that seem doable without a car, one after another.

This time I looked into Hotel Mifujien on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi. I have a driver's license but don't drive, and I thought a place with a pickup service from the station might actually be realistic for me. That's what got me interested.

The Short Version

It has a large public bath and an open-air bath, and apparently the open-air bath looks out over Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. There's also a station pickup for overnight guests, so my impression was that it's an onsen hotel that's easy to consider even without a car.
The Rakuten Mobile signal rating from the official tool was C. If that matters to you, it might be reassuring to check it yourself beforehand.

I've put the details below.

A Lakeside Onsen Hotel on Lake Kawaguchi with an Open-Air Bath That Caught My Eye

Hotel Mifujien seems to be an onsen hotel standing on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. According to the official website, it has 49 rooms in total, so my impression was that it's not an overly huge place.

Here's the basic information, as far as I could confirm it on the official website.

Check-in/check-out: Normally 15:00 to 10:00, apparently. The times may differ depending on the plan
Booking: Besides the official site's online reservation system (plan list and vacancy calendar), it seems you can also ask by phone or through the contact form
Room rates: The top page and the room pages didn't list any prices, so it looks like you check the plan list in the reservation system
Parking: Outdoors, reserved for hotel guests, and generally free, it seems. I couldn't find the number of spaces
Facilities: Table tennis, a café, a shop, vending machines, coin laundry (paid), and a massage service (paid), among others
Wi-Fi: Apparently free to use in the guest rooms

Komorin

It's a little frustrating that the prices aren't on the official pages, but it seems you compare by looking through the plan list. Since I spend a lot of time holed up in my room, the free Wi-Fi in the guest rooms was good news for me.

The Large Public Bath, Open-Air Bath, and Day-Trip Bathing

The big highlight of this hotel seems to be the large public bath on the 7th floor. The men's bath is called Mizubasho and the women's is called Hanamizuki, and apparently there's a description saying you can see Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi from the open-air bath. I couldn't find the size of the open-air bath or the names of the individual baths on the official website.

Bathing hours: 5:00 to 9:00 and 15:00 to 24:00, apparently. It looks like you can even have a morning bath
Water type: A saline spring (calcium/sodium chloride and sulfate spring), described as natural hot spring water that comes up from 1,500 meters underground
How the water is handled: The official website apparently states clearly that the water is heated, diluted, and recirculated
Benefits: Neuralgia, muscle pain, chronic digestive disorders, cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, and so on
Private bath: I couldn't find any mention of one on the official website

There also seemed to be information about day-trip bathing on the hot spring page. Reception is from 13:00 to 20:00 (use is from 13:00 to 21:00), and it costs 1,200 yen for adults (with a rental towel) and 600 yen for children. However, it's apparently operated irregularly, and you need to inquire before using it. It can't be used on days when the whole hotel is booked out or closed, so that's something to keep in mind when making plans.

Getting There from the Station, from a Paper Driver's Perspective

The nearest station is Kawaguchiko Station, apparently. For someone like me who doesn't drive, what I cared about was how to get from the station to the hotel.

According to the FAQ on the official website, the pickup service is only for overnight guests. You call from Kawaguchiko Station between 15:00 and 19:00 and a shuttle comes to get you, and it seems you can't reserve in advance. For the ride back to the station the next morning, departures at 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00 were listed.

I couldn't find the walking time from the station or any bus information in the main text of the official website, because the access page was just a map image. If you miss the pickup window it might get a bit tricky, so my impression was that it'd be better to decide on a rough arrival time first.

Komorin

It's reassuring that they'll pick you up just by calling from the station. Still, I want to remember that you can't reserve in advance and that it's limited to the 15:00–19:00 window.

Guest Rooms and the Kikyo Dining Hall: What Stood Out

The guest rooms seem to be mainly Japanese-style or Japanese-Western combination rooms. The room page on the official website listed four types: a modern Japanese-Western room, a 12.5-tatami Japanese-style room with a veranda, a 10-tatami one with a veranda, and an 8-tatami one with a veranda. All of them have a bath and toilet, and the view is described as Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi.

12.5-tatami room with veranda: There's apparently a note saying that, because of the building's structure, the roof of the building in front can be seen from the window
Modern Japanese-Western room: Limited to guests aged 13 and over
Views from all rooms: I couldn't confirm in the main text of the official website whether the rooms other than these four types have the same view
Inside the rooms: Non-smoking, and it seems you use the designated smoking areas

Meals seem to be served at the Kikyo dining hall. Apparently there's a stay plan that features Koshu beef grilled on a magnolia leaf as the main dish at dinner, so I could picture a relaxed meal after soaking in the hot spring.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I checked the hotel's location (the Asagawa area of Fujikawaguchiko) with the official my Area Coverage Simulator, and the overall rating came up as “C”.

The actual experience may vary depending on the spot and the building, but based on what I checked this time, it seems wise to look into the connection situation in the guest rooms beforehand.

Since the guest rooms apparently have free Wi-Fi, it'd probably be good to factor that in for things like work or watching videos. If you're curious, please check the official Rakuten Mobile tool yourself before your stay.

Komorin

Honestly, I was a little disappointed that the rating was C. But if the rooms have Wi-Fi, I think I could just treat it as a place to enjoy the baths and the scenery.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, my impression of Hotel Mifujien was that it's an onsen hotel with a large public bath and an open-air bath overlooking Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, and it's easy to consider even without a car.

Apparently there's a pickup from Kawaguchiko Station for overnight guests. However, you can't reserve in advance and the hours are limited, so I'd want to plan my arrival time ahead. There's also information on day-trip bathing, but it's operated irregularly and you need to inquire first. I couldn't confirm the room rates, the number of parking spaces, or the walking time from the station on the official website, so it seems best to check those before booking.

The Rakuten Mobile signal rating from the official tool was C. For the connection, I'd think about it together with the free Wi-Fi in the rooms, and if you're curious, please check the official tool yourself. You can find the official website at Hotel Mifujien.

Check Out Rakuten Mobile

This article includes a referral link for Rakuten Mobile's employee referral campaign. For details, please see our Disclaimer & Advertising Notice.