I Looked Into THE KUKUNA

On this blog, I've been researching campsites, day-trip hot springs, and inns that I could visit even without a car, and putting them together one by one, almost like a series.

This time, I looked into THE KUKUNA in the Kawaguchiko area. What got me started was learning that some rooms come with their own open-air baths, which made me think it might suit an indoor type like myself.

The Short Version

Apparently, the rooms in the view building come with their own open-air hot spring bath, foot bath, and even a reclining bath, so this seems like a place that could suit people who don't want to step outside their room at all.
As for Rakuten Mobile, the signal came back as a C rating, so I'll be upfront about that.

I've put together the details below.

What Kind of Inn Is THE KUKUNA?

The first thing that caught my eye about this inn was how convenient it is to reach—about a 5-minute bus ride from Kawaguchiko Station. There also seems to be a shuttle service, though apparently you need to contact them in advance. By car, it looks like it's about 10 minutes from either the Kawaguchiko or Fujiyoshida interchange.

One thing that caught my attention while researching was the name itself. The official website now seems to consistently use "THE KUKUNA," but the stop name on the Kawaguchiko loop bus apparently still uses the older name, something like "Kaze no Terrace KUKUNA-mae." There also seems to be an outdoor area within the property called "Kaze no Terrace," so it looks like a few traces of the old branding remain even after the rebrand. I wasn't able to confirm during this research whether local signage or travel booking sites consistently use one name or the other.

Booking method: It looks like the main way to book is through the reservation system on the official website, though phone inquiries also seem possible (reservations for the private baths, for example, apparently need to be made by phone)
Room rates: The official website doesn't seem to list specific pricing, so it looks like you'd need to check travel booking sites for that information
Building layout: It's apparently made up of three buildings—the main building "Daichi no Tou," the plaza building "Kaze no Wing," and the view building "Tenku no Terrace"

Komorin

It was kind of a fun discovery that even though the name got rebranded, the old name lingers on in just the bus stop name. I haven't been able to visit in person, so I'd love it if someone could tell me someday what the actual signage looks like there.

Room Types Across the Three Buildings, Including Rooms With Open-Air Baths

What interested me most were the rooms in the view building, "Tenku no Terrace." There are two types—the Superior Terrace Room and the Corner Terrace Room—and both apparently come with their own dedicated space called a "Water Terrace," complete with a hot spring open-air bath, a foot bath, and even a reclining bath. In the sense that you can enjoy a hot spring without moving far from your room, this seemed like a pretty ideal setup for an indoor type.

The plaza building, "Kaze no Wing," seems to include an Executive Large Western-style room with a TV-equipped jacuzzi bath, as well as a super-suite type room called the "THE KUKUNA" suite. At around 100 square meters, it apparently comes with a living room, a Japanese-style room, and a twin room, making for a fairly spacious layout. The main building, "Daichi no Tou," mainly consists of Japanese- and Western-style rooms, all of which apparently come with a shower booth and toilet.

I couldn't find any mention on the official website's pages of the total number of rooms, or whether Wi-Fi is available throughout the property or in the rooms, so I wasn't able to confirm this clearly. This is something I'd like to look into again in the future.

Checking Out the Large Communal Baths, Private Baths, and Terraces

On the top floor, there's a large communal bath called "Ozora no Yu," split by gender. "Hoshi no Yu" apparently consists of a large communal bath with a view plus an open-air bath (a standing bath and a steam sauna), while "Tsuki no Yu" has a panoramic-view large communal bath plus an open-air bath (a half-body bath and a dry sauna). It seems the men's and women's sides get swapped late at night. Hours, including the sauna, are apparently 3 PM to 10 PM, and then 5 AM to 10 AM the next morning. I couldn't find any mention of the spring's mineral composition, so that remains unclear.

The private bath, "Lani Lanai," runs 3,000 yen (before tax) for 50 minutes and requires advance reservation, apparently by phone. The property also has four types of terrace spaces—a "Garden Terrace," "Kaze no Terrace," "Hikari no Terrace," and "Mizu no Terrace"—which looked like they'd be nice to wander around. On the dining side, there seems to be a teppanyaki and buffet-style main dining room, a sushi restaurant, and private dining rooms, and apparently the breakfast buffet features their signature French toast.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this location using Rakuten's official My Area Connectivity Simulation, the overall rating came back as a "C." I'll just share that as-is, based on what I found.

During your stay, things would probably also depend on the in-house Wi-Fi environment, but since I couldn't confirm on the official website whether Wi-Fi is even available, if you're concerned about connectivity, it might be worth checking in advance.

Komorin

Seeing that C rating was a bit of a letdown. The appeal of that view open-air bath is huge, so it seems like it might be smart to go in with some mental preparation on the connectivity front.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Access and Nearby Food and Sightseeing

Being about a 5-minute bus ride from Kawaguchiko Station is quietly a big deal for someone like me who doesn't drive. Nearby, there seem to be sightseeing spots like Lake Kawaguchiko, Ubuyagasaki, and the Kawaguchiko Museum of Art, and apparently under the right conditions you can even see Mt. Fuji's reflection on the lake. Fuji-Q Highland is apparently about 50 minutes away by train.

As for food, I found information suggesting there are places nearby specializing in seafood hoto noodles, along with Western-style restaurants and bakeries. That said, the official website doesn't mention distances or travel times for these, so this is based on general search results—it'd be worth double-checking before you actually go.

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, THE KUKUNA struck me as an inn with rooms that come with their own hot spring open-air bath and foot bath, where you could experience that classic hot spring ryokan feeling without ever stepping outside. Between the apparent rebranding of its name and how full-featured the in-house terrace spaces are, it looked like an appealing destination for indoor types who want a quiet getaway.

On the other hand, Rakuten Mobile's signal came back with a C rating, so if connectivity matters to you, it might be reassuring to think through a backup plan ahead of time. If you're concerned, it's probably worth checking the official connectivity simulation yourself.

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