I Looked Into Fuji View Hotel

This blog isn't just about campsites — I also steadily research and write about day-trip hot springs and hotels that catch my interest. This time, instead of camping, I'm covering something more on the 'hotel vacation' side of things.

This time I looked into Fuji View Hotel, located on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi Prefecture. Just knowing it's part of the long-established Fujiya Hotel group already had me curious, but when I checked out the official website, the photos of the garden and hot springs were so striking that I decided to sit down and organize what I found.

What Kind of Place Is Fuji View Hotel, a Classic Hotel in the Fujiya Hotel Group?

Fuji View Hotel is located in Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture, and is apparently operated by FUJIYA HOTEL Co., Ltd. That makes it part of the same group as the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00, which looks pretty standard for a hotel.

As for room rates, I couldn't find a unified price list on the official site — it seems you're meant to check the booking system or external travel booking sites instead. Going by what's listed on those external sites as a reference, plans with two meals included start in the low 30,000 yen range per adult, and can go up to around 60,000 yen per person for rooms with good Mt. Fuji views or for the junior suite with its own hot spring bath. I couldn't confirm a clear price range for room-only stays.

I confirmed about 9 room types on the official site. On top of the difference in orientation — facing Mt. Fuji versus facing Lake Kawaguchi or the garden — there's a mix of Japanese-style, Western-style, and combination rooms to choose from. On the 5th floor, there's apparently just one special room called the junior suite with a view bath, which has its own open-air bath inside the room. Whether any other room types also have open-air baths wasn't clear from the official site's description alone.

Komorin

Seeing the room types divided this finely really gives off that meticulous, long-established-hotel feel. Just imagining which room I'd pick already has me having fun.

Relaxing in the Mt. Fuji-View Hot Spring: Shureinoyu

On the basement floor of the building, there's a large communal bath called Shureinoyu, which uses one of the hot spring sources from the Fujikawaguchiko hot spring area, apparently with separate open-air baths and saunas for men and women. The water is said to be a calcium-sodium sulfate-chloride spring, believed to be effective for things like neuralgia, muscle pain, and frozen shoulder. It also stood out to me that the men's bath is designed to evoke an old traditional farmhouse, while the women's bath is designed to evoke a Kyoto-style townhouse.

Bathing hours seem to be split into two periods: 15:00 to 23:30 and 5:30 to 10:00. It doesn't accept day-trip bathing, and there's no private family bath available either, so enjoying this hot spring seems to require staying overnight.

Checking Out the Garden, Restaurants, and Facilities

The grounds include a garden said to span around 30,000 tsubo, where more than 300 cherry trees apparently bloom in spring against a backdrop of Mt. Fuji. There's also said to be about a 1.6-kilometer walking path along the lakeshore, which sounds like it would be enjoyable to stroll through on its own. Guests can also apparently use a 10-hole short golf course free of charge, along with a tennis court within the garden.

As for dining, three venues are apparently available for reservation: the French restaurant Bellevue, the Japanese restaurant Shikishima Bellevue, and the breakfast buffet at Fuji View Lounge. For lounges and bars, there are also apparently panoramic lounges on the east and west sides, plus a garden lounge and bar called L'Avenue. I also confirmed the following facilities within the hotel:

• Parking: space for 86 cars, free for guests
• Gift shop: next to the 1st-floor front lobby, open 8:00–20:00
• Currency exchange machine: in front of the 1st-floor front desk, supporting 14 currencies and 15 languages
• Bicycle rental: paid, 6:30–20:00 (200 yen for up to 1 hour, 500 yen for up to 3 hours)
• Binocular rental: free at the front desk, comes with a wild bird guidebook
• Multipurpose restroom: located next to the basement-floor large bath
• Smoking area: 2nd floor, available 24 hours

There was also some information suggesting that free Wi-Fi is available in all rooms, but since I couldn't confirm this in the official site's main text, I'll just treat it as a reference point. Similarly, I wasn't able to find definitive information on whether there's a coin laundry or on the exact extent of wheelchair accessibility.

Access from Kawaguchiko Station and the Shuttle Bus

Since I don't drive, whether or not there's a shuttle bus was a pretty big concern for me. Looking into it, it seems there's a free shuttle bus for guests only running between Kawaguchiko Station and the hotel, taking about 10 minutes, and no reservation is needed (though groups of 10 or more are apparently asked to contact the hotel in advance).

Departures from Kawaguchiko Station apparently run from 8:45 to 19:45, and departures from the hotel run from 8:30 to 19:30, roughly on an hourly basis. The pickup point is said to be bus stop number 10, next to the tourist information center at Kawaguchiko Station. If you take a taxi instead, it's apparently about 8 to 10 minutes from the station.

For those driving, the guidance suggests about 30 minutes from the Tokyo area via the Kawaguchiko Interchange on the Chuo Expressway, or around 55 minutes via the Gotemba Interchange on the Tomei Expressway. Since I don't drive myself, I can't really speak from experience, but neither route seems to be a major detour.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I entered this facility's location into the official "My Area Connectivity Simulation" tool to check, and the overall rating came back as a C.

Given that Kawaguchiko is a mountainous area, the connectivity rating came out somewhat modest. Since there's also information suggesting in-house Wi-Fi is available, it might be worth factoring that in as well. If you're planning to rely solely on Rakuten Mobile for connectivity during your stay, it might be reassuring to check for yourself ahead of time.

Komorin

Honestly, that C rating gave me a bit of a start. If it were me, I'd want to call ahead and confirm whether in-house Wi-Fi is available.

Nearby Attractions and Food

The surrounding area apparently has plenty of sightseeing spots, including Kawaguchiko Craft Park, the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (Kachi Kachi Yama Ropeway), the Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum, the Narusawa Ice Cave, and Fuji-Q Highland. I also found spots that let you experience the lake in its own way, like Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba and the Lake Kawaguchi sightseeing cruise. I couldn't pin down the exact travel times to each place in this round of research, but they all seem like a good lineup to combine with a stay in the Kawaguchiko area.

As for meals, besides the hotel's own restaurants, I also came across nearby dining options like the hoto noodle dish at Hoto Fudo Kawaguchiko Kitahonten and a place called Cafe Mimi. It sounds like you could relax at the hotel while also stepping out nearby for a change of pace.

Wrapping Up

To sum it all up, Fuji View Hotel struck me as a classic hotel meant for settling in and taking your time — with a location overlooking Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, a spacious garden, and hot springs and dining befitting a long-established hotel. Since it doesn't accept day-trip bathing, enjoying the hot spring and restaurants fully seems to require staying overnight.

As for the Rakuten Mobile signal, the official tool gave it a C rating. If you're concerned about connectivity during your stay, it might be reassuring to check for yourself before heading out, alongside considering the in-house Wi-Fi.

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Related Links

• Official Site